The "Nolan" Face...courtesy A&E
Kudos to the people at A&E Networks Home Entertainment who recognized that the 2011 World Series story would not be complete without discussing the mad dash to the finish, the penultimate game 162, and the defeat of 2 baseball powerhouses en route to the World Series. Don’t let the title fool you, though. This DVD set isn’t just about the World Series. It covers everything from the preseason to the last pitch to leave Jason Motte‘s hand in the 9th inning of WS game 7.
What you will find on the DVDs:
- A reference to Albert Pujols‘ non-contract situation
- The terrible news about Adam Wainwright‘s season-ending injury
- Brief chatter about the Rasmus trade
- The move to obtain Rafael Furcal
- A mention of the Cardinals being 10 1/2 games back in the wild card race
- The Cardinals finishing the season strong to catch and pass the Braves for a playoff spot
- A lasting impression of a Philly fan holding up a sign that read “Cards Can’t Beat 4 Aces”
- A comeback from 4 runs down to Cliff Lee to win in Philly
- Various Cardinal players being “scrappy”
- A “Rally Squirrel”
- Epic pitcher’s duel between Roy Halladay and Chris Carpenter (DVD included in set)
- Video clip of Nyjer Morgan being…..well, Nyjer Morgan.
- Octavio Dotel repeatedly treating Ryan Braun like a baby treats a diaper
- Arthur “OG” Rhodes throwing around one “Yaayuh!” after another
- Mandatory video montage used to demonstrate how great the Rangers are
- Chris Carpenter owning the mound like a boss in game 1 of the World Series
- Ian Kinsler being thrown out by 1 1/2 Prince Fielder waistlines trying to steal 2B
- Carp sliding into 1st base while playing soft toss with Albert Pujols
- Jaime Garcia‘s 7 innings of shutout ball getting wasted in game 2 of the WS
- Allen Craig absolutely eating Ogando’s lunch (again)
- Mike Napoli demonstrating how NOT to tag up and score from 3rd
- Albert Pujols setting multiple records by hitting a baseball really, really hard
- Furcal showing a lot of range in LF (unfortunately, he plays SS)
- David Freese getting down to his last strike and hitting the ball in the direction of Nelson Cruz‘s World of Misplays
- Lance Berkman getting down to his last strike and going all “Big Fat Elvis Puma” on the ball to tie the game
- David Freese doing yard work for a walkoff win in game 6
- Allen Craig showing that white men can jump
- Jason Motte yelling “Come get some!” at Yadier Molina
What you won’t find on the DVDs:
- Hunter Pence discussing his work as Syd on the “Ice Age” movies
- Mike Napoli (.350 avg, 10 rbi in WS) batting in the heart of the order
- Alexi Ogando limiting the damage done by Allen Craig
- Ryan Theriot dunking a basketball
- Skip Schumaker‘s 93 mph “durpball” pitch
- Jason Motte handing out business cards that have “Cardinals Closer” listed as his occupation
- Inappropriate handling of the championship trophy (looking at you Chris Duncan)
- Derek Holland sporting an acceptable amount of facial hair
- Skip Schumaker, Ryan Theriot, and Nick Punto in a 3-way “scrapoff”
- A plausible explanation for LaRussa saying “Motte” and the bullpen coach hearing “Lynn” or “Rzepczynski”
- The World Series MVP award going to the wrong guy
- The Rangers getting the last out in game 6
- Tony LaRussa going into “Happy Fun Relaxation” mode
- A WS victory parade in Chicago for the Cubs
I can’t possibly recommend this DVD set enough. The filmmakers allowed the story to basically tell itself, so the narration just serves as a vehicle to guide the viewer through the timeline without detracting from the story’s impact. Consider the DVD set a hedge against future memory loss. While your mind’s eye may stay keen for many years, there are certainly moments that simply won’t be as vivid or kept in proper perspective. Do yourself a favor and use this DVD set to shift the burden from your brain to your DVD player. You won’t regret it. I just watched the DVDs again, and I still don’t believe what I just saw.
Wanna buy the set? Click here!
Interested in the trailer? Click here!
TIDBIT: I hope you folks appreciate the sacrifices I’ve made over the past week. I’ve watched the DVDs at least 4 times in order to write this review. By gosh, I’ll watch another 4 times to make sure I haven’t missed anything. Sometimes you just have to ante up and kick in, even if you just can’t stand the thought of watching the content 1 more time. (Yeah, right!)
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