The Bronx is Burning

Buy This Item The Bronx is Burning by Espn  Available from Amazon  $26.99  on 1-6-2009     In the summer of ‘77, New York was a city in crisis. Terrorized by the Son of Sam serial killer, divided by a bitter mayor’s race and devastated by rampant arson and looting following a paralyzing citywide blackout, the Big Apple found renewed hope and inspiration in the on-and-off field exploits of baseball’s most storied franchise, The New York Yankees. Although deeply embroiled in an explosive three-way power struggle between meddlesome owner George Steinbrenner (Oliver Platt), combative manager Billy Martin (John Turturro) and egocentric superstar slugger Reggie Jackson (Daniel Sanjata), the Yankees managed to overcome their personality clashes and capture their first World Series championship in 15 years and, in doing so, helped win the hearts of New Yorkers struggling to recover from the most tumultuous year in the city’s history. Based on the best selling novel, this inspiring 8-part miniseries is jam-packed with gripping drama and excitement. Reader Reviews 1977 was a very tumultuous year for both Baseball, in particular, the Yankees, and the City of New York. The events that gripped both baseball and the city itself are captured very well in the mini series that was originally broadcast on ESPN in August of 2007 (appropriately enough, the 30th anniversary of the events that took place). The Yankees' drive to the AL Pennant and the World Series is put very well into perspective with the other events that were capturing the collective imaginations of New Yorkers in the Summer of 1977. To this day. I remember those events as though they took place yesterday. At the time, I was a 15 year old living in Westchester County and I followed everything that was going on in the pages of the New York Daily News. In fact, reading "New York's Hometown Paper" became part of my daily routine. You had the massive manhunt for David Berkowitz, who was first known as The 44 Calliber Killer and then became the self-proclaimed, "Son of Sam". I remember vividly people wondering where he was going to strike next. Then there was the Great Blackout, which reminded people of the previous blackout in 1964. The blackout didn't stop The Daily News from publishing. The paper was printed at a plant in Queens until operations returned to normal. Finally, there was the New York City Mayoral Race. Four main candidates emerged from the field - each with a very different personality. There was Mario Cuomo, the by-the-book politician who had the backing of Governor, Hugh Carey. There was the outspoken Feminist, Bella Abzug, vivacious and outgoing in her colorful hats. Then, there was The Quiet Man, Ed Koch - a little known Congressman from Lower Manahttan who had the backing of former Miss America, Bess Meyerson. Finally, there was the incumbent, Abe Beame who had very nearly run New York City into the ground. In the end, it would be Koch who would emerge victorious. All of this provided an exciting background to the three-way race in the AL East that was taking place between the New York Yankees, the Boston Red Sox, and the Baltimore Orioles. The Red Sox would experience a collapse in 1977 that was similar to, but not as noteworthy as the one they experienced the following year. The Orioles, few people realize, got into the race very late. The stars of the mini series played their roles to the hilt. John Turturro as Billy Martin was dead on. He had Billy pegged from the cowboy outfits he always wore to the affected Southern drawl with which Billy sometimes spoke. But, the thing that really made him shine in the role the way he played Martin's firey temper. One scene that comes to mind was a scene during the 1977 AL Playoffs when Yankee Second Baseman Willie Randolph was taken out on a slide by a Kansas City Royals base runner. The umpire called it a clean slide and Turturro, as Martin, gets up in the ump's face (just as the real Martin would have) and says, "Clean Slide? Clean Slide, my a**!!!" Daniel Sunjata as Reggie Jackson had his character down pat. He was a dead ringer for Jackson with his 70's-style Afro and the round John Lennon-type glasses. He also perfectly portrayed Mr. October's swaggering attitude. Oliver Platt (although he was a bit chunky for the role) was perfect as Yankee owner, George Steinbrenner. He portrayed Steinbrenner just as Steinbrenner really was - the guy that wanted a winner and who wanted to run a tight ship. One particularly amusing scene was the re-creation of the famous Steinbrenner/Martin Lite Beer commercial from 1977 - the one that ends with George saying, "Billy...You're Fired." and Billy saying, "Not Again." I would recommend this series to anyone - Yankee fan or otherwise (I'm a Cardinals' fan myself). The series was further enhanced by the soundtrack provided by The Ramones, who, at that time, were regulars on the CBGB's scene in Lower Manhattan and were just coming into their own as one of New York's leading Punk Rock bands.

The Bronx is Burning Available from Amazon Price: $26.99 Updated on 1-6-2009.

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