Product Description

The games included are: -Ryne Sandberg: June 23, 1984-5 for 6, 2 HR, 7 RBI -Rick Sutcliffe: 1984 NLCS game 1-no ER allowed, one HR hit -Andre Dawson: Aug. 1, 1987-3 for 4, 3 HR, 5 RBI -Mark Grace: 1989 NLCS game 2-3 for 4, 4 RBI -Kerry Wood: May 6, 1998-20 strikeouts -Sammy Sosa: September 13, 1998-61st and 62nd home runs -Greg Maddux: Aug. 7, 2004-300th career win -Derrek Lee: June 1, 2005-5 for 5, 1 HR, 4 RBI The set provides a good mix of games for Cubs fans (and if Wrigley was smart, they'd sell the set in the park), starting with Hall of Famer Sandberg's 7 RBI game against the rival St. Louis Cardinals, which saw the cubs down 7-1 after two innings, only to manage a comeback in the 11th inning, winning the game 12-11. Andre Dawson is another example of a classic Cubs player. In 21 seasons, Dawson recorded an amazing 2,774 hits and was so eager to join the Cubs that he let General Manager Dallas Green determine his salary. It's a surprise that Dawson hasn't gotten inducted into the Hall of Fame yet (Sandberg tried to push for Dawson in his Hall of Fame speech.) As for newer highlights, one disc offers Kerry Wood's 20 strikeout game from 1998 versus the Astros. The 20-year-old Wood's 20 strikeouts tied a Major League record set by Roger Clemens.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13364 in DVD
• Brand: Team Marketing
• Released on: 2007-05-29
• Rating: G (General Audience)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Box set, Collector's Edition, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 8
• Dimensions: .0" h x .0" w x .0" l, 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 1249 minutes

Features

• Officially Licensed
• Highest Quality Recording

Amazon.com
Until Major League Baseball is able to preserve footage of the 1908 World Series in a digital format, Chicago Cubs fans will have to content themselves with the Chicago Cubs Legends - Great Games Collector's Edition. It's an eight-disc set of complete games in the Cubs' history since 1984, each dedicated to a significant player. Hall of Fame second-sacker Ryne Sandberg gets the obvious game, his coming-out-party on Game of the Week when his two clutch homers vs. St. Louis Cards closer Bruce Sutter signaled something big was happening in 1984. From there you can skip to the first game of the NLCS when Rick Sutcliffe shut down the Padres and even pounded a homer to lead a 13-0 romp, Andre Dawson hitting three home runs in his MVP season of 1987, and Mark Grace's epic duel against the Giants' Will Clark in the 1989 NLCS. There's more: rookie Kerry Wood fans 20 Astros and allows no walks and only one infield hit in arguably the most dominating pitching performance of all time; Sammy Sosa crashes home runs nos. 61 and 62 in his race with Mark McGwire to set the single-season homer mark; returning-prodigal-son Greg Maddux wins his 300th career game in 2004; and first baseman Derrek Lee goes 5 for 5 in 2005.

But it wouldn't be the Cubs without some heartache, and there's plenty of it--even these memorable games (they're all wins too!) led to further misery. The 1984 heroics led to a defeat-from-the-jaws-of-victory playoff loss. Dawson's three home runs still netted him only five RBI, and the club finished in last place despite having the MVP. The 1989 NLCS was tense and hard-fought, but the game included here was the only win in a 4-games-to-1 series loss. Due to injury, Wood became the poster boy for unfulfilled potential; Sosa ended up leaving a game, and the team, in infamy; and Maddux in 2004 was not the vintage Maddux of old, nor did his addition turn out to be the move that pushed the post-"Bartman" team over the top. Lee played a big hand in knocking out the Cubs that year, and his subsequent acquisition led to near-MVP numbers in Cubbie Blue in 2005, but based on tenure he's the most questionable "legend" as of 2007, when this set was released.

That said, these games are some of the most memorable, and enjoyable, in Cubs history. And although none of the complete games is earlier than 1984, classic fans should enjoy the bonus footage of older Cubs such as Ernie Banks and Billy Williams. Unlike other MLB collector's editions, though, no new interview footage is included. --David Horiuchi

Customer Reviews

Some enjoyment for Die-Hard fans.
Well here's the good: Video quality is good, all things considered. Loved Game 1 of 84 NLCS. If you are you are a true Cub fan, you will enjoy this set.

Minor nitpicks: No pre-game video. It goes right to the first pitch. Very little post-game recap. No mention of who the announcers are. I was at the 84 game and didn't realize it was Don Drysdale and Earl Weaver and Tom Seaver. It's great they only showed the games the Cubs won, but I would have enjoyed even the epic games I attended (23-22 Phillies win in '79) And I would have LOVED more Haray Caray games. The only one was the 87 Dawson game.But still a great set. Always a pleasure to hear Steve Stone too, one of the most under-appreciated analysts.

A very good set, however some things missing
I have almost all of the A&E/MLB DVD sets. At best, they are exceptional. At worst, they're very good. This one is very good. While calling Derrek Lee a Cubs legend is a reach, the game featuring him is enjoyable. Rick Sutcliffe's game isn't worth watching more than once if you're not a Cubs fan. Plus in that game, some of ABC's graphics aren't in there. Also a correction from one previous review: Reggie Jackson is in the booth, not Tom Seaver. Sammy Sosa's game is missing one at-bat. Another thing, if you're not a Cubs fan (I'm not) you might find Chip Caray and Steve Stone's constant references to the Cubs as "we" and "us" really annoying.

That's not to say this isn't a good purchase, it is. "The Sandberg Game" is here, and coming from someone who hadn't seen it until getting this set it's one heck of a game. Two pieces of history are included, Greg Maddux's 300th career victory (as a nice touch, they added Maddux's postgame interview with Steve Lyons to the end of the DVD) and Kerry Wood's record-tying 20 strikeout performance. Bottom line, it's a recommended purchase for baseball fans.

a strange mix
Overall, I reccomend this set. It's really a must for diehard Cub fans like myself. Some of the bonuses are pretty cool. However, I wish the powers that be would have made this set more about about the team's achievements than the player's. For at least 5 of the DVD's, the game in question happened to share both distinctions. And I would say we'd want 1984's 'Sandberg game' and 98's Wood 20-strikeout game even if those teams didn't make the postseason. However - while Derrek Lee's 2005 season was terrific, I would think most fans would agree with me that we have little interest in seeing a random game from a mediocre season (when he happened go get 5 hits) again. There are plenty more games that meant more in terms of the team achievements and their post-season aspirations (such as one in September of '89 - a division winnning season- they were down 9 runs to the Astros, and won it 10-9. Where's the DVD of that game? Or how about game 163 in '98-giving them the wild card? Both of those games mean a lot more than the Lee game - or the '87 Dawson game (which, despite what Dawson accomplished, was for a LAST PLACE team.)

I hope me and others can write the powers that be to follow this set up with something more about team accomplishment.