September 23, 2010

ESPN: Four Days In October

On October 5, ESPN presents Four Days In October:
When the night of October 16, 2004 came to a merciful end ... the vaunted Yankee lineup, led by A-Rod, Jeter, and Sheffield, had just extended their ALCS lead to three games to none, pounding out 19 runs against their hated rivals. The next night, in Game 4, the Yankees took a 4-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning, then turned the game over to Mariano Rivera, the best relief pitcher in postseason history, to secure yet another trip to the World Series. But ...

Over four consecutive days and nights, this unlikely group of Red Sox miraculously won four straight games ... [this film] takes an in-depth look at the 96 hours that brought salvation to Red Sox Nation and made baseball history in the process. ...
"We just don't make it easy on ourselves.
Down and out and then ... POW!!!"
Example
Thomas Boswell, Washington Post, October 21, 2004:
[T]heir generations-old inferiority complex to the Yankees is over. Now, the single biggest postseason flop in baseball history does not belong to some Red Sox team ... Instead, the new and uncontested champions of the October gag are the New York Yankees. And the greatest, gutsiest, most nearly impossible comeback to steal a pennant in all the annals of baseball now belongs to the self-proclaimed "idiots" of the '04 Red Sox. ...

For generations, the Yankees have assiduously cultivated a quasi-religious form of self-worship that leaves its pinstripe players with a conviction of their superiority and all other teams with vague issues surrounding their own inadequacies. ... Now, at least one team sees through it.
Thomas Boswell, Washington Post, October 22, 2004:
[T]he Red Sox [stole] the pennant from the Yankees not once but four times within 72 heart-stopping hours ...

The true distinction of this fabulous week was that this ALCS was the most fun -- the most unadulterated, disbelieving, decades-overdue fun -- that baseball has experienced in our time. And maybe, if you like a pinch of malice with your meat, ever.
Watch a trailer at the link above.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have already watched that trailer approx. 5,353 times, and I am not done yet. I want this thing out on DVD the day after it's first aired, and I want that DVD in my possession on the same day, and then I will watch it approx. 10,562 times, because even the trailer contains footage I haven't yet seen of these games / that ALCS.

And, wanted to say I love the shot of the Yankees fan at the end of the trailer, which you also screencapped above.

Simon Chapman said...

I watched the trailer for this a couple days ago. Can't wait for ESPN America to show it here in the UK.

FenFan said...

Can't wait!

allan said...

I think the shot of Schilling's ankle is from some of Millar's home video.

...

When Ortiz says "you got no choice" -- there is a pause -- then THWACK!!!!!!! Man, the sound the bat/ball makes on that home run is wonderful.

laura k said...

Can't wait, can't wait!!!

And oh man, don't you just love Boswell? I love his writing.

the new and uncontested champions of the October gag

Lovely tidbit.

laura k said...

Does anyone else get teary-eyed when they watch that trailer? Be honest.

laura k said...

I want this thing out on DVD the day after it's first aired, and I want that DVD in my possession on the same day

Who will DVR and burn this for us? We can't get ESPN up here.

Anonymous said...

l-girl-- I can DVR but can't burn, otherwise I would. Do you know @Texas_Gal? I think she's got some video capture magic of some sort...

laura k said...

Thank you, Beth. We can wait and see if any JoSer can do it for us, and if not, we'll start reaching out a bit futher.

Maybe Allan can trade some Stones bootleg...

allan said...

Where is TexasGal? She stopped blogging a year ago.

Does anyone else get teary-eyed when they watch that trailer? Be honest.

Always. Every single time I see anything 2004-related. It does not take much.

allan said...

Not so fast boys.

allan said...

You want a gif of that Yankees fan?

Here you go.

allan said...

Download a flv file of the trailer.

Amy said...

Wow, yes, that brought tears to my eyes. Just watching Dave Roberts steal second is enough to bring back all that emotion, all the excitement.

Rob said...

She exists on Twitter.

SoSock said...

O M Freaking G!!!!!

I got cold chills, teary eyed, and a damn boner all at once!

Can not wait!

(Actually - I really DID get cold chills)

BklynSoxFan said...

Love that little snippet where that notorious front-running media whore Spike Lee says, "I'm nervous" before Game 7. And, of course, the one with the bug-eyed Yankee fan is simply priceless.

MacLeodCartoons said...

I'm going to watch 'Still We Believe' right before it to rekindle the hellacious feelings of gigantic suckitude brought on by 2003 - then sit down to enjoy the 04 happy ending. I can't wait! Burns's Tenth Inning should be fantastic too. As a foreigner I was basically introduced to baseball by Ken Burns's 'Baseball'.

laura k said...

I'm going to watch 'Still We Believe' right before it to rekindle the hellacious feelings of gigantic suckitude brought on by 2003 - then sit down to enjoy the 04 happy ending.

I find I can't tell the 2004 story without prefacing it with 2003. Even the shortest version must contain a one-sentence wrap-up of the previous year. It makes it sooooo much sweeter.