MLB All-Time Bloopers (2012) DVD Review

Baseball is by far the greatest sport, and while I try to make football carry me over until pitchers and catchers report, it doesn't always work. The new DVD MLB All-Time Bloopers will be of some help in getting baseball fans through the winter. Narrated by Bobby Moynihan, this DVD features lots of footage of mistakes in the field, as well as some silliness on the field and even in the stands.  Though its titled "All-Time Bloopers," most of this DVD's footage is recent.  There is a lot of great footage, but I do wish it were organized a bit better, identifying all the players, as well as the exact games, with the dates in the corner of the screen, as is done occasionally.  It would also be wonderful if more of the footage were introduced by the players involved.  The DVD menu calls this "Volume One," which I take as a promise for more volumes to come. So I hope they take a bit more time organizing future volumes. That being said, I did enjoy much of what this DVD has to offer.

"Funny Sights And Sounds At The Park"

The DVD's content is divided into several sections, the first of which is "Funny Sights And Sounds At The Park."  This section includes some silly stuff that microphones have picked up from the field.  This section also features some base-running errors, and a pitcher dropping the ball during his wind-up.  But my favorite stuff is the series of great juggling catches (like a player making a catch after the ball bounces off  his cap). I love that footage. I enjoy watching great plays even more than I enjoy watching the bloopers. (By the way, it's interesting how often the games' announcers say that something is going to make the highlight shows.)

"Hazards Of The Park"

The second section, "Hazards Of The Park," includes some of exactly what you'd guess to see - players banging into the walls, and even going several rows into the stands, as well as losing the ball in the sun. But there is also footage of a throw to second hitting the pitcher. And there is some footage of David Ortiz having his bat shattered by a pitch. Ortiz laughs, "I don't know how he did it, but he did it." And there is footage of animals in the park - birds, squirrels, bees and a kitten.  There is a short interview with Bud Black about a bee incident.  And there is some footage of that game from the 2007 ALDS where swarms of insects bothered the Yankees (as a Red Sox fan, I have fond memories of that game).

But the best bit from this section is the famous squirrel who ran across home plate in Game 3 of the 2011 division series. And after, the Cardinals went on to win the World Series, and they included a depiction of the squirrel on their rings. (And yes, there is a shot of the ring.)

"Characters Of The Game"

This section is about some of the more colorful characters in the game, and includes a shot of Pedro Martinez on the mound when sprinklers suddenly went off. There is footage of Prince Fielder learning sumo wrestling.  This section is kind of weak, and it focuses on players that love to talk during the game.  To me, that's not all that unusual.  It's nothing when compared to someone like, say, Bill Lee.  Now there's a character. (By the way, there is a pretty good documentary about him called Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey.)  But this section does have the footage of Kevin Millar giving his "group of idiots" line from when he was with the Red Sox, which I appreciate.

"Silliness In The Stands"

The section titled "Silliness In The Stands" includes footage of some great catches by fans.  The shot of the vender casually catching the ball and handing it to someone is awesome. I remember seeing that before, and it still blows me away.  This section also includes shots of the various mascots.  I despise mascots. I think they're completely unnecessary. That being said, I absolutely love the shot of Tommy Lasorda knocking the Phillies mascot down.

"Player Craziness"

I'm glad in the section titled "Player Craziness," they included a shot of the bullpen percussion. But the best bit in this section is the footage of Rick Dempsey during a rain delay in Boston in the 1970s (yes, one of the few bits of older footage), where he slides on the tarp.  There is also some stuff on making rookies dress up in silly outfits.

"Blooper Ballgame"

The final section features what the producers of the DVD consider to be the top nine bloopers.  This includes Tommy Lasorda being hit by a bat while coaching third during an All Star Game (Tommy Lasorda could have a section all to himself).  There is some also some amazingly awful base-running.  But the shot of the kicked baseball is incredible. There is also Ozzy Osborne singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" and that fantastic moment when the ball hits Jose Canseco in the head then goes over the wall for a home run.

MLB All-Time Bloopers is scheduled to be released on December 4, 2012.