Under Review

Since 1920 the Curse of the Bambino has plagued the Red Sox, but perhaps never more so than in 2003. Luckily, three sports documentary makers chose that year to follow a diverse group of eight fans—including a firefighter and a wheelchair-bound young man—from February to Game 7 of the ALCS, when the Yankees won the championship. Still, We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie, which was released on DVD on July 6, portrays with warmth and spirit the passion of the fans, whose love for their team is not diminished by the Sox' habit of breaking their hearts annually. Paul Constine, a sales manager who calls in regularly to sports radio shows as Angry Bill, sums up a Sox fan's despair when he looks into the camera and says, "I wouldn't know what to do if they won. Would you know what to do?"
—Nancy Ramsey

?Maybe this shouldn't be so startling—it is, after all, the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network—but the 6 p.m. SportsCenter is squeezing more and more showbiz into what was once a fairly traditional news program. A game show segment, "Heresay," has been part of the mix recently. And last week the network announced that from July 26 through July 30 SportsCenter will include in-studio performances from Kid Rock, Alanis Morissette and others. "This is the evolution of SportsCenter," says ESPN senior vice president Norby Williamson. "You'll still get highlights and journalism and all of that. But we should also be experimenting and taking risks." The TRL-like segments will be followed in August by "Old School Week," featuring appearances by such anchors of yore as Craig Kilborn and George Grand. What's next, "Where in the World Is Stephen A. Smith?" Hey, maybe this isn't such a bad idea.