But regardless of the drama or lack thereof, it's always baseball -- and I have had the pleasure and honor to write the World Series film for more than 20 years. A little background is in order here. The first four decades of World Series films were created as archival programs designed to capture the highlights for posterity. The narration was staccato and to the point - much more play-by-play than storytelling. By the 1970s the film became a blend of archive and entertainment - more story intensive - and come the 1980s these films were offered to the public first on VHS and later DVD. With this latest evolution came a drastic change in production. What once took months to leisurely put together now had to be turned around in less than two weeks to accommodate the film's distributor. And that's how it's been since I first became a part of the process. That first script I wrote back in 1988 was banged out on an IBM Selectric Typewriter (with automatic back space white out.) I would soon move on to a Smith Corona Word Processer - the kind where you had to insert a new piece of paper into the roll for each page you wanted to print. It took close to 45 minutes to print out the 1991 classic which described how John Smoltz and Jack Morris traded darts in an unforgettable Game Seven. The 1993 series was the first one I wrote that included my beloved Phillies. But after enduring the traumatic Game Four and Joe Carter's blast three days later I can assure you that film is still sitting on my shelf wrapped in its original cellophane. Just because I wrote it doesn't mean I have to watch it!<p><p>There was no World Series film in 1994 - perhaps the darkest October in baseball history. I was still writing for Mel Allen on "This Week in Baseball" that year, and the only time I ever saw him cry was when he read that there would be no World Series that year. The Yankees incredible run that began in 1996 electrified New York City. And it all seemed ready to peak in 2001, for this World Series was very much a part of the healing process after 9-11 - and the Yankees were following the script to a "T." Miraculous back-to-back comebacks at Yankee Stadium had put the Yankees on the brink of the title -- all they had to do was win one more in the desert. But just when everything appeared to be in place for a true Fall Classic classic, Luis Gonzalez hit a little flair over shortstop off the best closer on the planet and the unpredictable world of baseball had thrown us all another curve.

The premiere of the 2004 World Series film in Boston was a raucous delight - the audience was screaming and cheering every moment on the big screen. This was also the year we shifted away from classic voiceover talent (Vin Scully, Ernie Harwell, Curt Chaplin, Len Cariou) and instead called upon actors who lived and died with their teams. Denis Leary voiced that 2004 film and he did a fantastic job. But the truth is, it was almost as much fun listening to the stream of good-natured invective he unleashed in the voiceover booth every time he messed up. Chicago native Michael Clarke Duncan manned the mike the next year, followed by St. Louis fan Billy Bob Thornton. Matt Damon was a pleasure to work with when the Sox won again in 2007. How much he loves his team became apparent halfway through the session when this award-winning actor -- who has been in some of this generation's top films -- sat back and said that this might have been the coolest thing he'd ever done. And in 2008 - when I finally got to write a World Series film that had a happy ending (at least for me), Terrence Howard brought just the right tone to the script.<p><p>Beyond all these actors and narrators, I have been blessed to work with many talented producers, editors, executive producers, field crews, audio engineers, proofreaders and myriad assistants, associates and coordinators who together form the basis of each and every film. And nothing on a professional level makes me feel better than when the show is finally recorded and mixed and they get to see their hard work brought together by a solid script and crisp narration. The World Series film is the gift we give to baseball fans every year - and I'm just happy to be the one who gets to tie the bow.<p><p>Jeff Scott<p>Senior Writer -- Major League Baseball Productions