Talkin’ More “Baseball”

Posted By RabbitEars

PBS has announced a new documentary film from Ken Burns that serves as an addendum to his classic 1994 film series, Baseball. The Tenth Inning, set to debut in 2010 along with a re-airing of the original 9-part documentary, follows baseball’s trajectory from 1993 — when the original series left off — through 2008. Obviously, even the casual baseball observer knows that this 15-year span has seen its share of heroics, tragedy and controversy, from the strike-shortened ’94 season that left us without a World Series, through the single-season home run chases of ’98 and Barry Bonds’ eclipsing of Hank Aaron’s career home-run record in ’07, to the performance-enhancing drugs that may have tarnished many a record.

“So much has transpired in baseball since we last examined the game and all of its many nuances,” says Burns. “Above all, this new installment furthers a sense of celebration and introspection around one of our nation’s greatest institutions, the seemingly simple stick-and-ball game whose infinite variations and possibilities have entranced our ever-changing nation for nearly 200 years.”

Familiar faces from the original Baseball returning to make appearances in The Tenth Inning include writers Roger Angell and Doris Kearns Goodwin, along with broadcaster Bob Costas. There will also be interviews with fans, managers and players, from Felipe Alou and Joe Torre to Omar Vizquel and Ichiro Suzuki.

The Tenth Inning steps up to the plate in Spring 2010.