Cheers for 'Bronx' tale
July 8, 2007
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
I'm sure all your favorite Cubs and White Sox players are just fantastic guys, really. But otherwise, I've heard many stories from entertainment journalists about how the very worst celebrities in America are egotistical athletes.
Some of the nastiest anecdotes passed my way starred Johnny Bench, Mark McGwire and other sporty heroes. My least-favorite interviewee was Charles Barkley. He was such a horror show, I vowed never to revisit his name in print. Typing it now pains me.
So it's absolutely no surprise at all to watch the eight-part ESPN miniseries, "The Bronx Is Burning," and see its cast of baseball legends behaving like out-of-control megalomaniacs.
"The Bronx is Burning" chronicles the 1977 New York Yankees, specifically its three-way clash of titans -- the triple threat of owner George Steinbrenner, slugger Reggie Jackson and manager Billy Martin.
If you've seen the Steinbrenner of "Seinfeld," you'll recognize Oliver Platt's similar portrayal of the big-city screamer. John Turturro resurrects Martin as a folksy drunk with big Spock ears. And Daniel Sunjata plays Jackson as a Narcissus in sunglasses.
During spring training, Jackson explains to a sportswriter why his head's so big.
"I've got problems that other guys just don't have," Jackson boasts. "This team -- it all flows from me. I've got to keep it all going. I'm the straw that stirs the drink."
Jackson's interviewer types up his quotes, and this understandably injures the egos of all the other Yankees, especially team captain Thurman Munson, who comes off as the one main character with a grounded psyche.
But "Bronx" doesn't begin with Jackson. It starts with Steinbrenner vs. Martin. In the first scene, a steaming Steinbrenner wants to fire Martin for attacking Jackson in the dugout.
We then see a flashback to when Steinbrenner gleefully hired Martin two years earlier. Steinbrenner knew Martin was a controlling hothead, but he thought he could tame him, blustering, "He hasn't worked for me yet!"
"Bronx" is a drama. But there is a funny part in the second episode where Steinbrenner and Martin apologize to each other sheepishly for an earlier screaming match. These two are like wife beaters. They essentially say, "I'm gonna beat you!" followed by "Sorry, honey," then rinse and repeat.
The name of the miniseries comes from a Howard Cosell quote. During the 1977 World Series, a fire broke out near Yankee Stadium. Cosell saw the blaze and said on the air, "There it is, ladies and gentlemen, the Bronx is burning."
Consequently, this miniseries is based on Jonathan Mahler's journalistic book, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning. Like the book, the TV series focuses on the Yankees plus two other New York events at the time: a mayoral election and a serial murderer.
Occasionally, we see a jerk walking the streets of New York, shooting young couples while they chat in parked cars. This shootist would go on to be called Son of Sam.
As for the election, some scenes sporadically pop up featuring archival footage of Ed Koch, Mario Cuomo and Bella Abzug running for mayor of a city then burning up with labor strikes, crime waves and -- worst of all -- disco.
The reason the election and murders serve as narrative background is to prove how the Yankees cut through all that turmoil to give baseball fans a joyful diversion.
"The Bronx Is Burning" itself, though, is not so joyful, not with all those cantankerous windbags. But if you enjoy inside baseball, it's an interesting dynamic to view, and it's made cohesive by solid efforts from the actors, scriptwriter James D. Solomon and director Jeremiah S. Chechik.
For viewers too young to remember the summer of Sam starring the New York Yankees, "Bronx" is missing only one context. When Jackson references his race defensively, it helps to know racism in 1977 seemed about 1,000 times worse than now. For Jackson to be touchy when someone called him "boy" was quite understandable.
For me to enjoy "Bronx" is saying something. I gave up following sports several years ago. At some point, I realized I was rooting for three or four teams in the whole world, while wasting hours of worry rooting against about 200 other teams I still hate.
So looking back at this Yankees of my young childhood uncovers cobwebbed memories. When was the last time I heard the names Bucky Dent and Bella Abzug? I don't even know. But "Bronx" makes the flashback a fine outing, starring Major League meanies.
delfman@suntimes.com
BY DOUG ELFMAN Television Critic
I'm sure all your favorite Cubs and White Sox players are just fantastic guys, really. But otherwise, I've heard many stories from entertainment journalists about how the very worst celebrities in America are egotistical athletes.
Some of the nastiest anecdotes passed my way starred Johnny Bench, Mark McGwire and other sporty heroes. My least-favorite interviewee was Charles Barkley. He was such a horror show, I vowed never to revisit his name in print. Typing it now pains me.
So it's absolutely no surprise at all to watch the eight-part ESPN miniseries, "The Bronx Is Burning," and see its cast of baseball legends behaving like out-of-control megalomaniacs.
"The Bronx is Burning" chronicles the 1977 New York Yankees, specifically its three-way clash of titans -- the triple threat of owner George Steinbrenner, slugger Reggie Jackson and manager Billy Martin.
If you've seen the Steinbrenner of "Seinfeld," you'll recognize Oliver Platt's similar portrayal of the big-city screamer. John Turturro resurrects Martin as a folksy drunk with big Spock ears. And Daniel Sunjata plays Jackson as a Narcissus in sunglasses.
During spring training, Jackson explains to a sportswriter why his head's so big.
"I've got problems that other guys just don't have," Jackson boasts. "This team -- it all flows from me. I've got to keep it all going. I'm the straw that stirs the drink."
Jackson's interviewer types up his quotes, and this understandably injures the egos of all the other Yankees, especially team captain Thurman Munson, who comes off as the one main character with a grounded psyche.
But "Bronx" doesn't begin with Jackson. It starts with Steinbrenner vs. Martin. In the first scene, a steaming Steinbrenner wants to fire Martin for attacking Jackson in the dugout.
We then see a flashback to when Steinbrenner gleefully hired Martin two years earlier. Steinbrenner knew Martin was a controlling hothead, but he thought he could tame him, blustering, "He hasn't worked for me yet!"
"Bronx" is a drama. But there is a funny part in the second episode where Steinbrenner and Martin apologize to each other sheepishly for an earlier screaming match. These two are like wife beaters. They essentially say, "I'm gonna beat you!" followed by "Sorry, honey," then rinse and repeat.
The name of the miniseries comes from a Howard Cosell quote. During the 1977 World Series, a fire broke out near Yankee Stadium. Cosell saw the blaze and said on the air, "There it is, ladies and gentlemen, the Bronx is burning."
Consequently, this miniseries is based on Jonathan Mahler's journalistic book, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Bronx Is Burning. Like the book, the TV series focuses on the Yankees plus two other New York events at the time: a mayoral election and a serial murderer.
Occasionally, we see a jerk walking the streets of New York, shooting young couples while they chat in parked cars. This shootist would go on to be called Son of Sam.
As for the election, some scenes sporadically pop up featuring archival footage of Ed Koch, Mario Cuomo and Bella Abzug running for mayor of a city then burning up with labor strikes, crime waves and -- worst of all -- disco.
The reason the election and murders serve as narrative background is to prove how the Yankees cut through all that turmoil to give baseball fans a joyful diversion.
"The Bronx Is Burning" itself, though, is not so joyful, not with all those cantankerous windbags. But if you enjoy inside baseball, it's an interesting dynamic to view, and it's made cohesive by solid efforts from the actors, scriptwriter James D. Solomon and director Jeremiah S. Chechik.
For viewers too young to remember the summer of Sam starring the New York Yankees, "Bronx" is missing only one context. When Jackson references his race defensively, it helps to know racism in 1977 seemed about 1,000 times worse than now. For Jackson to be touchy when someone called him "boy" was quite understandable.
For me to enjoy "Bronx" is saying something. I gave up following sports several years ago. At some point, I realized I was rooting for three or four teams in the whole world, while wasting hours of worry rooting against about 200 other teams I still hate.
So looking back at this Yankees of my young childhood uncovers cobwebbed memories. When was the last time I heard the names Bucky Dent and Bella Abzug? I don't even know. But "Bronx" makes the flashback a fine outing, starring Major League meanies.
delfman@suntimes.com
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