I finally purchased the 2004 Red Sox World Series/ALCS DVD set MLB put out a couple years ago with every game in its entirety. While I gave great thought to buying in the past, I never spent the money because I recorded every game on VHS anyway. Since I decided to finally enter the 21st century, I figured I'd splurge and get all 11 games on DVD -- so I don't have to fast forward through commercials and will have the higher quality the discs provide. Since the Red Sox collection was released in 2005, MLB, NBA NCAA and the NHL jumped on the idea and now almost every team has a DVD set of greatest games. While shopping on Amazon.com, I noticed how many teams have DVD sets: the Yankees have two -- the 1977 World Series (all six games) and a collection of postseason games from its 1996-2001 run; the 1987 Minnesota Twins World Series win is on DVD; the 1994 New York Rangers run to the Stanley Cup is on DVD just to name a few. There a plethora of others. It seems MLB and NBA will release the entire post season for the league's winner every year now on.
Since the Yankees have two DVD sets, here's what, as a Sox fan and consumer, I'd be interested in seeing in addition to the 2004 set. I 've discluded anything outside of the past 30 years as many games were not preserved as they are today and film was taped over up until the early-1970s. (incidentally you can see more of the Sox in two other DVD sets: 1986 World Series and 1975 World Series, but as the Sox didn't win either WS, they are marketed as Mets and Reds products respectively):
1. 1986 ALCS. Yeah, it's not a World Series but this was as dramatic as any Fall Classic, producing one of the greatest games in all of baseball postseason history -- Game 5. Henderson's homer has stood the test of time as a benchmark of classic Red Sox moments. Yet, it's incredible how good this game got AFTER Henderson's ninth-inning heroics: the Angles tying the game in the bottom of the ninth; Steve Crawford squirming out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam; Jim Rice and Brian Downing making incredible catches in left field; and, ultimately, Henderson's game-winning sacrifice fly. But lost in the hoopla of Game 5 and the subsequent Angels collapse in Games 6 and 7 was how great of a contest Game 4 was -- the Sox lost a 3-run lead in the ninth inning after Clemens had pitched eight scoresless innings, gave up a solo home run in the ninth and was then removed for Calvin Schiraldi, who let in two more runs -- plunking Brian Downing allowing the tying run to score. While Schiraldi escaped the ninth at 3-3, he lost the game when Bobby Grich singled in Jerry Narron for the 4-3 California win and, what seemed, a commanding 3-1 series lead until another classic unraveled in Game 5. With Al Michaels and Jim Palmer doing the commentary, it was one of the greats post season series in all of Major League history.
2. 1999 and 2003 ALDS: The similarities between these two series are remarkable. In both Pedro started Game 1 and the Red Sox opponent won each Game 1 on walk-off singles -- the Indians in 1999 when Travis Fryman hit a based loaded single to win 3-2 in the ninth inning and the A's in 2003 when Ramon Hernandez drove in the decisive run on a 2-out bunt base hit, winning 5-4 (Pedro getting No Decisions in both). Each series featured a boring Game 2 which the Sox lost in a day game, and, as now a part of Sox lore, in both series the Red Sox climbed back from elimination to win three straight games and move onto the ALCS to face the Yankees. While the Sox essentially blew out the Indians in Games 3 and 4 (winning 9-3 and 23-7) in '99, in 2003 the A's gave the Sox much tougher games but the Sox prevailed in Game 3 on a Trot Nixon walk-off home runs and eked out a 5-4 win in Game 4 riding a clutch David Ortiz (who else?) two-run double. In both Game 5s, Pedro was credited with the win as he pitched heroically in '99 (coming out of the bullpen to pitch 6 no-hit innings) and gave a quality start in 2003 (3 runs, 6 Ks). Between Pedro's six incredible innings in Game 5 in 1999 and Derek Lowe's spectacular save in 2003 -- both performances have been burnished into the annuls of Red Sox great performances and therefore both series would be a great addition -- perhaps as one 10-disc set -- to MLB's DVD collection.
3. Best Red Sox-Yankees regular season games: While I feel there is too much of an obsession with the Rivalry up here, strictly as a baseball fan, there have been some incredible games between these two teams in the regular season alone. It might be cool for MLB to release 20 games total -- 10 the Yankees win and 10 the Sox win for each team's fans. From a Sox fan perspective, I'd argue for these games: Sox 11, NYY 10 (7/24/04) Tek vs. A-Rod and Mueller's walk-off HR; Sox 5, NYY 4 (8/1/99) Jeter grounds out with bases loaded to end game; Sox 3, NYY 1 (9/10/99) Pedro 17 Ks; Sox 2, NYY 0 (5/28/00) Pedro-Clemens classic; Sox 5, NYY 4 (7/26/03) Ortiz' first big walk-off hit; Sox 8, NYY 2 (5/20/76) the most famous in-game fight in Sox-Yanks history; Sox 3, NYY 2 (9/17/04) Sox comeback late against Rivera; Sox 3, NYY 2 (4/13/01) Manny's fist big moment with Sox -- walk-off hit; Sox 5, NYY 4 (5/22/98) Sox get four runs in 7th inning to win; Sox 13, NYY 7 (5/31/98) Sox get 11 runs in 3rd inning.
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