Yankees-Dodgers 'An Uncivil War': Best Fan Tweets and Memes from ESPN Documentary
September 28, 2022
ESPN Films' latest documentary, Yankees-Dodgers: An Uncivil War, made its debut Tuesday night, and it was met with good reviews on social media.
The film detailed the rivalry between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers when they met in back-to-back World Series in 1977 and 1978. Many baseball legends were covered prominently throughout the documentary, including Reggie Jackson, Billy Martin, George Steinbrenner and Tommy Lasorda.
Fans who tuned in took to Twitter to praise the documentary for its in-depth look at a unique era in MLB:
Derrick Slone @DerrickSloneThis Yankees/Dodgers doc on <a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@espn</a> right now is š„. If Billy Martin had done Reggie Jackson today like he did in Boston in the summer of 1977 he would have been fired immediately and his career would have been over.
The film was directed by Fritz Mitchell, who also directed ESPN 30 for 30 films The Legend of Jimmy the Greek and Ghosts of Ole Miss.
"It was a fun challenge to tell the story of baseballās most traditional rivalry and to document the Dodgers and Yankees on their inevitable collision course through a two-year period," Mitchell said. "Iām old enough to remember the summer of 1977, the blackout, the Son of Sam and Reggie Jacksonās three home runs, but I had forgotten about the turmoil of the Yankees and was unfamiliar with the Dodgers clubhouse angst. Both New York and Los Angeles were going through periods of profound change and despair. I found that the troubles of baseballās free agency era mirrored those of society and the āme generation,ā a time that seems eerily similar to today."
Actor Rob Lowe narrated the documentary, which featured interviews with many of the writers and reporters who covered the two teams at the time.
But the true core of the film was the extensive set of interviews with those who were actually on the two teams. Jackson, Steve Garvey, Ron Guidry, Tommy John, Willie Randolph, Ron Cey, Graig Nettles, Steve Yeager, Mickey Rivers, Bucky Dent and Dusty Baker all opened up about their experiences during the intense rivalry.
It appears there's a chance that the rivalry could be rekindled this year, as the Dodgers are considered the favorites to represent the National League in the World Series after reaching 100 wins faster than any other team this season. The Yankees clinched the AL East on Tuesday night and seem to be peaking at the right time after a midseason slump.
The path through the playoffs will not be easy for either team, but if the Yankees and Dodgers advance to the World Series, the fiery rivalry would be reignited once again.