When It Was a Game 3 (2000 TV Movie) User Reviews

A better title might have been "My, How Baseball Has Changed".

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 4 December 2013]

This third installment of "When It Was a Game" is a rather sad and wistful one. Compared to the first two installments which focused a bit more on the 40s and 50s, this 60s edition spends most of its energy talking about how the game changed in the 60s--and much of it not, apparently, for the better.

Among the many topics covered are the amazingly great Yankees of the early to mid 60s and their rapid fall by the end of the decade, free agency, black players in the National League, shifts in the number and locations of teams as well as new (rather sterile) stadiums. Of these changes, the one that has affected the game most today seems to be free agency and how players now have rights to leave for teams offering the most money. I think the film said it best concerning this is "What's bad for players is great for fans". In other words, while the almost feudal approach to players in the old days wasn't fair--but it encouraged folks to care about teams and their players. Today, with so many lineup changes each season, loyalty is compromised. Overall, a neat film that recalls the 'good old days'--back when baseball was more important to Americans.

So is this a great film or what? Well, it depends on you to some extent. My wife is no sports fan and she laughed at the almost religious tone of the film when talking about what is a game! She's right but some folks would probably love this. As for me, a guy who used to love the game back in the 60s, I enjoyed it more but have a few quibbles. Like the other films, the players in the clips are often not identified--and never is their name shown on the screen. While this was not a huge problem for me since I recognized most of the players, it sure would make things easier for younger viewers. Also, like the other films there are just voice-overs--and I wanted to see the players TODAY as they look today talking about the game. A far from perfect but enjoyable ode to baseball of old.

Good Third Film in the Series

[Michael_Elliott · 13 March 2012]

When It Was a Game 3 (2000)

*** (out of 4)

The third film in the HBO series takes a closer look at the 1960s as things started to change in Major League Baseball. As with the previous two films, this one here benefits from having all of the footage in color. The one thing that doesn't work as well in this third entry in that the site of color isn't nearly as spectacular or effective as it was in the first two films. When you're watching footage from the 30s-50s, the color was a lot rarer then so seeing Babe Ruth in color was a lot more meaningful than seeing someone like Hank Aaron because we have all kids of color footage of him. I think the producers must have known that because unlike the first two films, this one here tells more of a story because we start at the beginning of the decade and move towards the later part with stories explaining what was going on in baseball. We learn about the NY teams leaving for California, the chase for Babe Ruth's record, the rise of the pitching star and the lowering of batting averages and of course minorities entering the league. There's a section about the fall of the Yankees might have been due to them refusing to sign minorities for long and it's mentioned that they could have had both Mayes and Aaron had they wanted them. Overall this is another good entry in the series but I'd say it's a little less magical than the first two. With that said, fans of baseball will still want to check it out.