“font-family: Verdana; font-size: 12px; font-weight: normal;”>I am
a huge fan of all of the sports documenaties that are being shown,
from the HBO, to the ESPN 30-for-30 and ESPN Sports Century
biographies. I cannot get enough of them.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Of all of these special programs that I’ve watched and admired over the years, I do not think I’ve watched one as compelling as
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>The Curious Case of Curt Flood, produced by Ezra Edelman, which made its premiere on HBO last week. This was by far the best one I have watched. This one will stay with me for quite awhile on so many levels.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The documentary centers around Flood, the former great centerfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals who staged his historically famous battle with Major League Baseball for the right to free agency and how that battle affected his career and life. It was the story of a man who was extremely talented, flawed, courageous, tragic and in the end, iconic.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>This was an amazing production. If you have not watched the Curt Flood story, you need to. You will not be disappointed. The Curt Flood story had so many twists and turns, highs and lows, peaks and valleys, that you thought you were watching an actual movie instead of the story of a man’s life.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>I thought I knew a lot about Curt Flood’s story, but after watching this documentary, I realized I was clueless about a lot of things. Many people who I talked to were in the same boat. There were so many layers to this story and that’s what made it so dramatic. There was so much depth to this man and his story.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>At the end of the program, I had tears running down my face. I could not help it. The range of emotions that I felt throughout this 90-minute program was incredible.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>If you have not watched it yet, you must see it. It you did watch it, you
“mso-bidi-font-style: normal;”>must again.
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>‘Color of Baseball’ “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>The decreasing number of African Americans in Major League Baseball is a topic that will be tackled by my friend Maurice Drummond and his colleagues at KTVI-Fox 2. On Tuesday, July 26, KTVI will be airing a 30-minute special entitled, “The Color of Baseball” which delves into this topic. It will be shown at 9:30 p.m. During the course of the program, Drummond interviews the likes of Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Ozzie Smith, current and former managers Dusty Baker and Don Baylor, current player Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks as well as Martin Mathews of the Mathews-Dickey Boys Club. All will share their candid thoughts as to why the number of African-Americans playing baseball continues to dwindle. KTVI sports director Martin Kilcoyne will host a round-table in studio with St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Bryan Burwell and St. Louis Cardinals General Manager John Mozeliak. “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>Shimmy on film “font-family: Verdana;”>
“font-size: 9.0pt; font-family: Verdana;”>If you are a fan of sports documentaries, you might want to check out an upcoming film which follows Coach Shimmy Gray-Miller and her Saint Louis University women’s basketball program. Local filmmaker Robert Herrera had access to the SLU women’s program for four seasons under the Production Co. of Richard Weil. The finished product, The Gray Seasons will have its premiere screening at the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase on August 18 at the Tivoli. It takes you inside the women’s program at SLU, on and off the court. If you know Shimmy, she is a very passionate young lady when it comes to the game and life, which should make for a very interesting production. For more information on the screening or to see trailers of the film, you can also visit the website www.thegrayseasons.com. I am looking forward to seeing it, myself.
