I might as well tell you right off, I am not a Yankees fan....
But I am a baseball fan and I respect their legacy. And I love history. So "The Bronx Is Burning" fills both of my favorite subjects: Baseball and History.
The overall plot of the movie is the recounting of how the 1977 New York Yankees rose up to win their first World Series title in more than a decade against the social strife that threatened to destroy the Greatest City On Earth. This includes the rise of urban poverty and crime, a heated Mayoral election, the mis-management of city services like the NYPD and the Sanitation Workers, a sweltering summer heatwave, and of course, the "Son Of Sam" killings. These events outside the baseball field are intricately woven into the story (with the over-riding subplot being the hunt for the "Son Of Sam") and actually are set up in a way that the subplot narratives actually have some bearing on the main story of the New York Yankess.
In 1977, one year after losing the World Series to the "Big Red Machine" Cincinatti Reds, the bullying and pompous owner George Stienbrenner (Oliver Platt, perfectly over the top) began exerting the pressure for which he is notorious for upon the scrappy and fiery manager, Yankees legend Billy "The Kid" Martin (John Turturro, heart-wrenchingly tragic) to win...OR ELSE! To "help" Martin reach this goal, he signs free agent slugger, the cocky and arrogant Reggie Jackson (Daniel Sunjata, perfectly smug) to give the Yanks the final muscle to push their way back into Greatness.
Sounds like the perfect recipe for success, right? WRONG! Martin never wanted Reggie there because he had too many left hand hitters on his roster and the fact that Reggie, despite his massive power, strikes out too much. Another strike against the slugger in Martin's eyes was that Reggie was too selfish and arrogant to be a team player. So needless to say, things were sour from the start...and they got worse from there.
The mini-series chronicles the many notorious incidents that peppered the Yankees' run for the title. This includes Stienbrenner nattering Martin on every miscue and telling him how he should make out his line ups. Martin and his embittered personality which was fueled (as in real life) by his excess drinking. And Reggie's self-righteousness and ability to toss out brash statements that only served to further alienate him from his team mates, which came to a head with an interview he gave for SPORT Magazine in which he seemingly attacked his team mates, and fueled the rivalry between the put-upon Martin and his star slugger which culminated in the notorious dugout brawl at Fenway Park. Also in the mix for this mess is the legendary catcher, Thurman Munson (Who bore the brunt of Reggie's attacks in the magazine article), the dim-witted but lovable Hall of Famer Yogi Berra (Martin's bench coach), the under appreciated Bucky Dent (or Bucky "F****ing" Dent to the Red Sox fans), the quick-witted Mickey "Mick the Quick" Rivers, and the average guy Lou Pinella.
What I loved about this mini-series is how the New York subplots, especially the "Son Of Sam" manhunt are perfectly woven into the story of the Yankees. For example: a cop refers to the "S.O.S." killer as "a raving maniac"....cut to George Stienbrenner in the middle of a rant. A scene about the mayoral race and the arrogance of the candidate...cut to Reggie Jackson being smug. An outside character making comments that if someone doesn't stop this, it will kill them...cut to Martin getting drunk and brooding. It's the intricate lacing of the narrative that makes the story compelling and will make even the most casual sports fan want to go grab the book by Johnathan Mahler upon which the series is based.
This is truly a great mini-series and anyone who didn't see it on TV or felt compelled to go grab the DVD...You must be crazier than the Son Of Sam!
But I am a baseball fan and I respect their legacy. And I love history. So "The Bronx Is Burning" fills both of my favorite subjects: Baseball and History.
The overall plot of the movie is the recounting of how the 1977 New York Yankees rose up to win their first World Series title in more than a decade against the social strife that threatened to destroy the Greatest City On Earth. This includes the rise of urban poverty and crime, a heated Mayoral election, the mis-management of city services like the NYPD and the Sanitation Workers, a sweltering summer heatwave, and of course, the "Son Of Sam" killings. These events outside the baseball field are intricately woven into the story (with the over-riding subplot being the hunt for the "Son Of Sam") and actually are set up in a way that the subplot narratives actually have some bearing on the main story of the New York Yankess.
In 1977, one year after losing the World Series to the "Big Red Machine" Cincinatti Reds, the bullying and pompous owner George Stienbrenner (Oliver Platt, perfectly over the top) began exerting the pressure for which he is notorious for upon the scrappy and fiery manager, Yankees legend Billy "The Kid" Martin (John Turturro, heart-wrenchingly tragic) to win...OR ELSE! To "help" Martin reach this goal, he signs free agent slugger, the cocky and arrogant Reggie Jackson (Daniel Sunjata, perfectly smug) to give the Yanks the final muscle to push their way back into Greatness.
Sounds like the perfect recipe for success, right? WRONG! Martin never wanted Reggie there because he had too many left hand hitters on his roster and the fact that Reggie, despite his massive power, strikes out too much. Another strike against the slugger in Martin's eyes was that Reggie was too selfish and arrogant to be a team player. So needless to say, things were sour from the start...and they got worse from there.
The mini-series chronicles the many notorious incidents that peppered the Yankees' run for the title. This includes Stienbrenner nattering Martin on every miscue and telling him how he should make out his line ups. Martin and his embittered personality which was fueled (as in real life) by his excess drinking. And Reggie's self-righteousness and ability to toss out brash statements that only served to further alienate him from his team mates, which came to a head with an interview he gave for SPORT Magazine in which he seemingly attacked his team mates, and fueled the rivalry between the put-upon Martin and his star slugger which culminated in the notorious dugout brawl at Fenway Park. Also in the mix for this mess is the legendary catcher, Thurman Munson (Who bore the brunt of Reggie's attacks in the magazine article), the dim-witted but lovable Hall of Famer Yogi Berra (Martin's bench coach), the under appreciated Bucky Dent (or Bucky "F****ing" Dent to the Red Sox fans), the quick-witted Mickey "Mick the Quick" Rivers, and the average guy Lou Pinella.
What I loved about this mini-series is how the New York subplots, especially the "Son Of Sam" manhunt are perfectly woven into the story of the Yankees. For example: a cop refers to the "S.O.S." killer as "a raving maniac"....cut to George Stienbrenner in the middle of a rant. A scene about the mayoral race and the arrogance of the candidate...cut to Reggie Jackson being smug. An outside character making comments that if someone doesn't stop this, it will kill them...cut to Martin getting drunk and brooding. It's the intricate lacing of the narrative that makes the story compelling and will make even the most casual sports fan want to go grab the book by Johnathan Mahler upon which the series is based.
This is truly a great mini-series and anyone who didn't see it on TV or felt compelled to go grab the DVD...You must be crazier than the Son Of Sam!