Two Decades Since Earthquake Shook Up 1989 "Battle of the Bay" World Series

Outside the Lines (Sunday 9 a.m. ET ESPN; noon, ESPNEWS)
ESPN.com (teaming with SportsNation to solicit fan memories of the earthquake)

On October 17, 1989, shortly before Game 3 of the " Battle of the Bay" Giants-Athletics World Series, a disastrous earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale rocked the Bay Area. Bob Ley was covering the World Series for ESPN at Candlestick Park, but quickly turned from sportscaster to newscaster, reporting the disaster to the nation. ESPN was among the first national media outlets to report live from the Bay Area. Sunday on Outside the Lines Ley describes his experience and recounts details of that day.

Show guests will be Don Robinson, the Giants’ scheduled Game 3 starter, and A’s catcher Terry Steinbach.

“You could physically see like a big wave come rolling through the stands. You could physically see it, and when that wave sort of got to me, it almost knocked me off my feet.” – Will Clark, Giants first baseman

“By the time I was halfway through a Hail Mary, the shaking stopped. There was a split second of stunned silence in the park, and then a mighty roar from more than 60,000 people.” – Bob Ley, on being in his seat five rows from the top of Candlestick Park

“You could see the light stands shaking. There was a guy there at the top, changing a light bulb, and he was just holding on, just holding on. And after it was over, I heard he came down and threw up.” -- Brett Butler, Giants centerfielder

“Rather than electrical power, our truck was powered by a diesel generator. That was a huge stroke of fortune -- we had power, and we had two phone lines. In the frantic minutes afterwards, there were few answers. The quake hit at 5:04 p.m. (local time). We were able to get on the air within 18 minutes.” – Bob Ley

“The San Francisco Police Department command trailer, near our truck, had NO working phones. We gave the police one of our lines, and used the other to coordinate with our headquarters in Bristol.” – Bob Ley

Click here to see how ESPN.com is teaming with SportsNation to solicit fan memories of the 1989 World Series earthquake

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Dolphins “Limited Partners” include Marc Anthony and Gloria Estefan

ESPN Deportes SportsCenter (11 p.m., Sunday)
Reportajes Especiales piece on ESPNDeportes.com.

Gloria Estefan came to the United States from Cuba when she was two years old. Today she is one of the most prominent Hispanic singers in the music industry. Together with her husband Emilio, tennis players Venus and Serena Williams, and singer Marc Anthony, she is one of five celebrities invited by the Dolphins to be part owner of the franchise through a “Limited Partnership.”

 

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Oregon Rising

College GameDay (10 a.m., Saturday, ESPN)

Following Oregon's loss to Boise State and running back LaGarrette Blount's post game blow-up, head coach Chip Kelly used a fiery speech to keep his team from imploding. “One loss does not define this football program, and one loss does not define you as an individual," coach Kelly said. His words resonated with his players, who rallied and went on to win for straight, including a defeat of then-No. 6 Cal, and Utah, which had held the nation’s longest winning streak. Shelley Smith spends time with the re-energized Ducks as they prepare to face UCLA at the Rose Bowl.
 

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McDaniels vs. Belichick

NFL Countdown (11 a.m., Sunday, ESPN)

Before leading the Broncos to a 4-0 start this season, Josh McDaniels was a Patriots assistant coach for eight seasons under Bill Belichick. The successful duo won three Super Bowls. With McDaniels' Broncos set to square off against Belichick's Patriots Sunday, Ed Werder examines the similarities and differences between the two head coaches and the state of their relationship.
 

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Seats of Gold

ESPN.com (Outside the Lines-branded story will post Friday)

Wright Thompson asks why the most expensive seats at the new Yankee Stadium were often empty this season:
“The empty seats were called the Legends Suite. One ticket for one game cost up to $2,500. Of course, for that kind of cash, you got more than just a baseball game: Patrons received concierge service, plus a lavish pregame spread. They'd be protected from the leering hoi polloi by The Moat -- not a metaphorical divide between the haves and have-nots but an actual wall that separates the Legends from the losers… Two weeks into the season, the Yankees slashed prices. Now the best seats were going for only $1,250, which helped a little, but there are still empty seats. Executives from companies that received government bailout money could buy the seats, but couldn't risk being photographed in them.” 

 

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