Video Review: The 2016 World Series Collector’s Edition

When you buy the 2016 World Series Collector’s Edition video set — and you will, because every Cubs fan ought to have one of these — you will have a choice to make.

There are eight discs included in this set, one for each of the World Series games, plus Game 6 of the NLCS, the win over the Dodgers that sent the Cubs to the Series for the first time since 1945.

The choice you will have to make is whether you actually want to watch the three games the Cubs lost out of those eight. You already know the series has a happy ending, and you’ll surely want to watch the wins, particularly the NLCS game that put the Cubs into the World Series, as well as Game 7.

But the Cubs didn’t look very good in those three losses. They lost those games by a combined score of 14-2 and, again, you know the ending of those games. Maybe you can watch a bit of the beginning of Game 3, the first World Series game at Wrigley Field in 71 years.

You will surely be forgiven if you put the discs from Games 1, 3 and 4 aside and never watch them, though.

This set, which the folks at Shout Factory kindly sent me to review, is a must for any Cubs fan. Beyond having every moment of the World Series and the game that got them there, you can switch over from the Fox-TV crew to the Cubs Radio Network announcers, Pat Hughes, Ron Coomer and Len Kasper, and listen to their commentary on the games. That alone is a good recommendation to watch. (The set also has the other team’s radio announcers available, if you are so inclined.)

The set also comes with a little booklet (that they title “SleeveStats”) with the boxscores from all eight games plus a few notes from each of the games.

This set will be available Tuesday, December 13. The list prices are $59.99 (DVD) or $79.99 (Blu-ray), though I suspect you can find them cheaper if you look around. Even at the list prices, I’d say the set is a bargain.

These videos are a keepsake you’ll want to have forever, to go along with your memories of the Cubs’ World Series win. It certainly would make a fine holiday gift for any Cubs fan. Go get one as soon as it’s on sale.