All along in this series, every segment, time is devoted to the black man and his ball-playing abilities and struggles. Banned from major league baseball until the late '40s, Ken Burns goes out of his way in coverage of them in his nine-part "Baseball" series, especially here and in the next decade when Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier.
Speaking of "color," one of the most colorful players of them all is featured here in this decade: Leroy "Satchel" Paige, the great pitcher. Paige and slugger Josh Gibson - the best hitter in the Negro leagues - are given the bulk of the coverage, and it's all interesting.
I did think they overdid it, though, on the coverage of the all-star games. This PBS documentary gave three times the coverage to the black East-West game than it did the initial Major League All-Star Game, which is ludicrous. When they do go back and discuss some of MLB's players, the focus is primarily on Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth and Bob Feller.
Speaking of "color," one of the most colorful players of them all is featured here in this decade: Leroy "Satchel" Paige, the great pitcher. Paige and slugger Josh Gibson - the best hitter in the Negro leagues - are given the bulk of the coverage, and it's all interesting.
I did think they overdid it, though, on the coverage of the all-star games. This PBS documentary gave three times the coverage to the black East-West game than it did the initial Major League All-Star Game, which is ludicrous. When they do go back and discuss some of MLB's players, the focus is primarily on Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio, Babe Ruth and Bob Feller.