They Still Win

 

Back when I was a youngster, I vividly remember that the World Series every October was followed a month or so later with the "official" World Series film.  Always a half-hour in length and sponsored by Gillette razor blades, it would summarize everything that happened in the Fall Classic.  It was simply a rehash of the game results, but always fun to watch especially if your team was in it.

In 2025, everything has gotten bigger and brassier and longer.   The "official" World Series now is broadcast on Apple TV Plus.   The documentary is now in three parts and is three hours long.   And, beyond the game footage, it comes with lots of candid tidbits from the team players and their families.   

This is one case where the years have improved the product.

Of course, I am an all-day sucker for the 2024 World Series, given my place in life as a Dodger fan.  And I could watch this over and over.   Of course, if they had lost...

Nevertheless, they still win and, as a result, this documentary is very Dodger-centric, especially when they include lots of inside shots following the wives of Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts.  Oh, I'm sure there were Yankee wives followed as well in case they had won and the documentary became Yankee-centric.   Indeed, I probably would have watched anyway as this film, which comes from Ron Howard's production company, is a gem.

The inside camera work is fascinating and the personal recollections are quite amazing.   There's one part where Freddie Freeman's wife tells the story that the cross worn by her husband broke right before the World Series.   The medal contains a lock of his late mom's hair and he had never played a game without it.  She tells the harrowing story of how they were able to get the jewelry fixed in time.   And, oh yeah, he was wearing it when he delivered his walk-off grand slam in Game 1.

That's the kind of candid stuff you get in this film and you wish it was even longer.  Even the closing credits gave me a big smile as it includes the closing credit music from the old TV series "This Week in Baseball."

And I'd venture to say that even non-baseball fans might enjoy this.

Ands if they're wearing blue...even better.

LEN'S RATING:  Four stars.

Dinner last night: Prime rib sandwich at the Smoke House.