Photograph by Al Karevy Photography
The 1994 epic Baseball was the most-watched documentary in the history of public television, and nobody expected directors Ken Burns and Lynn Novick to make a sequel. This summer, when they came to KETC-TV to promote The Tenth Inning, they peered out at the crowd (the Cardinal red was blinding) and gave two contradictory explanations.
Burns insisted a sequel seemed inevitable after they “watched the past two decades and all the extraordinary changes—all the darker sides, the strike, the steroids—as well as the pure joy…”
Novick grinned and stepped to the microphone. “The original series focused on the Boston Red Sox and the Brooklyn Dodgers,” she began. “Ken is a huge Red Sox fan, and he had to relive many painful moments. Over and over, in the editing room, you have to replay things.”
Somehow, he got through it. They finished the nine-part doc. And then, in 2004, the Red Sox won their first World Series since 1918. “Ken came bounding into the studio and said, ‘We have to make Tenth Inning!’” Novick recalled. The new film describes how the rise of Latin and Asian players has transformed America’s iconic game; how interleague play, record-shattering salaries, and owner-player tensions pulled it into new shapes; how it remains a mirror for America.
At the preview, the crowd went crazy at Cardinals clips and groaned when Joe Torre or the Cubs appeared on screen. Afterward, Burns teased, “We say several times in the film, ‘St. Louis is the best baseball city.’ But now we’re wondering just how forgiving you are!”
KETC-TV Channel 9 will show The Tenth Inning in two parts September 28 and 29 at 7 p.m.
