Search - Essential Games of the Detroit Tigers on DVD

A Must For Every Tiger Fan

J. Herman | Brownstown, MI United States | 04/09/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Overview: The Essential Games of the Detroit Tigers is a 4 DVD set featuring four historic games, as well as highlights from dozens of others.

Packaging: Each game comes on its own disc, in its own slim case. Front of each World Series game feature the Official Program Cover. The last Game at Tiger Stadium shows a nice view from Michigan and Trumbull. The back of each case features a brief synopsis of the game, as well as the starting line-ups. Each disc shows the inning by inning scoreboard. The slim cases all fit into a nice cardboard box.

The disc menus are nice--allowing you to play the entire game, or select the top or bottom of any inning.

The games are:
Disc 1: Detroit Tigers vs. St. Louis Cardinals, World Series Game 5 at Tiger Stadium, 10/7/68. This game is featured in black and white, as it was originally broadcast. Yes, the box says "Color", and yes, I've seen color highlights, but we all know these '68 World Series games were broadcast in black and white. Disc 1 also includes all of the bonus highlights, which I describe in detail below under "Extras".

Disc 2: Detroit Tigers vs. St. Louis Padres, World Series Game #5 at Tiger Stadium, 10/14/84. This game featured the classic showdown between Goose Gossage and Kirk Gibson. This game features the NBC audio, as well as radio broadcast, featuring the great Ernie Harwell.

Disc 3: Detroit Tigers vs. Kansas City Royals, 9/27/99 at Tiger Stadium. This was the final game at Tiger Stadium. This DOESN'T feature the pre-game speeches or post-game festivities.

Disc 4: Detroit Tigers vs. Oakland A's, ALCS Game 4, 10/12/2006. This game featured the Magglio Ordonez walk-off home run that sent Detroit to the World Series.

The video quality in this set is as you would expect--as good as the technology that existed at the time of the games. The 1968 game is in black and white, and the audio shows signs of being recorded in 1968. The 1984 game shows some degradation, but looks and sounds good. The 1999 and 2006 games look and sound like they were recorded yesterday.

In my opinion, A&E did a decent job selecting memories. I like the focus on post-season accomplishments, and likeable players (like Fidrych, Fryman, and Fielder) who didn't wind up on a '68, '84, or '06 team.

I would have really liked to see the complete 1987 pennant game vs. the Blue Jays. I might have enjoyed the Dave Rozema karate kick, or Jack Morris No-Hitter highlights.

Most of all, I would have liked more earlier memories. More of the '67, '68 and '72 teams. Maybe some 1940's and 1950's. Definitely more Al Kaline.

The best part of this set might be the extra highlights. Disc 1 is loaded with highlights. Each is typically 2 to 5 minutes long.

They are (SPOILER ALERT):

1971 All Star Game at Tiger Stadium - Shows introduction of Tiger Players, Billy Martin, and famous home run by Reggie Jackson.

5/15/76 Mark Fidrych Complete Game against the Yankees at Tiger Stadium. They show an introduction, describing his antics. Shows Fidrych getting last out against Elrod Hendricks thanking teammates and umps, and taking three curtain calls.

10/5/84 ALCS Game 3 - Chet Lemon scoring on Marty Castillo groundout. Willie Hernandez against Daryl Motley for last out. Team celebrating. (Ernie Harwell broadcast)

10/12/84 World Series Game 3 -Willie Hernandez against Steve Garvey for last out. (Ernie Harwell broadcast)

10/13/84 World Series Game 4 - Alan Trammell's two home runs. (Ernie Harwell and Vin Scully doing broadcast)

10/4/87 - Tigers vs. Blue Jays at Tiger Stadium. Shows Frank Tanana against Dane Iorg for last out. Team and fans celebrating.

10/10/87 - ALCS Game 3 - Tigers vs. Twins at Tiger Stadium. Shows Pat Sheridan hitting home run off of Jeff Reardon, with Jack Morris pinch running. Fans throwing stuff on the field. Mike Henneman striking out Kent Hrbek for the last out.

6/21/1988 - Tigers vs. Yankees at Tiger Stadium. Shows Alan Trammell hitting a grand slam walk-off. This is from the old PASS network (Larry Osterman and I believe Jim Northrup broadcast)

9/14/1991 - Tigers against Brewers at County Stadium - Cecil Fielder hits #41 out of the park. This was the year he hit 51 in the race against Canseco. This is from the old PASS network (Larry Osterman and I believe Jim Northrup broadcast)

7/27/1993 - Tigers vs. Yankees at Tiger Stadium. Travis Fryman hits for cycle -double, home run, single, and triple.

9/21/1995 - Tigers vs. Orioles at Tiger Stadium - Alan Trammell and Lou Whitaker's last game together at Tiger Stadium. Show them warming up, Whitaker walking (in last at bat) walking off the field together to ovations. Trammell ended up playing in 1996. Whitaker retired.

4/11/2000 - Comerica Opening Day - Ernie Harwell Master of Ceremonies speech, introduction of Tiger greats (including Al Kaline, George Kell, Willie Horton, Sparky Anderson). Lengthy Flag ceremony.

7/16/2004 - Tigers versus Yankees at Comerica Park - Maroth striking out Gary Sheffield for last out of his one-hitter. (Frank Beckman broadcast)

4/29/2006 - Tigers against Twins at Comerica - Tigers beat Twins 18-1. Home runs by Guillen, Granderson, Ordonez. (Mario Impemba and Rod Allen broadcast)

5/20/2006 - Curtis Granderson hits home run against Seattle at Comerica Park to join 20/20 club. I think the date on this is incorrect because he didn't have 20/20 by May. (Either Rizz or Rathbun commentating--I don't know the difference. Whichever says "Goodbye Baseball")

10/6/2006 - Tigers vs. Yankees at Comerica Park. ALCS Game 3. Kenny Rogers manhandling the Yankees.

10/7/2006 - Tigers vs. Yankees at Comerica Park. ALCS Game 4. Todd Jones getting the last out. Fans and players celebrating (including Leyland kissing a fan through the screen).

10/13/2006 - Tigers vs. A's at Comerica Park. ALDS Game 3 - Craig Monroe Home Run, Todd Jones getting final out.

10/22/2006 - Tigers vs. Cardinals at Comerica Park. World Series Game 2 - Kenny Rogers pine tar. Craig Monroe home run off Jeff Weaver. Todd Jones getting last out.

6/12/2007 - Tigers vs. Brewers at Comerica Park. Jeff Verlander No-Hitter. They show about 21 of the 27 outs, including the Maglio sliding catch and the last out. They left out the really nice Neifi Perez play. (Mario Impemba and Rod Allen broadcast)

9/27/1999 -Tigers vs. Royals at Tiger Stadium. This is a short film that someone put together. It's so-so.












"

Wonderful set, almost perfect

A. Wellman | 04/09/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"First, the good news--I refer you back to the contents of this set, as mentioned in the product description. As hoped, the sets' emphasis is on the Tiger Stadium era, rather than the Crapmerica Park era; usually the ratio of vintage-to-recent material in these sports boxes is the exact opposite.

Random observations on the set...

Disc 1, the 1968 broadcast, is as ghostly and grainy as stated elsewhere, but fascinating nonetheless. Interestingly, ALL of the bonus clips mentioned are also on Disc 1, and they are also both fascinating and thoughtful--I had forgotten about Pat Sheridan's home run in Game 3 of the 1987 ALCS (and I was at that game) but it's here on the DVD; also present are many of the original announcers from these games--Curt Gowdy at the 1971 All-Star Game, a baby-faced Tony Kubek at the 1968 World Series...although instead of hearing Howard Cosell at the 1984 ALCS (I believe this was Cosell's final baseball assignment) we get Ernie Harwell's WJR radio call.

It's also interesting to see how local TV coverage of Tiger baseball evolved over the years; although we get no WWJ/WDIV broadcasts with George Kell and Al Kaline, we do get clips from PASS, and the final Tiger Stadium game was broadcast on UPN 50 (WKBD).

For years I've been hoping to see a DVD boxed set of the entire five-game Detroit-San Diego series. However, if you own the 2007 DVD "Detroit Tigers Vintage World Series Films", you are no doubt aware of the disturbing video problems that plague the 1984 World Series highlight video contained therein--but it is still shocking to see how poor the video from the 1984 World Series broadcast from NBC looks. Those who remember watching replays of the NBC broadcast of this game will also certainly notice another interesting omission besides the degraded picture quality--the moment at the end of the game when Kirk Gibson shoved aside a trespasser on the playing field has been excised. Still, it was a legendary, electrifying afternoon/evening at Tiger Stadium (I believe it was the last World Series day game ever played, although the first pitch wasn't until about 4:30PM or so) and I'm glad it's finally part of my DVD library. The only bonus feature on Disc 2 is an alternate audio track featuring the WJR radio broadcast with Ernie Harwell and Paul Carey. I'm sure I wasn't the only one back in the 70's and 80's who would turn down TV audio of Joe Garagiola or Howard Cosell to switch on an AM radio dialed to 76 AM.

Disc 3 is another welcome addition to the set--the final game at Tiger Stadium, one of the most heartbreaking days in the history of baseball. Oddly, however, the video from this game is not particularly great for some reason; again, this was the UPN 50 broadcast, and while only ten years old, the picture is grainy and oddly faded. Another disappointment--none of the post-game festivities are included, even as a bonus feature. Somewhere I have a video from WKBD featuring both the post-game ceremonies and a teriffic tribute to Tiger Stadium (hosted by Ray Lane) that was broadcast after the game. Both would have been welcome additions to this box set.

Finally, on disc 4, we have the 2006 pennant clinching game against the Oakland A's, featuring Magglio Ordonez' 9th-inning game winning homerun. While this was a great game, again--what is disturbing is the fact that although this game is only three-and-a-half years old (and as far as I know, was even broadcast in HD), as with the other games, the picture quality is abysmal. I can give the picture quality of the games on the other three discs a pass, but as far as this game goes, there simply is no excuse--the blurry video looks as though it was taken from a battered VHS tape. Somewhere I have the "Uncaged!: The Story Of The 2006 American League Champion Detroit Tigers" DVD that was sold only at Meijers Thrifty Acres stores up in Michigan (because, lord knows, if a baseball DVD doesn't include any Yankees or Red Sox, it's unlikely to ever see the light of day) and I need to get it out to see of the clips of this game on that disc are as of poor quality as the video on this disc--but something tells me I would remember it if the video were that poor.

Mind you--I'm not a videophile. I could care less about HD and Blu-ray, let alone crap like "edge enhancement". But the picture quality of these games is enough to knock this set down a half-star. The other half-star was deducted for the non-inclusion of the 1999 Tiger Stadium closing ceremonies.

Other than all of that, what can I say? It's the greatest sports DVD box set ever made, a stirring reminder of a legendary ballpark and the players who played there before Mike Ilitch (may he rot in hell) and his ugly wife conned Dennis Archer into building that partial-birth-abortion with a ferris wheel in which the Tigers play to this day."