Where were you the day 10-17-89 when the World Series was interrupted by the Loma Prieta earthquake?
I was reminded of it when my brother – who resides near the epicenter -sent me an e-mail yesterday. The ironic thing is it was also his birthday. Here’s the response I sent to him:
I’ll never forget that night. Mom, Dad and maybe Sis were at the auction house across from farmers market, and I was home ready to watch the Athletics play the Giants in the World Series.
I had the TV on and was immediately noticed quite a lot of commercials on ABC. But I dismissed it as the necessary evil that surrounds sports what with the abundance of promotions and advertising dollars coming in from every source they can find.
Anyway, a short-lasting signal came up from Candlestick Park and I remember Al Michaels stating that the game had been postponed because of a major earthquake. I later realized that your area could have been affected and immediately tried to call you on the kitchen phone. The first attempt resulted in a busy signal. I tried again and I believe that was the one where you were in your driveway and you told me that you felt like you were on a see-saw because your car would go up and down as you were too. Then the signal got disconnected.
I’m not sure if we ever had a chance to get connected again, or if you and I got to talk later. I saw the lights of whatever vehicle that Mom and Dad were in, and was standing at the back door holding the screen door open. When they got to the steps, I said "Hey, first off, (My Brother) and (His Wife) are okay – I’ve spoken to them. But their area was just hit by a major earthquake. The calls keep getting interupted because of the aftershocks., but they are okay and are standing outside their house and there’s no major damage to their immediate area."
After that, I recall Mom getting you on the phone while I was in the living room watching all the coverage of the disaster. And honest to God, I knew the moment I first saw the Nimitz Freeway in Oakland that it had collapsed and I was almost certain that people were on the lower deck when it pancaked.
I’m glad you were okay. I was really worried about you.
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13 comments
Chipmaker on October 19, 2009 at 9:01 pm
I was at my parents’ house, surfing around because pre-game shows bored me even then. I flipped back and — hey, where’s the game? I flipped around a little bit, thinking maybe I had the wrong network — but no. Eventually ABC came back on and began coverage of the quake and aftereffects — the Bay Bridge (with live footage of a car driving into the collapsed gap), the Marina fire, and eventually the I-880 collapse — along with, of course, the chaos at Candlestick and the evacuation.
What made that night especially memorable (to me, a viewer from afar) was that, because of the World Series, the Goodyear blimp was there for aerial coverage. Instead of trying to race news crews to the Marina fire or the Bridge, they had video coverage almost immediately. Despite the obvious tragedy of that night, it was GREAT television.
Here’s a short (1 minute) clip of the moment of the earthquake at various locations. The baseball coverage is the last ten seconds — a shot of Canseco jogging, McCarver saying something, and finally Michaels cutting in with "…tell you what, we’re having an earthq–" as the signal is lost.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW-TkpvKPl0
SportsDude25 on October 19, 2009 at 9:01 pm
I wasn’t born yet, but I’ve heard stories about it since it was in the Bay Area. It must have been a scary sight to see for the people watching and at the games.
Go Yankees!!!! on October 19, 2009 at 9:01 pm
I wasn’t born yet. I was born about 7 years later.
Michael on October 19, 2009 at 9:01 pm
I wasn’t even thought of yet. I’m only 14 years old.
ek 5 on October 19, 2009 at 9:01 pm
I was at work.
Bill78 on October 19, 2009 at 9:01 pm
I was watching it in my room. Fortunately 3 time zones away.
Joe on October 19, 2009 at 9:01 pm
My girlfriend and I just got done making out I told her lets watch the WS soon I turn the TV on that when it happen. I’ll never forget that night. By the way 2 yrs Later I married my girlfriend and still happy married after 18 yrs.
steelernation on October 19, 2009 at 9:01 pm
i was in my moms womb
com_bat1 on October 19, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Dallas, TX
tweety on October 19, 2009 at 9:01 pm
At my home in Florida (I still live in FL, same town, different house). I was watching the pre-game show and then the picture went out… I heard the word "earthquake" and then that was it. No internet to speak of in those days, so we just had to wait until we got the news reports to find out what had happened.
Kave Dast on October 19, 2009 at 9:01 pm
ditto to
Yanks 4 Life
Katalex on October 19, 2009 at 9:01 pm
I was living in upstate New York getting ready to watch the game
Bert Weidemeier on October 19, 2009 at 9:01 pm
I was watching the pregame, and remember Al Michaels saying "we’re having an earthquake."