Customer Reviews

Nine Innings From Ground Zero: The 2001 World Series

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A made-for-TV (HBO) movie that is just outstanding. It captures in a very realistic manner how the World Series in 2001 related to the horror of 9/11 the prior month. The movie also shows the human side of these famous baseball athletes in a way that we rarely see. If you are not moved by Nine Innings from Ground Zero, you need to check to see that you have a pulse.

Being a west-coast sports fan,I have always hated the Yankees. I don't know what got me into buying this dvd but I must say that I am glad I did. This documentary is the story about the city of New York and one of their most beloved sports teams getting by one of the most horrific events in both New York and American History...9/11. If this tragedy was the illness,then the love of Yankee baseball was the cure. While watching "Nine innings from ground zero",my hate towards this team was put aside while watching it as I got to see the side of Yankee stars that one doesn't see off the field. From the young girl who met Derek Jeter after he learned through her letter that she lost her father in the towers...to the firefighters who put on a smile thanks to a surprise visit from Yankee players...to the group of family members of 9/11 victims who got to attend the world series,I was deeply moved by this documentary. We,the sports fans,are so used to hearing stories about too many sport stars who get in trouble with the law or stars who complain about a 7 to 8 figure contract not being enough,that we seem to forget about the few out there who have alot of good in them. The documentary even has an interview with President George Bush that I am glad was included. I don't care if the war in Iraq is right or wrong nor do I care what party he is. It is a proud moment watching the leader of your country throw out the first pitch at the 2001 World Series while the crowd chants...U-S-A...U-S-A!!! I believe this first pitch is the most memorable one on film to date. After watching Nine innings...,am I still a Yankee hater? Yeah,but I love them for bringing hope and smiles to the people of New York. This dvd is recommended to both the sports fan and non-sports fan. All will not be disappointed. "It's a hit"!

First of all, I am not a Yankees fan, nor am I a Yankees hater.

This film, although a wee bit heavy handed at times, still brings tears to my eyes...five years since 9/11. It is wonderful to see how a simple game of baseball helped in a small way heal a devastated city and country.

What I liked is that it did not focus on the terrorists or the attack as so much as the healing. It was a film about resolve, not vengeance.

The interviews with the families of the victims were prominently featured, as they should. The ballplayer interviews were to add to the feeling, but the film clearly focused on the famlilies. This ensured that the viewer knew what was truly important.

Although as an Oakland A's fan, I get to relive the moment when Jeremy Giambi should have slid over and over again, I love that I have this in my DVD collection.

*note - as a DVD there are no special features...it's the documentary and that's it...

All too often, I think that baseball fans get a bit too caught up in the everyday minutiae of the game to reflect on what the sport really means to them. A few examples would be criticizing the manager for a pitching change or getting on the case of a batter in a terrible slump. However, this DVD will remind you that the game of baseball stands for so much more.

This documentary really shines on two different levels. First, is the action transpiring on the field. Starting with President George W. Bush throwing out the opening pitch (a perfect strike) at Yankee Stadium on the first night back after the terrible 9/11 disaster, the film chronicles the Yankees' amazing run to a division title, a playoff series (against Oakland) that might have been lost if not for Derek Jeter sprinting out of nowhere, and the intensely dramatic World Series that, although it didn't end well for NY, contained a decade-worth of Yankee Stadium drama. The filmmakers are able to very effectively turn those events into a sort of metaphor for the city of New York.

The second level this movie succeeds on is in recounting the personal stories that were going on "behind the scenes" while the Yankees and Mets were doing their best to entertain the masses. In one instance, a young girl who lost her father on 9/11 only began finding herself again after a simple phone conversation with Derek Jeter. On other occasions, NYC firefighters and rescue workers were touched by personal appearances from Yankee players, allowing them (if only for a brief time) to think of something other than the terrible events that were involved in. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is also a very articulate presence throughout the film, as his words serve as a representation for the entire New York population at that time. Despite their sorrow, they wanted to see their Yankees.

As a person who has also experienced a difficult time in my life and been helped through it by the steadying presence of baseball, I found this documentary to be a very accurate portrayal of the lingering emotions during that time period. Through all the fear and anxiety, the sport of baseball was able to provide fans a respite (even if at first they were wary of looking at anything the same again) from the shocking events/changes around them. And that, ultimately, is the legacy of this fine sport...bringing people together over a common interest.

Thus, I recommend viewing this film on every September 11th from now until eternity, as it will help you remember how a frightened nation was helped to be resurrected by a simple (yet oh so grand) game.

Nine Innings From Ground Zero says a lot, shows a lot. Smiles, tears, laughter, joy, and sorrow. Narration is spot on sympathetic and poignant without being overly maudlin. Lot's of stuff in here you may have forgotten, or see for the first time. You need not be a New York Yankees fan to feel the enormous emotion as you see our former President grace the pitcher's mound in pride, defiance, humor, and care...and throw a strike right into the heart of the enemy, and our conscience.

In September 2001, my son was four years old. On 9/11/2008 I took him to NYC for a visit to see one of the last Yankees games in the old stadium. I showed my son (a Yankees fan) this video in order to help tell the story of 9/11 and what our country went through. We went to ground zero on the day we arrived, and the video helped him to understand what he saw. It was a great way to share a dark piece of American history while showing our resilience and the role that his beloved Yankees played in it. I recommend this video for anyone who is a baseball lover, or who just wants to see a "feel good" story that shows what it means to be an American.

This should be shown on TV every September 11th, as Jimmy Stewart's "It's a Wonderful Life" is shown every Christmas. It's that good. I was emotional throughout this entire documentary. It's reality viewing at it's best and it doesn't matter whether you love or hate the Yankees, you'll love this movie. It's about our country and the role of baseball in it. I loved it!

This is one of the best made documentaries by HBO. Among many things, it shows how baseball helped New York and America survive the shocking aftermath of September 11, 2001.

the main reason i bought this video is because the price finally dropped. i happened to be at this - my first- world series. i watched games three and four in yankee stadium after making the long trek out from colorado in late october. i'm very experiential and had to visit ground zero. every time i'm in nyc i visit the same corner. jeter's november heroics are memorable and by kim's meltdown. he never really recovered from those home runs. kim was just traded from the colorado rockies to the marlins. unfortunately, the yankees lost that one on a luis gonzalez's bloop single off mariano rivera, but there was nothing like watching president bush throw out the first pitch, the wtc flag unfurled over yankee stadium and lee greenwood singing.

Being a Yankees fan, it always baffles me that the Yankees lost the World Series of 2001. If there ever, EVER was a year they deserved to win, 2001 was it.

I enjoyed the footage of the series as well as the interviews with the team and the family members who were impacted by the series. This documentary will make you laugh and cry. Above all, it will make you remember...