The St. Louis Cardinals 2006 World Series: Collector's Edition

The St. Louis Cardinals 2006 World Series: Collector's Edition DVD boxed set is—dramatically speaking—the story of the underdog team from St. Louis, who took the World Series from the Detroit Tigers in five games despite having a lousy regular season (a mere 83 wins), proving that baseball is not a game of statistics but of what's happening on the field in the here-and-now. This eight-disc set features the fifth and seventh games of the National League Championship Series pitting the Cardinals against the New York Mets and all five World Series games in their entirety on separate discs (with attractive jackets pointing out game highlights and player stats), along with an excellent bonus disc featuring the topnotch feature-length documentary “The 2006 World Series Film,” narrated by Cardinals fan Billy Bob Thornton, which revisits the season and features plenty of interview clips with players and celebrity fans, as well as a generous amount of film footage from previous times—most recently in 1968—the Cards faced the Tigers in the World Series. There's a lot to love here, from the exciting physical action on the field to the human drama off the field, including Cardinals' manager Tony La Russa's close friendship with Tigers' manager Jim Leyland. DVD extras include a handful of featurettes on the World Series and MVP trophy presentations, a clubhouse celebration, opening ceremonies at the new Busch Stadium, and highlights of the Cardinals' 1982 World Series victory over Milwaukee. Highly recommended. Aud: P. (T. Keogh)