Few can doubt the impact of Latino players upon Major League Baseball — a healthy number of today's bona fide superstars (Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, Pedro Martinez, et. al.) hail from countries of Latin American origin. Their passionate style of play and intense athleticism have delivered a revivifying jolt to America's past-time and have done so at a time in our nation's history when the Latino population grows exponentially with each passing day. Producer/director Dan Klores's (The Boys of 2nd Street Park, Ring of Fire: The Emile Griffith Story) fun, informative documentary ¡Viva Baseball! explores the history of Latino players in Major League Baseball, reaching all the way back to 1898 through to the present day. Narrated by Marc Anthony, it's a fascinating, engaging look at a side of baseball that many fans may not be aware of.

Klores rounded up a staggering cross-section of Latino players, including Luis Tiant, Orestes Minoso, Orlando Cepeda, Vic Power, Tony Perez, Felipe Alou, Juan Marichal, Rod Carew, Fernando Valenzuela, Cookie Rojas and Keith Hernandez, as well as modern players such as David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Beltran and Miguel Tejada, all of whom are candid, compelling and often moving as they explain what this most American of sports means to them as well detailing their own personal struggles in gaining acceptance in a sport that was often resistant to change. Thankfully, Marc Anthony's narration is unobtrusive, relaying only the facts and letting these men speak for themselves — there isn't a dud storyteller in the bunch: ¡Viva Baseball! is a brisk (98-minute) overview of a subject that could easily stretch to several hours.

Klores's passion for the game as well as admiration for the obstacles overcome by these generations of Latino men is evident throughout ¡Viva Baseball!. As the regular season slides into the thrilling post-season and Major League Baseball winds down for another year, perhaps now is a time to pause and reflect upon this involving tale of racism, culture clash, integration and controversies that have helped shape the modern game of baseball. It's a terrific film that might make you look at those heroes on Sportscenter in a whole new, more appreciative light.

The Video:

Presented as originally broadcast on cable channel Spike TV, ¡Viva Baseball! arrives on DVD with a perfectly clear 1.33:1 fullscreen transfer, richly detailed with the slightest hints of video noise (mostly in the archival footage) and great sharpness. As expected for a recently filmed documentary, this is a very clean image.

The Dolby 2.0 stereo soundtrack isn't flashy, but gets the job done, rendering all the dialogue cleanly and clearly, with no distortion, drop-out or other aural defects. A Spanish 1.0 mono soundtrack is included, as are optional Spanish subtitles.

The only supplemental material included is 39 minutes, 33 seconds of additional interview footage and an insert listing chapter stops.

As the regular season slides into the thrilling post-season and Major League Baseball winds down for another year, perhaps now is a time to pause and reflect upon ¡Viva Baseball!, an involving tale of racism, culture clash, integration and controversies that have helped shape the modern game of baseball. It's a terrific film that might make you look at those heroes on Sportscenter in a whole new, more appreciative light. Recommended.