DaytonDailyNews.com

If I could have figured a way to do it, I would have stopped the DVD in my computer, printed out all the images and wall-papered my house.

I know, "Baseball's Golden Age" is better as a film, so I'll have to watch again as FSN (Channel 29) begins a 13-week run of half-hour shows beginning Sunday at 8 p.m.

The shows are a sort of continuation of the "When It Was a Game" series, which first ran on HBO 17 years ago and was produced by Flagstaff Films.

That brings us to the second thing I'd like to do. I'd like to break into Flagstaff's film archive and just run a projector of what they have — over and over for the rest of my life.

"We have about 100 hours of stuff — black and white and color," said Steven Stern, a founding partner in Black Canyon Productions, of which Flagstaff is a part. "There's so much of this stuff, we said, 'Why don't we figure out a way to use more of it?' "

A way was found. The cache has been catalogued into stories. The first episode looks into the sights and sounds of baseball, segues into the Ted Williams/Joe DiMaggio rivalry and moves on to team rivalries.

When Stern's company first came across these home movies — taken by players and fans from the 1930s to the 1950s — it was considered a negative that they jumped around a little and some were a bit out of focus. Now, for the YouTube generation, Stern said, that isn't so bothersome.

As imperfect as it might be, the film is delightful, reminding us of a time that will never return. Players mug for the relatively new invention of the camera. They're smiling, too, as if they're having fun.

And how great is it to see Babe Ruth in color along with other players we're used to seeing only in back and white, like Jackie Robinson, Mel Ott and Carl Hubbell?

Since the number of color hours are limited — and most of the segments last just a few seconds — Flagstaff decided for this venture to splice in some black and white footage, which works.

There also are interviews with players and journalists — including Larry King — mostly talking about going to games as children. Famed lawyer Alan Dershowitz takes down Rudy Giuliani for living in Brooklyn while rooting for the Yankees, and Ernie Banks sports a Hebrew-embossed cap spelling out "Cubs."

One hundred hours? Give me one hundred more.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157

or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.