Throughout baseball's storied history, the Cincinnati Reds still stand as its longest-running franchise. For more than 125 years, the team has hosted All-Stars and Hall of Fame players, and has won several World Series championships. Their extensive history is covered in Reds Memories, a feature filled with loads of historical footage and interviews by historians and some of those who made the history.

At almost 75 minutes, the special covers a variety of periods of the team's existence. But what surprised me was the abundance of footage of the team pre-World War II. In particular, the Reds' 1919 World Series win over the Chicago White Sox (along with the years following) is given extended time.

It's when the sport reaches the 1950's and their players such as Ted Kluszewski and Frank Robinson reach the team and begin to excel, until Robinson's trade to the Baltimore Orioles in 1965. But you couldn't completely cry for the Reds, as the team's development system produced talent like Pete Rose, Tony Perez, Johnny Bench and Dave Concepcion, to name a few. The team's prodigious offensive talents earned them the nickname 'The Big Red Machine,' and it won four National League Pennants in seven years, including back-to-back World Series wins in 1975 and 1976.

Though the team's success declined in the early 1980's, there was a resurgence with Rose as manager, when the team experienced the phrase, "close, but no cigar" in the National League West Division, before Rose's baseball gambling expulsion. Lou Piniella came to the club and managed it to another World Series Championship in 1990. While this was the last title the club earned, it's not as if they haven't been trying. Players like Ken Griffey Jr. (son of the talented Reds outfielder) and Barry Larkin have come and gone, and the foundation of current talent appears to be one the team can get build upon for years.

At least that's the belief I had when watching this feature, a thought that is made more believable by watching some of the bad karma the organization has experienced. Whether it's the Robinson trade or Carlton Fisk's dramatic home run during extra-innings in the 1975 World Series against the Reds, there is a certain degree of candor given, however Rose's behavior and activities (among others) are carefully ignored here.

All in all, for Reds fans this is a topical, novel look at the team's history that wouldn't normally be found in a media guide or other lengthy retrospective, and while it may be incomplete, it's harmless, and because of its length, is painless enough.

1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, which is a minor surprise considering the older content was originally displayed in full frame. Everything is reproduced as accurately as possible and as the historians will remind you, any noticeable visual defect is inherent in the content. Looks fine from where I'm sitting.

Two-channel stereo from beginning to end. There are no sound artifacts or broadcast hiss in the program' everything sounds clear and without concern.

There is some additional footage of some of the more memorable moments in team history (22:02), including Rose's hit record, Griffey Jr.'s entrance into the 500 and 600 home run club, no-hitters and other accomplishments. The clips possess the Major League Baseball watermark to remind you of their parent organization.

Reds fan? Well, you're probably better off buying some of the multidisc (and more rewarding) sets that are out there that have World Series wins. But if you want 125 years crammed into 75 minutes, Reds Memories is for you.