The Story of America's Classic Ballparks

Wherein we are reminded on TV that the predominant medium for viewing baseball was once the ballpark, not TV. In The Story of America's Classic Ballparks, ''Classic ballparks'' are here defined as the few parks remaining among the 15 constructed between 1909 and 1923: Detroit's Tiger Stadium (built in 1912), Boston's Fenway Park (also 1912), Chicago's Wrigley Field (1914), and Chicago's Comiskey Park (1910), which lamentably has been demolished since this show was shot. They're treasures of urban architecture that endure as temples of an age when baseball was the public event and its playing fields were molded to accommodate their city neighborhoods. Hosted by good-field/no-hit Hollywood utility man Jeff Daniels, the hour-long tape features a capsule team history at each stop, interviews with former players and staff (including Ty Cobb's batboy), and an adoring catalog of the parks' quirks. A four-bagger for fans of baseball or urban culture. A-