I spent my Thursday evening viewing as much of the two World Series DVD Sets from A+E Networks Home Entertainment/MLB Productions as time and stamina would allow. There are more than ample reasons to want to own both collections.
The Official 2011 World Series Film is narrated by St. Louis native Jon Hamm and documents the St. Louis Cardinals’ championship run in a series of segments including game highlights, interviews and more. Extra material includes the last outs and celebrations of key post-season wins and a bit of the World Series parade.
The two-disc set also features a bonus DVD containing the complete NLDS Game 5 in which Chris Carpenter and the Cardinals were one run better than Roy Halladay and the Phillies. Included are the post-game interviews with the winning pitcher Carpenter, manager Tony La Russa (during which he clumsily jokes about the Rally Squirrel and Torty Craig), and a brief look at the raucous clubhouse celebration.
The Official 2011 World Series Film two-Disc DVD has been available since November 22 and will ship in a single Blu-ray disc on December 6.
The 2011 World Series Champions Collectors Edition DVD Set is an eight-disc set of all seven complete World Series games plus a bonus DVD. This collection will first be available on December 6 but is pre-orderable now.
With well over 20 hours of available action from which to choose, I had to make a tough decision where to start. Having seen the games once before, I began my viewing at the end, watching the bonus disc in its entirety.
The final play of each of the Cardinals regular season walk-off game-winners serves as the appetizer. It surprised me that so many different players contributed, from the expected like Albert Pujols to the less-expected such as Skip Schumaker and Tony Cruz.
Other regular season highlights include back-to-back home runs by Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman, Pujols’ 2000th hit, including the lengthy ovation that followed, and Holliday’s 200th career home run.
We are taken inside the Wild Card celebration, watching the players watch on the clubhouse television as Atlanta lost its final game and sharing in their jubilation. The NLCS trophy presentation is relived. Not only is the World Series Game 7 celebration featured, it includes isolation cameras capturing the reactions of a number of players on the field as the final out was secured. The disc concludes with World Series parade footage from the perspective of MVP David Freese.
On the game discs, each half inning of every game is individually selectable, as you would expect. The pre-game set up by Joe Buck and Tim McCarver is included. The Game 7 post-game segment includes a lively on-field interview with Freese that was originally shown on MLB Network, conducted by Greg Amsinger, Harold Reynolds, Kevin Millar and Al Leiter.
Here is a neat feature. The game discs include an alternate audio option to view the action synchronized with Mike Shannon and John Rooney’s call rather than the FOX network announcers. You can instead select the Rangers radio or a Spanish option and switch the audio track on demand.
There is so more to see and hear. Get your own copies to serve as your video keepsakes of the Cardinals 11th World Championship.
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