ESPN "30 FOR 30" Series

[Gothamite]

Hmm.

... directed by Sam George.

... Daniel H. Forer.

... Eric Drath.

... Kevin Connolly.

... Brian Koppleman and David Levien.

And finally-

Nanette Burstein.

So that's how you break up the sausage fest: a story about chicks. Not particularly good, ESPN.

Don't think it's completely fair to blame ESPN on that....I'd think the ratio of men to women directing sports-related films/documentaries is probably more lopsided than this 5:1 listing.....

They managed to find female directors for the "Nine for IX" series. They just can't find any to work on the main, higher-profile (and more aggressively marketed) series unless it's a story about girls?

Again, poor showing.

[dfwabel]

Bump for the Fall 2014 episodes:

Tuesday, Oct.7, 9 p.m. – “Playing for the Mob”

Tuesday, Oct. 14, 10 p.m. – “The Day The Series Stopped”

Tuesday, Oct. 21, 9 p.m. – “When The Garden Was Eden”

Tuesday, Oct. 28, 9 p.m. – “Brian and The Boz”

Tuesday, Nov. 4, 9 p.m. – “Brothers in Exile”

Tuesday, Nov. 11, 8 p.m. – “Rand University”

Saturday, Dec. 13, 9 p.m. – “The U Part 2” Following the Heisman Trophy Presentation

Summaries:

“Playing for the Mob,” directed by Joe Lavine & Cayman Grant (CLIP)

What happens when you combine “Goodfellas” with college basketball? You get “Playing for the Mob,” the story of how mobster Henry Hill — played by Ray Liotta in the 1990 Martin Scorsese classic — helped orchestrate the fixing of Boston College basketball games in the 1978-79 season. The details of that point-shaving scandal are revealed for the first time on film through the testimony of the players, the federal investigators and the actual fixers, including Hill, who died shortly after he was interviewed. “Playing for the Mob” may be set in the seemingly golden world of college basketball but, like “Goodfellas,” this is a tale of greed, betrayal and reckoning. Ultimately, they both share the same message: With that much money at stake, you can’t trust anybody.

“The Day The Series Stopped,” directed by Ryan Fleck

On October 17, 1989, at 5:04 p.m. PT, soon after Al Michaels and Tim McCarver started the ABC telecast for Game 3 of the World Series between the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics, the ground began to shake beneath Candlestick Park. Even before that moment, this had promised to be a memorable match-up: the first in 33 years between teams from the same metropolitan area, a battle featuring larger-than-life characters and equally colorful fan bases. But after the 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake rolled through, bringing death and destruction, the Bay Area pulled together and baseball took a backseat. Through archival footage, previously untold stories from players, officials, San Francisco and Oakland citizens affected by the earthquake, and a scientific look back at what happened below the earth, “The Day The Series Stopped” will revisit that night 25 years ago. The record book shows that the A’s swept the Giants, but that’s become a footnote to the larger story of the 1989 World Series.

“When The Garden Was Eden,” directed by Michael Rapaport, executive produced by Doug Ellin

In the early 1970s, America was being torn apart by the war in Vietnam, with racial unrest in the streets and a distrust of the White House. But there was a happier place where men of different backgrounds showed people what could happen when you worked together: Madison Square Garden. “When The Garden Was Eden” (based on the book by Harvey Araton) explores the only championship years of the New York Knicks, when they made the NBA Finals in three out of four seasons, winning two titles. Stitched together by Red Holzman, the previously mediocre Knicks might have seemed an odd collection of characters: a forward from the rarefied air of Princeton (Bill Bradley), two players from the Jim Crow South (Willis Reed and Walt Frazier), a blue-collar guy from Detroit (Dave DeBusschere), a pair of inner-city guards (Earl Monroe and Dick Barnett), even a mountain man from Deer Lodge, Montana (Phil Jackson). But by embracing their differences and utilizing their strengths, they showed the NBA and the world what it was like to play as a team. That they did it on the stage New York City provided made it all that much sweeter.

“Brian and The Boz,” directed by Thaddeus D. Matula

In some ways, Barry Switzer and Brian Bosworth were made for each other. The Oklahoma coach and the linebacker he recruited to play for him were both outsized personalities who delighted in thumbing their noses at the establishment. And in their three seasons together (1984-86), the unique father-son dynamic resulted in 31 wins and two Orange Bowl victories, including a national championship, as Bosworth was awarded the first two Butkus Awards. But Bosworth’s alter ego – “The Boz” – was taking over. Eventually, he went on a downward spiral and became known as an NFL bust. In “Brian and The Boz,” the dual identities of Brian Bosworth are examined as he looks back on his life and passes on the lessons he’s learned to his son.

“Brothers in Exile,” directed by Mario Diaz, produced by Major League Baseball Productions

Major League Baseball has been transformed by the influx of Cuban players like Aroldis Chapman, Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu. But a special debt of gratitude is owed to two half-brothers whose courage two decades ago paved the way for their stardom. “Brothers in Exile” tells the incredible story of Livan and Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez, who risked their lives to get off the island. Livan left first, banking on his status as the hottest young prospect in Cuba, to defect via Mexico and sign with the Florida Marlins, for whom he soon became one of the youngest World Series MVPs in history in 1997. Staying behind was Orlando, who was banned from professional baseball in Cuba for life because he was suspected of having helped Livan escape. Then, on Christmas 1997, an increasingly frustrated and harassed Orlando left Cuba in a small boat. He was stranded on a deserted island for days before being picked up by the U.S. Coast Guard. Less than a year later, “El Duque” was helping pitch the New York Yankees to a world championship, completing a most unlikely journey for two brothers who rode their arms to freedom and triumph.

“Rand University,” directed by Marquis Daisy, executive produced by Bomani Jones

Randy Moss has long been an enigma known for his brilliance on the football field and his problems off it. “Rand University” gets to the intersection of those aspects of Moss by going back to where he came from – Rand, West Virginia – and exploring what almost derailed him before he ever became nationally known for his extraordinary abilities as a wide receiver. After overcoming troubles with the law, losing the opportunities to play at Notre Dame and Florida State and then reviving his enormously promising football career at Marshall University, all that was good and troubling about Randy Moss materialized on the day of the 1998 NFL Draft. Twenty picks were made before the Minnesota Vikings selected him in the first round. Based on what unfolded throughout Moss’s NFL career, the teams that passed on him may have had a mixture of regret and relief.

“The U Part 2,” directed by Billy Corben

Produced in 2009 for the 30 for 30 series, “The U” took a look at all that was good and bad about the rise of the University of Miami’s football program in the 1980s. But that wasn’t the end of the story. “The U Part 2″ picks up where the original film left off, with the program trying to recover from the devastation left by NCAA sanctions and scandals that had some calling for the school to drop football. The Hurricanes rose from those ashes to win another national championship, only to face new controversies when a booster used a Ponzi scheme to win favor with the program.

[DarkJourney]

Looking forward to "The Day The Series Stopped". Growing up in the Bay Area I experienced the '89 quake first hand.

[ninersdd]

Looking forward to "The Day The Series Stopped". Growing up in the Bay Area I experienced the '89 quake first hand.

That's on right now, I'm watching it.

[dbadefense1990]

Looking forward to "The Day The Series Stopped". Growing up in the Bay Area I experienced the '89 quake first hand.

That's on right now, I'm watching it.

I'll be blunt; after watching tonight, this became the 2nd 30-for-30 film which had me choked up in tears (the other was the Hillsborough Disaster one). A 6.9 quake during rush hour is unfathomable, and in the days before smartphones and the internet, I can't imagine how utterly excruciating it was to relay critical messages to loved ones and emergency responders. And of course, us in SoCal aren't immune to the terrifying impact of earthquakes (which I believe is the most horrible natural disaster out there), wafting for the "Big One" (an 8.0+ quake which occurs every 150 years but hasn't happened since the start of the 19th Century).

Felt so hearted for tonight's 30-for-30.

[kewp80]

Looking forward to "The Day The Series Stopped". Growing up in the Bay Area I experienced the '89 quake first hand.

That's on right now, I'm watching it.

I'll be blunt; after watching tonight, this became the 2nd 30-for-30 film which had me choked up in tears (the other was the Hillsborough Disaster one). A 6.9 quake during rush hour is unfathomable, and in the days before smartphones and the internet, I can't imagine how utterly excruciating it was to relay critical messages to loved ones and emergency responders. And of course, us in SoCal aren't immune to the terrifying impact of earthquakes (which I believe is the most horrible natural disaster out there), wafting for the "Big One" (an 8.0+ quake which occurs every 150 years but hasn't happened since the start of the 19th Century).

Felt so hearted for tonight's 30-for-30.

The Hillsborough Disaster one had me tearing up as well. At least that one was avoidable. An earthquake is a completely unpredictable natural disaster. Definitely interested in watching that one as I was too young to remember it. Would be interesting hearing the citizens and players stories.

And jeez could you imagine an earthquake happening OFF the west coast and triggering a tsunami? Could potentially be worse than the one that hit southeast Asia a few years back.

[DarkJourney]

Looking forward to "The Day The Series Stopped". Growing up in the Bay Area I experienced the '89 quake first hand.

That's on right now, I'm watching it.

Looking forward to "The Day The Series Stopped". Growing up in the Bay Area I experienced the '89 quake first hand.

That's on right now, I'm watching it.

I'll be blunt; after watching tonight, this became the 2nd 30-for-30 film which had me choked up in tears (the other was the Hillsborough Disaster one). A 6.9 quake during rush hour is unfathomable, and in the days before smartphones and the internet, I can't imagine how utterly excruciating it was to relay critical messages to loved ones and emergency responders. And of course, us in SoCal aren't immune to the terrifying impact of earthquakes (which I believe is the most horrible natural disaster out there), wafting for the "Big One" (an 8.0+ quake which occurs every 150 years but hasn't happened since the start of the 19th Century).

Felt so hearted for tonight's 30-for-30.

Experiencing it first hand was scary. I remember just sitting at my kitchen table doing homework and waiting for the game to start when my house just started to shake. I also had some friends experience the Northridge quake in '94.

[FiddySicks]

I was on the Bay Bridge about ten minutes before it fell, but I was about 11 months old at the time so I don't remember. I do however, remember the Northridge quake in 94. That was scary. Never felt a shake like that since.

[bosrs1]

Looking forward to "The Day The Series Stopped". Growing up in the Bay Area I experienced the '89 quake first hand.

That's on right now, I'm watching it.

I'll be blunt; after watching tonight, this became the 2nd 30-for-30 film which had me choked up in tears (the other was the Hillsborough Disaster one). A 6.9 quake during rush hour is unfathomable, and in the days before smartphones and the internet, I can't imagine how utterly excruciating it was to relay critical messages to loved ones and emergency responders. And of course, us in SoCal aren't immune to the terrifying impact of earthquakes (which I believe is the most horrible natural disaster out there), wafting for the "Big One" (an 8.0+ quake which occurs every 150 years but hasn't happened since the start of the 19th Century).

Felt so hearted for tonight's 30-for-30.

The Hillsborough Disaster one had me tearing up as well. At least that one was avoidable. An earthquake is a completely unpredictable natural disaster. Definitely interested in watching that one as I was too young to remember it. Would be interesting hearing the citizens and players stories.

And jeez could you imagine an earthquake happening OFF the west coast and triggering a tsunami? Could potentially be worse than the one that hit southeast Asia a few years back.

Not sure that's really possible given the make up of the fault system at least off of California. The transverse fault system that makes up the major plate boundary in California pretty much prevents it. About the max you're going to get from an earthquakes off California is going to be a 1906 sized 8.0 quake. Devastating, but not the type that can produce the tsunami. Off Washington or Oregon thanks to the Juan De Fuca plate... different issue.

Still it was interesting to be reminded of the '89 Quake. I was a kid at the time and remember my mom's car going for quite the ride on its own, without her at the wheel (this was back when leaving your kids in the car for a few minutes wasn't an issue). 1984 Chevy Caprice to be exact. I still have a soft spot for that boxy piece of crap a quarter century later and that quake was probably a big part of why. But then the scary started. Power out, cracks in the road, our house, etc..., stuff strewn everywhere inside our house, no way to contact my old man who we didn't see for hours that it took him to get back from his office.

[tigerslionspistonshabs]

Frick I missed the Quake one.

[NJTank]

The very last final project I did in college was on the WS quake for a science course on Natural Disasters