It’s summertime, and that means baseball. Except not this year. As the possibility of any kind of season quickly fades, WTVP offers up four shows in July to help fans soothe their baseball withdrawal pains.
On September 5, 1929, the New York Yankees, led by their star player, Babe Ruth, played an exhibition game against the inmate baseball team at Sing Sing prison. This new documentary examines the backstory of that historic match. It explores the social history of the era by weaving back and forth between the careers of Babe Ruth, the major sports figure of his time, and Lewis Lawes, warden of Sing Sing, who was considered “America’s Warden.”
A documentary inspired by James T. Crawford’s poem 1955 recounts the Brooklyn Dodgers’ only world series championship after 65 years of futility and explores the team’s unique connection to its community.
In 1916, six businesses from Peoria created a baseball league for their employees. It became the longest running amateur baseball league in America. Over the years, it has inspired multitudes of young baseball fans, drawn crowds of all ages, and produced 46 professional baseball players. There Will Be Baseball highlights this historic league, the sponsors and fans who support it, and the players who come back each year to play the game they love.
The story of baseball is the story of America. It is an epic overflowing with heroes and hopefuls, scoundrels and screwballs. It is a saga spanning the quest for racial justice, the clash of labor and management, the transformation of popular culture, and the unfolding of the national pastime.
About WTVP
WTVP’s mission is to enrich our community in engaging and relevant ways using public media and outreach efforts. The station is an essential source for education, scientific, entertainment, and cultural content that connects Central Illinois on a local and world level. Generous membership donations and business underwriting are what make this mission and vision possible. An investment in WTVP is an investment in our community. Learn more at www.wtvp.org or call 309-677-4747.
