Word of Mouth

SportsCentury: Pete Maravich (2001)

"This fascinating one-hour documentary...examines how, until he found religion late in life, Pistol Pete, who died in 1988 of a heart attack during a pickup game, was aimless when he didn't have a ball in his hands."

Ali Rap (2006)

"Don't be turned off by the title. Yes, there is a staccato beat to the ESPN special, giving the show an unusual look and feel as it makes the case that Muhammad Ali was the first true rapper... It should not obscure what is best about the show, though: It is a primer for young people and a refresher for their elders on Ali's charisma, featuring many clips of his rhyming and reasoning, and of admirers from Sidney Poitier to Ludacris quoting him."

SportsCentury: Isiah Thomas (2001)

"It is virtually an all ecompassing hour-long look at what has made Isiah Thomas so good, so bad, so compelling, so complex. ESPN Classic's SportsCentury Isiah Thomas stops you cold with a reflective few words from the famous former Piston."

Biography: Bill Graham (2002)

"If Biography occasionally seems a bit worn out these days, there was no evidence of it in Episode #1,000...Great story, great Biography."

"A stable of A-list talent sings the praises of the scene's premiere promoter. Mickey Hart, Ray Manzarek, Keith Richards, Gregg Allman, and Carlos Santana are a few of rock's royalty speaking up in Biography's 1,000th episode to help illustrate how a Holocaust survivor turned the psychedelic '60s into big business. It's a long, strange trip—and definitely worth a standing ovation."

Biography: Debbie Harry (2004)

"The Harry documentary is a treasure trove for students of the New York New Wave music scene, and, of course, for the fans of the lead singer of Blondie."

Colors of Courage, feature-length documentary (2003)

"We're very proud to premiere Colors of Courage here in Taos. This is an important film because it's a significant part of the cultural history of our state...Colors of Courage puts the history of Nuevo Americans soldiers into greater context."

SportsCentury: Dan Gable (2001)

"ESPN Classic produced just that—a classic about one of the most successful and determined athletes and coaches this world has known...If you don't have this cable network, find somebody who does."

ESPY: Parody Piece (2000)

"The ESPYs featured sharp self-parody, highlighted by a spoof in which former journeyman ballplayer Kurt Bevacqua was named one of SportsCentury's '50 Greatest Athletes.'"