Customer Reviews

1991 World Series - Minnesota Twins vs Atlanta Braves [VHS]

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I watch this one, even now, ten years after the fact, and I still am on the edge of my seat every time. Remarkable....Hollywood could not have written a better script.

This has got to be the best World Series of all time. Even now, years later, playing the tape instantly brings back all the names, the excitement and adrenaline. This is a baseball fan's classic. This series is America's classic sport in it's finest hour.

This item is still not available on DVD, (as of 7/2009). I recently rented a similar DVD but the excitement just wasn't there. It was narrated by a sports news caster for one of the big networks but just not as exciting as listening to the Twins play-by-play man yelling, "touch a ball Kirby Puckett!"

Currently, the only way to see this if off a VHS tape. The one copy in our family has been played many times. Looking forward to seeing this on DVD. If DVD is considered old technology then I hope this item, right here, is preserved in Blu-ray Disk format for younger generations to refer back to when told about the greatest World Series of all time.

In 1991 the Minnesota Twins defeated the Atlanta Braves in seven games during on of the greatest World Series ever played. Although these were a pair of small market teams the match-up was intriguing because what both clubs had finished in last place the previous year, making this the first meeting of "worst to first" teams in postseason history. It would be a gross understatement to simply point out the home team won all seven games in this series, especially since the Twins had done that in their previous Series five years earlier. Three of the games were decided by a single run in extra innings, including the last two. The teams split a couple of 3-2 home victories as well.

The trio of extra inning games were all extremely pivotal and equally dramatic. Atlanta won Game 3 at home 5-4 in 12 innings to stop the Twinkies from going up 3 games to love. Kirby Puckett won Game 6 with a home run in the bottom of the 11th inning to force the greatest Game 7 in World Series history. John Smoltz pitched for the Braves and Jack Morris for the Twins and at the end of nine innings the game was still scoreless. Dan Gladden started the Twins' half of the inning with a double and was sacrificed to third by Chuck Knoblauch. Intentional walks to Kirby Puckett and Kent Hrbek followed, loading the bases with one out. Then Pinch-hitter Gene Larkin drove the ball to left-center, over a drawn-in outfield, and the Twins were 1-0 winners and World Series champions. With his two key wins for the Twins Jack Morris ended up being the MVP and then bolted the team in the post season for greener pastures.

Final note: If you think this series was good, go back and check out the 1972 Series between the A's and Reds. That year SIX of the seven games were decided by one run, including the deciding final game. But in 1972 the home team only won twice. On paper, at least, that would seem to be more exciting. But the 1991 Fall Classic was still very, very special and NOTHING could top that seventh game, not even what happened in Arizona this year.

In 1990, both the Atlanta Braves and Minnesota Twins were mired in the cellar of their respective divisions. In 1991, they battled right down to the wire (and a little bit past it) in one of the greatest World Series ever played.

There are two reasons why you should buy this tape:

1. You are a fan of the Twins/Braves. This retrospective superbly recaps all the key events of each game and the storylines behind them. It is like a wave of nostalgia providing sweet (MN) or bittersweet (ATL) memories literally every minute. If you watched this World Series live, or (for younger fans) have relived it through highlights and team reunions over and over again, this tape is a must-own.

2. You are just a fan of baseball in general. The 1991 World Series was one of the most taught, tense, and thrilling Fall Classic's ever played, with four games being decided in extra innings, and featuring heroic performances from Mark Lemke, David Justice, Kirby Puckett, and Jack Morris. With the exception of perhaps 1997 (and that Series didn't really get interesting until Game Seven), this is easily the Series of The Decade (1990s), and perhaps even more.

Also, the soothing vocal talents of recently-departed Ernie Harwell provide the perfect soundtrack to the highlight reel, as well as snippets of the live broadcast feed featuring the incredible Jack Buck ("And we'll see ya...tomorrow night!").

Thus, any baseball fans (but Twins/Braves particularly, of course) will find enjoyment from this tape, as they will be able to re-live one of the greatest baseball series ever played.