"On the Fourth of July, Sikhs in Fresno came together to host the California city’s annual minor league baseball game and fireworks show to create awareness about their religion and demonstrate their love for America" (Vice News).
"When baseball star Curt Flood rejected a trade in 1969, he challenged America’s pastime and helped spark a revolution that rippled beyond the game" (The New York Times)..
A look back at Miggy's illustrious career.
In a time when America was on the brink of modernization, Carson "Skeeter" Bigbee emerged from rural Oregon to become an embodiment of national transformation. Born to working parents in 1895, Bigbee’s life as a multi-sport athlete, a baseball star with the Pittsburgh Pirates, a World War I enlistee, and a World Series hero, intersected with America's Progressive Era, the electrification of society, the First World War, and the onset of the Great Depression. His story, from hitting the decisive run in the 1925 World Series to managing in the American Girls Professional Baseball League, is a poignant reflection of ambition, patriotism, and the resilient spirit of an ever-changing nation in the early 20th Century.
"It started with batting average, home runs and RBIs. Then sabermetrics came along and introduced a new set of results-driven statistics. But results only tell half the story, and the new revolution in baseball analytics goes one step deeper to measure the actual physicality of the players – exit velocity off the bat, spin rate on a pitcher's curveball, efficiency of an outfielder's route to a fly ball, and a ton more. "FUTURE OF THE GAME is a new series exploring the cutting edge in sports technology, co-produced with our pals at VICE's tech channel Motherboard. In this inaugural episode we meet the architects of MLB Statcast, a new initiative using the same technology that tracks debris during the launch of space shuttles to change the way we watch baseball on TV and give overlooked talent a second change to stick in the Major Leagues" (Vice Sports).
A baseball loving community unites to make its MLB dream come true and hits a home run with the 1993 arrival of Colorado Rockies.
Born in 1918 in San Diego, Williams was a latchkey child from a broken home, raised by a mother more dedicated to the Salvation Army than to her two sons, and by a father who spent more time away from home than in it. Williams found salvation by doing the one thing he loved most: hitting baseballs. In his rookie season with the Red Sox, where he would spend his entire career as a player, Williams batted .327, socked 31 homers and led the league with 145 RBI. Over the next 21 years, despite losing five seasons of his prime to active service as a U.S. Marine Corps pilot, Williams hit 521 home runs, twice captured the Triple Crown, and became the oldest man ever to win a batting title. He finished his career with a .344 lifetime batting average, was the last man to hit over .400 in a full season, batting .406 in 1941, and was a first-ballot inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
In honor of Homer's journey to the Hall of Fame, MLB all-stars and Springfield locals look back at the greatest corporate softball game ever played.
An entertaining and heartfelt look at the ties of hope, faith, and optimism that bind Cubs fans together. This exciting film also offers unique insight into what it means to be a true Cubs fan by exploring how deeply the histories of the city of Chicago and its Cubs are intertwined.
This DVD tells the story of the men who made the season memorable -- the players and personalities who made the first season at Busch Stadium unforgettable. The surprising rookies and reliable veterans, the superstars and the role-players, the fan favorites and the late-season new faces, are all saluted here, in a tribute to the heroes who brought Baseball Heaven to life and a joyful Cardinals Nation to its feet in 2006.
Major League Baseball has been transformed by the influx of Cuban players such as Aroldis Chapman, Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu. But a special debt of gratitude is owed to two half-brothers, whose courage two decades ago paved the way for their stardom. "Brothers in Exile" tells the incredible story of Livan and Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, who risked their lives to get off the island.
A unique and insightful documentary following the experiences of college baseball players as they compete in one of the most prestigious amateur leagues in the country, The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL). There are currently over 200 MLB players that have spent time in the Cape Cod League. Filmed over the summer of 2003, Touching The Game takes viewers behind the scenes of the CCBL, from host families and hot dog vendors, to fans and former players, now household names through their own Major League careers. Featuring extensive interviews, incredible aerial footage, and a local soundtrack, Touching The Game shows baseball in its purest form.
Celebrating colorful broadcaster Bob Uecker and his 50-plus years in baseball. His famously undistinguished playing career led to film and TV roles, a legendary series of beer commercials, and over 100 appearances on "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson." Ultimately his spot in the Milwaukee Brewers broadcast booth would take him to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
This feature documentary uses animation, archival stills and live-action footage to detail the history of women's participation in the largely male-dominated world of baseball and softball. Zany and affectionate, it features 7-year-olds learning the rules and skills of the game and 50-year-olds hitting home runs, from the early days of the Bloomer Girls to the heyday of the Colorado Silver Bullets.
From the April home opener to the glorious November victory parade, this team was bonded by a trust - a belief - dare we say: The Magic Inside. The team-first attitudes of veterans and newcomers alike blended with the positive style of manager Bruce Bochy to create a superb and sustaining chemistry. AT&T Park overflowed with waves of orange-and-black devotees throughout the year - hoping beyond hope that their Giants would bring them the first World Series title in San Francisco history. Often it was tortuous. But always it was magic.
NHK has followed baseball sensation Shohei Ohtani closely since his 2018 Major League debut. We look at Ohtani’s ability to both pitch and bat at the highest level. We hear from those who have supported him on and off the field and examine the importance of his father’s training regime. Join us behind the scenes at such pivotal points as Ohtani’s battle to recover from elbow surgery and reclaim his place as a baseball virtuoso like no other.
The Houston Astros overcame the worst start in franchise history to win the National League.
In late 2021, Cleveland’s baseball team was reborn as the Guardians. This documentary, directed by Lance Edmands, chronicles the saga of that name change, which has its roots in a forgotten legend named Louis Sockalexis, and the tragedy that enveloped his story more than a century ago.
Throughout the 1900's, before Jackie Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in 1946, black baseball talent blossomed in the Negro Leagues. Baseball buffs still sing the praises of Josh Gibson who could be counted on to hit 70 homeruns in a season, and Satchel Paige who pitched over 100 no-hitters in his career. Only the Ball Was White pays tribute to the many topflight players from the Negro Leagues. Narrated by actor Paul Winfield, the program documents a bygone bittersweet era in baseball and the men who were denied stardom by the color line. Ballplayers throughout the country were interviewed for this program, all of them quick to tell tales of the life, the competition, and the camaraderie. These include: Satchel Paige, Roy Campanella, Buck Leonard, Jimmy Crutchfield, David Malarcher, Effa Manley, and Quincy Trouppe.
This feature documentary follows one of the greatest Canadian baseball players of all time, Ferguson Jenkins, through the 1972-1973 season. From the hope and innocence of spring training to the dog days of an August slump, the camera gets up close and personal at the home plate and records the intimate chatter on the mound, in the dugout and in the locker room. It provides a glimpse into the rewards and pressures of sports stardom and the easy camaraderie of the quintessential summer sport.