European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 18, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                With a to fal i by John Engstrom Seattle Post intelligencer he Burns baseball is a deep immersion into America s most enduring if not Al ways endearing pastime. Its 18 i hours Are filled with unforgettable portraits of the fools heroes Vil Lains and stand up Guys who have run the bases and the game for 150 years. It often moves with such Grace and brilliance that it must be counted As another major Success for Burns coming four years after his landmark Triumph with the civil War broadcasts. It should snatch up baseball s fans with its magnetic history come to life vision. It will seduce no fans As Well though Many will soon become bored and abandon the Effort after a night two. Fjor the baseball fan i think you la see the 50 to 60 great moments but from an entirely new Light Burns told to critics this summer. And if you re not a baseball fan it s the Story of people of life Les sons of emotions of the collisions of personality and forces in this country despite its undeniable attractions for those with a taste for the game or Burns work baseball which begins tonight on most pcs stations in the United states and saturday on an Tois a failure when matched against the creator s Highfalutin goal. Burns Calls it his encore to the civil War an examination of the entire sweeping panoramic history of our country from the 1850s to  if that s what he wanted he did t get it. What baseball does Best is Tell a wonderfully per Sonal Story of an often great game. It is far less convincing As the clearest Way to explore the extraordinary and complicated country that the civil War made As Burns has claimed. The Story of baseball Burns added is also the Story of immigration and assimilation of the struggle Between labor and management of popular culture and the Media of myth and the nature of heroes of the roles of women and class and wealth in our society and most important it is the Story of race  let s get this cheap but fair Shota sort of critic s Texas leaguer out of the Way Early it s just a game Ken. Tens of millions of americans Don t give a Hoot and certainly not a holler about baseball. At times As even baseball admits the game has followed the country s Lead not led its charge. And while major elements of the country s history have touched it sometimes harshly sometimes lightly baseball is at Best a distorted reflection of what was eating at or enriching America s citizenry. And baseball the documentary is even More skewed an incomplete recounting of the game s past because of the sheer impossibility of recounting 150 years of anything in Only 1 Svi hours. There is for example a critical thread on racism that runs through the series but it was not just on the Diamond that Blacks were segregated and suffer ing. And while Jackie Robinson s breakthrough to the major leagues in 1947 had a major Impact on the country it was not As Burns claims the first Prog Ress in civil rights since the civil  so baseball in t All that Burns promised. But so what he s a fan and even he sometimes backs away from the insistence that this is a High toned attack with meaning and import. Asked by a to critic whether there is a tendency to Over mythologized and Over glamorize the sport and its centrality to american history Burns an swered  sluggers Hank Aaron above and Ted Williams Are two players featured in baseball. The series. Is a narrative history of baseball he said. There is no didactic sort of lesson pointing throughout the series. It s telling  there is an almost palpable feeling of Relief when Ever the series Breaks away from big issues segments to just talk baseball. For his Effort give Burns a win flawed by relatively few errors most of the easily forgiven kind. Baseball is Fine storytelling and compelling visual artistry accompanied by an Eclectic but often Superb score. The music probably works so Well because it was recorded first and the pictures then were edited to fit the broadcast of baseball will be divided into nine nights or innings with the first five and the final four separated by two travel  that s just the first of some Overly precious pack aging. Every inning running 2 to 2vi hours with no intermissions commercials or pledge Breaks begins with the Star spangled Banner. The series like Burns last one uses photos voice overs and music to help Tell the Story but also news reel footage dating Back to 1899. Baseball greats Ted Williams and Hank Aaron along with a 100-year-old Man who struck out Tycobb were among the More than 80 people interviewed new York times news service the series on an the american forces network has scheduled baseball of Start saturday Here is a Day by Day sketch of what you la Sec in Ken Burns is i hour documentary. Each of the nine broadcasts is called an inning first inning our game 1840s-1900 12 25 . Get saturday. Dispels the myth of Abner Doubleday and traces the game through Early versions. The first True base Ball game is played in 1846. The sport is marked by racism sexism corruption gambling cheating and heroes such As Cap Anson. The 19th Century s greatest player he has a major role in Banning Blacks. Second inning something like a War 1900-1910. " v.-. 1 . Get next sunday. Two major leagues Are in place take me out to the Ball game is written the first world series is played and an Independent team of Black players is  Innangi the Faith of so million people 1910-1920 12 30 . Get oct. 1. Every town has a team tens of thousands watch games Between factory teams women form teams. Immigrants View the game As crucial to the Ameri can image and away to become upwardly Mobile. Tycobb continues his talented but ugly slash through the game. The sport is shattered by the 1919 Black sox scandal and autocratic judge Ken saw Mountain Landis becomes commissioner. Fourth Innangi a National heirloom 1920 1930  1 . Get oct. 2. After Ray Chapman is killed by a pitch the rules outlaw dirty hard to see balls. Babe Ruth s Power changes the game from bats to statistics to the Pace  inning Shadow Ball 1930-1940 12 30 . Get oct 8. The depression kills attendance forcing owners to invent fan attracting gimmicks such As the Aii Star game and  night games and radio broadcasts of a full schedule. Sixth inning the National pastime 1940-1950 1 . Get oct. 9., two of the game s finest hitters Joe Dimaggio and Ted Williams Are on display. During world War ii teams and a league for women Are formed. Branch Rickey Bucks baseball s most awful tradition by hiring Jackie Robinson and bringing him up to the dodgers in 1947, his arrival and succeeding addition of More Blacks is an important step toward the civil rights movement that will occur slightly More than a decade later. Seventh Innangi the capital of baseball 1950-1960 12 30 . Cetout. 15. The teams of new York especially the Yankees dominate the game for most of a decade. Television coverage begins to kill the minors. Colourful charac ters such As Casey Stengel and Yogi Berra take the stage. Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle become National heroes. Eighth Innangi a whole new Baga be 1960 1970 1 . Get oct. 16. Baseball adds new teams and More old teams move to new cities. Roger Maris endures enormous pressure As he tops babe Ruth s one season record of 60 homers. Ninth inning Home 1970-present 12 30 . Get oct. 22. Roberto Clemente is killed in a plane crash end ing a career never properly honoured when he was alive. Curt flood looses his Reserve clause Challenge when no Active players testify for him. With attendance lagging owners resort to promotional gimmicks including the designated hitter Rule. Reggie Jackson becomes or. October. Hank Aaron receives thousands of hate letters As he beats babe Ruth s career Home run record. Dodger official Al Campanis proves on National to in 1987, that racism in t dead in baseball 40 years after Jackie Robinson s arrival. September 18,1994 sunday Page 9