When It Was a Game - Triple Play Collection
This HBO documentary is based on a highly original idea: tell the story  of baseball from the Great Depression era through the late 1950s using footage  from home-movie cameras shot by fans and players. The result is a marvelous look  at baseball in America as seen from the ground--the culture of stadiums, the  ritual of afternoon games, the spiritually sustaining rivalries. Among the truly  unexpected sights is color footage of the 1938 World Series, not only from  inside the stadium walls but from the street as traffic cops, crowds, and  vehicles amassed. It also covers World War II's impact on the game, and, of  course, the heroes, often caught in relaxed, unselfconscious moments.Arguably more defined and even more lyrical than its predecessor,When It Was  a Game 2moves from a general celebration of baseball culture in America to  a specific focus on various facets of the game's history, including the special  relationship between game announcers and fans and the farm-team system during  the 1930s, '40s, and '50s. Brooklyn's assimilation of the Dodgers into their  community identity is covered quite winningly as is the heartbreak of the team's  desertion to California. Last, the film takes us on a tour of some of the game's  legends and presents a touching tribute to the extraordinary Babe Ruth.--Tom  KeoghWhen It Was a Game 3focuses on the 1960s, a time of change for all of  America.  Through sharp, incredibly clear color footage of players and fans, the  film shows how Major League Baseball slowly but surely evolved from pure sport  to moneymaking entertainment. Covering the mighty Yankees, the western expansion  of both leagues, the increasing inclusion of black players, and the rise of free  agency and increased salaries, the film shows the growth of baseball from  adolescence to adulthood.--Rob Lightner