HBO's Brooklyn Dodgers Documentary

I have to say, I'm embarrassed about how little I knew about the Brooklyn Dodgers. I don't know if either of you have seen any of this special, but it's a very in-depth piece on the history of the Dodgers, up to and including the move to LA. They obviously spend a lot of time on Jackie Robinson, but they also go into Branch Rickey's tenure, his falling out with Walter O'Malley, the long history of World Series losses to the Yankees, the Shot Heard 'Round the World (I had forgotten that the Dodgers were up 4-1 in the 9th in Game Three), and the failure to build a new stadium (O'Malley wanted to build a dome! In the 50's!).

It's incredibly informative, and, I assume, poignant for anyone who grew up in New York in the "golden age" of baseball. I've read plenty about the Brooklyn Dodgers, but I really never realized how much the Dodgers meant to Brooklyn. They interview so many former players and Brooklyn residents/fans who remember so much about that era, that it literally makes me feel bad about pouting over the 2003 ALCS. I can't even imagine losing 5 World Series to the same team in a 13-year span.

Above all, this documentary hammered home three points: I wish Ebbets Field were still standing, I really need to visit the site of the former Ebbets Field, and the Yankees have always been pure evil. For that last reason alone, I give this HBO special two thumbs up, but even without that, it's well worth the time if you have HBO.