Al Michaels is a legend. The "Do you believe in miracles?" and the "I'll tell you what we're having an earth-". Two greatest calls in the history of sports.
What's interesting about those calls is the "Do you believe in miracles?" happened in early 1980 and the "I'll tell you what we're having an earth-" call happened in late 1989. Both calls book-ended the decade of the 1980s.
My dad was in the nose bleed section when this happened and he thought he was going to die. He said everyone kind of froze and were just screaming and crying while he had gotten out of his seat and ran as fast as he could in an effort to get out of the stadium. By the time he got down the stairs the earthquake was over and he realized the stadium was still standing so he walked back to his seat where his friend was sitting and was white as a ghost and couldn’t talk for like 10 minutes from being in shock. Pretty crazy.
Al Michaels is a great sports commentator. He came that night to do a World Series game and found himself having to be a news reporter. And did a great job.
He sure did. I remember this, I was half watching with the TV on and listening to music. I remember looking at the TV and seeing the green World Series card on the screen and figured it was technical difficulties. Then I noticed after a while the game hadn't started but there was Al Michaels in the booth and you could see behind him the stadium was dark.
Yes. And five years later - at the end of the infamous OJ Simpson "chase" in June 1994 - he informs fellow ABC News' Peter Jennings that a live, on-air witness was a Howard Stern prank caller! ("...and a Baba Booey to ya all!") Hilarious moment the media getting pranked. Wish it would happen more.
I live about three hours south of SF, and was watching when it happened. There were just a few seconds between losing the link and feeling the quake here, so I knew what had happened even before the POTS audio came back.
That sounds pretty haunting. It must have been a huge relief to hear those voices back on the tv. I mean, "I tell you what we're having an ear---" followed by static just sounds like something out of a horror movie. If I was watching this live, I would have thought they were goners for sure.
I would totally watch baseball if James Earl Jones opened every game with an epic poem of fantastic metaphors comparing the bases to far away lands dominated by ongoing war between 2 factions,
I was in South San Francisco when this happened at my dad's warehouse. We felt it and it was crazy watching the power lines whip and I'll never forget watching a wave roll through the concrete parking lot like it was water. All that being said we didnt suffer any damage and had no idea how bad thing really were until we starting hearing on the radio as reports came in. As maligned as Camdlestick Park was, I like to think of this as part of its legacy. How it stood strong and potentially saved the lives of around 60,000 people.
I’ve experienced small quakes and it is a strange feeling. At my house I have asked around for my family saying “Did you feel that?“ and in public I’ve seen 5-10 look around and say “That was an earthquake wasn’t it?”
I am from Philly and was in San Diego in 1986 when two earthquakes hit. One centered in North Palm Springs on July 7th and the second off Oceanside on July 13th. Both were Magnitude 5.6 and both were horrific. To this easterner, you never forget that feeling.
We can clearly hear the people screaming in the stadium. I would have panicked. They said that a lot of lives were saved because people were in the stadium.
Not just inside the stadium, but because of the timing of the game (and the fact that they were both California teams), a lot of people went home from work early in order to watch the game. Saved a lot of lives because a lot less cars were on the bridges and overpasses when the earthquake happened
@@thegreyavenger2 imagine lying to prove your aren’t a piece of shit how about this, prove me wrong by getting a picture of you at the stadium, also, let me see a picture of you now so i can see what your saying is true
I was pretty young when this happened maybe 6. I remember for the longest time I was freaked out by baseball cause I thought that was what caused the earthquake.
+Elise Fincher The signal went out, my stepdad told me "Stand still and DON'T move, we're getting ready to have an Earthquake". I asked him how do you know, and he answered "We're only 30 minutes from SF son, it'll hit within a minute". one minute later at 5:07 PM PDT, it hit. He carried my infant baby brother and ran out of the house after it was over while he told me to follow him. Mom was at Safeway just 3 minutes up the hill. She got back about 6:05 PM. and started telling us that people in the parking lot ducked down and covered their heads. I too was 6 when this happened.
+Tornado1994 this is one of those events that if you were at the right age you remember right where you were and exactly what you were doing. I myself at the time lived in Sausalito and was watching the world series with my grandparents. I had never ever experienced anything like that so rightly so I froze. I had a shelf that pretty much fell on me but by the grace of god I had no injuries. My grandfather ended up pulling me from under the shelf and ended up pulling me out and got us out of the house. Glad you and your family were okay.
I was south of SF in Gilroy. I was only 9 yrs old in 1989 but I remember how STRONG the earthquake was!! That deep rumble and the WHOLE GROUND was not so much shaking but more like rocking--VIOLENTLY.
Yeah man I was 8 n I knew it was the end. That shake was the hand of God scaring the shit out of the Bay Area. I was terrified out of my mind through out. What a way to end the 80s.
I was living-in Cleveland, Ohio, at-the-time; so, it was about 8:05 PM, Eastern-Time. I missed the event, because I had-been taking-a-nap, after-work. When I woke-up, I turned-on the TV, and I was really-confused.
I was in my dorm room at UC Davis and some of my friends were in the room with me. We felt it quite strongly and I was the first person to say that it was an earthquake. We knew it had to be a huge quake somewhere not nearby. A friend down the hall was on the phone with her parents in SJ when it happened and told us they had a huge earthquake there. We all immediately tried calling our parents but we couldn't get through for 3 days. We were freaking out but there was nothing we could do so we all went to dinner.
@@Scrappicat "Oh my god I can't get hold of my family (weeping) what do we do!? I'm scared what's happening I can't contact anybody I'm hungry let's go eat...."
I remember this as I was on the Bay Bridge heading from my SF office to my East Bay home. My car was stopped with thousands of others -- a block and half from the collapse of the top (west bound) bridge. It took over 9 hours to get home and was one of the few people who had a cell phone to call my children. I lent that phone to over a dozen others to do the same !!!!
Woodrow, I was stuck with some coworkers on 101 south trying to get back to the east bay, seemed newsradio reports said San Mateo bridge was open, then closed, back & forth, so we ended up crossing Dumbarton bridge...doing like 10-15 mph on the freeway. Took over 9 hrs finally. Eeriest part was the entire way there were NO lights on hardly anywhere, except for some spots like SFO🤤😨and how Hot it was outside.
Was there with my family in the upper deck right above al Michaels head. The crowd went crazy with excitement after the earthquake, I think most of us thought it was just the fans stomping our feet. Then a few minutes later a guy with a portable radio yelled “Jesus Christ! The bay bridge collapsed!” We then understood the magnitude and my mom was like “let’s get the hell out of here”. We were one of the first to leave and they wouldn’t let us out for like 15 minutes because everyone was confused. It was crazy
I was in 3rd grade back in ‘89 when this happened. I remember my dad watching the World Series on television and that great awful earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area. Then I remember my 3rd grade class talking about the earthquake.
I was 15 I remember watching that with my mom and dad. It was so weird bc I rarely watched baseball and I was up in a rec room alone when it started and my parents never came up there and that evening they both did and we all were just lounging on the carpet watching together when it happened. I'll never forget it. R.I.P DAD 🙏❤
I remember the day very well. For me living in central California and feeling the minor shaking, I knew exactly what happened. So incredibly scary for the people up in the bay area.
I'm in that part of California, too. I had the day off, but I worked at a Giants affiliate and was watching the ballgame. The thing, of course, is that if you just feel it, you can't tell if it's fairly small and close or big and far away. Having the picture cut out and then feeling it told me the rough details of what I needed to know. I called the studio and told them so they could be ready for the calls. The weird thing was that if you were listening on the radio, you didn't know until later where the quake was. They were in the pregame show, which was pre-recorded, and KNBR (that originated the broadcast) just "blipped" off the air for a second or two before their emergency generator kicked in.
The 1989 World Series actually saved lots of lives. It occurred on what usually is rush hour traffic but the freeways had less commuters due to most people watching the game
If it wasn't for San Francisco winning the National League pennant in 1989 and Oakland winning the American League pennant, the World Series Game 3 would have been held in Chicago, Illinois on that day instead against Toronto Blue Jays, and would have resulted in a death toll topping 390,000 people from Loma Prieta Earthquake. This earthquake did save 385,000 people that day, thanks to the World Series held in San Francisco. They are very lucky to survive this!
@pantherzone2008 Yep....since both teams were Bay Area teams, lots of watch parties being held and people were off work early so the normally busy structures weren't as crowded...saving many a lives. (I lived through it and remember it well)
I was in a parking garage in San Jose leaving work that day when my car and everyone else's started shaking, and people walking to their cars were losing balance and staggering. Electricity went out and we had to wait for them to remove the arm to get out of the garage. I couldn't believe the number of big aftershocks that evening. Memorable day.
I asked my dad (who was born in 1955) if he remembered when the earthquake happened, & he told me that he was getting ready to listen to the game on the radio (he's from Wisconsin, but he lived in Belize at the time) and they announced that there was an earthquake in the Bay area.
My 3 year old son and I were returning to Sacramento from the Santa Ana SF International airport and as we were 10 past the Oakland Bay Bridge we had to pull over on the Freeway. Grateful we departed early. Always listen to you gut feelings. Intuition and Devine Intervention saved our lives.
I was under the right field bleachers with a 600mm lens trained on first base. At first I thought the people in the stands were stomping their feet, but it was the quake. My first reaction was I was worried the lens on the tripod had moved away from the base. Gradually we figured out that it was serious. A TV guy called me over to look at his monitor. The blimp was over the Bay Bridge showing that part of it had collapsed. Behind the bleachers I ran into a guy who was vomiting. I asked him if he was OK and he said he'd been up in the lights changing a burned out bulb when it hit. The lights were swinging 20 feet each way and he thought he was toast for sure. "I'm OK, I just can't quit throwing up!" Finally at midnight the boss told me I could go home. I lived in the Marina district and it was on fire. A lot of buildings had collapsed and there was a real spooky vibe. No lights. The only damage at my apartment was my yucca plant had fallen over. I baseball game to remember.
Thanks for the flashback. Saw this as it happened. Me and my dad sitting down to an evening meal (his famous Hamburger Helper made his way ;)) The broadcast just as you see it, were both trying to figure if he said "earthquake", and that's when we felt it. We were both laughing like kids at the experience (in shock and fear) looking out the window at everything shaking. Then it stopped. The TV came back in the middle of an episode of "Rosanne" where I live. That's when I saw a deep worry wash over my dad. A lot of people did die in that one. Edit: Posting this after experiencing today's earthquake.
Out of this whole video, all I can do is laugh at the description for it. Seriously, though, these guys are actually heroes in my book for what they did as journalists after the quake struck. It takes guts to just do your job, but it also takes heart and balls to do it the way they did.
It’s so eery looking at that footage from the blimp just moments before the destruction. It’s kind of like rewatching a horror film and you’re waiting for that jump scare to occur, but you’re never 100% sure when it’s going to happen… what impresses me about this video the most is the fact that the audio feed of Al Michaels was back on within around 10 seconds of the earthquake ending. That’s great work by the media team, under duress.
I was 5,in NY,watching the game on pops lap in the living room with my sis..after it hit they switched over to Rosanne episodes. It was one of those everlasting memories that stick around forever..
I was in Los Angeles in Studio City watching the Game when it happened. And we felt it a bit! It was so sad that it happened during the Game! Peace Be Unto You All and GOD Bless! Jane.
Remember watching this live....that quake was devastating...thought of my former friend and co worker Marlene W who was living in the Marina neighborhood.
+Christopher Howell Wow, I was 8 years old living in Belleville, NJ watching with my father. I'll never forget the video going out when Canseco was running and Al Michaels saying we're having an earthquake.
I was living in Texas now living in California. I remember watching the Series at the time the earthquake struck. I was taken back by the evens that aired although it is not shown in this clip. But the announcers were on air when everything I was watching on the T.V. started to shack. The announcers seem to be able to pull me in as a viewer to feel the panic that they expressed while on camera. They soon announced to the crowd at the game as well as the viewers; that a bridged had collapsed. A gasp could be heard I felt myself sink into my chair. I was every young at the time so I imagine it was due to youth more than anything else; I've not felt an earthquake and I hope that if or when I do I well know what to do to help myself and those around me. But those few seconds shown on T.V. with the announcers well never be forgotten.
Lived in Novato and remember this like yesterday, my father worked in Oakland and used the Cypress Structure to commute back and forth. He didn't work that day and would have been driving home from work when the quake hit. He lost couple of co-workers that worked with him. I remember taking a drive to look at the collapse couple days after the quake. We got out to look, I didn't understand how serious it was until I saw the destruction for myself. I could see my father was a little shook up but
Good lead up toward the scheduled game. The beginning quote's from Bart Giamatte, the late baseball commissioner who'd died a month and a half earlier. His quote begins the theme of homecoming which continues with James Taylor's song. The tune is fitting as the Fall Classic was shifting to the Giants home at Candlestick Park for the first Series game since 1962. It also says "stay awhile and play" and "over here it's clear" with a backdrop of blue sky. And fittingly October's mentioned. The montage from the Giants locker room shows the admonition "Never Give Up." This would soon resonate beyond mere baseball.
I remember this moments vividly. I was standing on a large grass field in front of my apartment swinging a baseball bat, getting ready to watch the WS. When the earthquake hit, I saw the ground waving like water. It even carried me about 2’ up and down, multiple times. Very unique experience.
I remember my mother telling me the story of when I was little she couldn't get me to sleep so she rocked me while he watched this game. Suddenly the earthquake hit. I always imaged in my head what it must have been like. Now I know.
I was watching the 89’ world series when the earthquake struck. Less than a minute after the announcer mentions earthquake we were feeling it all the way down in San Diego. One day I’ll never forget for sure.
I just remember that I didn't feel the earthquake back then in "89". was 7 years old in daycare running around outside playing. Came home later in the day and saw headlines on the news on TV saying we had a big earthquake in the Bay Area. The side of our house had a crack in it that had to get fixed.
I remember watching the news all night into the next day. Such powerful, heartbreaking stuff. What stood out was that car driving on the bridge and when the bridge collapsed, the car was left dangling by the front wheels. I forget if the ever rescued those people.
I was downtown for this one and in L.A. for the Northridge quake. VERY different experiences in a lot of ways...except one. The power in each was phenomenal. A big earthquake is an instant reminder of how truly insignificant people are when faced with the insane power of nature.
True that! I was in Nevada City, CA for the Lona Prieta quake, Ontario, CA for the Big Bear/Landers Quake (92) and Claremont, CA for the Northridge Quake (94) and all 3 were different from one another. I think this is why I'm in Southern Idaho now. Oddly enough, 8 months after we arrived here in Idaho (July 2019) we had a 6.5 Quake centered near Stanley, ID that we felt in Twin Falls....go figure! Quakes followed me from California to Idaho!
I was four years old at the time of the 89 earthquake, but my father was three rows behind home plate at Candlestick Park during the earthquake and every time I hear this legendary call from Al Michaels, I always think of my dad and how brave he was trying to get from San Fran back to Sacramento.
Lived in a 3 story building in the mission...I just froze. I was 11 years old and was horrified by them. I still remember the day when my grandma had to slap me because i ran out with my pants and drawers down screaming off a 2 point something while on the toilet months before. 1989 was a life changer for me...ever since then I stay calm, cool, and collected. God Bless those who lost their lives that day. Everyone else, be ready. Remember, we were told that the next big one would hit us in the next 30 years. As of now, we have 5 years left.
The "Big One" was supposed to happen by the time I turned 16, according to the news after the Whittier Narrows quake in 1987. I lived in Whittier and was 6 at the time. Earthquakes were terrifying to me after that. The worst quake I felt was the Northridge quake in '94, though. The "regular" quakes are bad enough. May the Big One hold off until I no longer have family in CA.
I started kindergarten right before this happened, I was living in Clovis which is right outside of Fresno, I remember going to SF two years later and there were still signs of the earthquake
+Tom Gifford Why a phobia? I lived it too. You can't outrun an earthquake and you have nowhere to go, best thing to do is to prepare and to be a safe and as CALM as you can when, yes WHEN... another one strikes! :)
I was 6 and living in Whittier when the Whittier Narrows quake hit in '87, and have never lost my fear of earthquakes. They're terrifying because you can't outrun it and have nowhere to go. Now I live where there are tornadoes, and those at least sometimes have warning, and you can go down to the basement...
We were watching this game from NC. When the picture went out my guys started just throwin a fit. I stayed up long after the beer was gone and watched the ongoing broadcast of the destruction. Horrible time for those folks.
My husband remembers this well, it was his 18th year old birthday. He was planning on watching the Giants v. A's. as his traditional watching the World Series like he always does on his birthday!
Candlestick had relatively little damage. It did need to be checked structurally. The reason for the 10 day delay was to let people recover from the terrible things that happened around the Bay area. After the quake, baseball meant nothing with all the human suffering.
25 years later, another quake, and the A's will be playing a nationally televised game on ESPN, which is of course a sister-station to ABC, both owned by Disney. I'm sure we'll see plenty of ABC's footage from 1989 during tonight's Angels - A's telecast on ESPN.
Larry Renforth The irony is that even though ABC was a majority owner of ESPN since 1984, the to didn't co-mingle that much during the pre-Disney days. This was because ABC Sports was a pro-union (mostly on the technical side) shop while ESPN was union free.
@@TMC1982Part2 but once Disney bought ABC and the majority of ESPN, the two became coexistent with each other, eventually leading to ABC Sports' coverage of the NHL and NBA (and possibly other sports coverage) being on a time-buy basis from ESPN and then the dissolving of ABC Sports entirely, replacing it with ESPN on ABC.
I'm a Blue Jay fan. It's a really good thing that the A's beat them that year, and that the Giants played them. It probably saved some lives because people in the area left work early.
Watching this entire clip knowing what’s going to happen made my stomach churn. Shows the world can flip upside down at an instant. I bet it was terrifying over there.
This was on my son's 7th birthday. I was living in Sacramento and was sitting in the Raley corporate headquarters parking lot waiting on my wife to get off work. Suddenly, this strange shaking feeling started and I looked to my left to see the car parked next to me rocking back and forth while the car in front of me was rocking side to side. I turned to look at the office building and saw the office chandelier swaying and thought "Get out of there" in reference to my wife. It lasted about a minute and that was plenty long enough for the feeling of having the earth moving underneath you with virtually nowhere to go to escape from it.
What a decade, the 80's started off with the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens in 1980 and ended with a 6.9 eathquake in the Bay area in 1989. I can't think of any decade that started off with a bang and ended with a bang, that tells you what the 80's were all about.
I love this video, its exactly what you'd expect from a satellite uplink that starts to shake, ABC must have had a telephone link for backup audio that stayed on.
I remember watching this with my dad. We were absolutely terrified. You didn't know what the hell was going on, because the feed shut down, and all we could think of was those people in that stadium. Still gives me chills to this day.
Most 80s intro ever
Al Michaels is a legend. The "Do you believe in miracles?" and the "I'll tell you what we're having an earth-". Two greatest calls in the history of sports.
And the third greatest call involving Al: "Lest anyone think that was someone truly across the street..."
She is great in the nfl
What's interesting about those calls is the "Do you believe in miracles?" happened in early 1980 and the "I'll tell you what we're having an earth-" call happened in late 1989. Both calls book-ended the decade of the 1980s.
“Play clock at five. The pass is INTERCEPTED at the goal line by Malcolm Butler!”
@@MrMatteNWk Was going to comment this myself. :) Yesterday (6/17) was the anniversary of that one.
My dad was in the nose bleed section when this happened and he thought he was going to die. He said everyone kind of froze and were just screaming and crying while he had gotten out of his seat and ran as fast as he could in an effort to get out of the stadium. By the time he got down the stairs the earthquake was over and he realized the stadium was still standing so he walked back to his seat where his friend was sitting and was white as a ghost and couldn’t talk for like 10 minutes from being in shock. Pretty crazy.
Al Michaels has witnessed some of the craziest and amazing moments in sports history and this is another one of them...
Derek Fisher .4 seconds buzzer beater this, Malcolm butlers interception..l
@@Fan-tk8ee miracle on ice
@@Fan-tk8ee Antonio Freeman's catch on MNF aka "HE DID WHAT?"
Indianapolis Colts comeback against Tampa Bay in 5 minutes.
@@RickinBaltimore Blues suck, Bruins blew it.
Al Michaels is a great sports commentator. He came that night to do a World Series game and found himself having to be a news reporter. And did a great job.
He sure did. I remember this, I was half watching with the TV on and listening to music. I remember looking at the TV and seeing the green World Series card on the screen and figured it was technical difficulties. Then I noticed after a while the game hadn't started but there was Al Michaels in the booth and you could see behind him the stadium was dark.
Michaels is a pros pro, always has been.
You all are idiots.
Yes. And five years later - at the end of the infamous OJ Simpson "chase" in June 1994 - he informs fellow ABC News' Peter Jennings that a live, on-air witness was a Howard Stern prank caller! ("...and a Baba Booey to ya all!") Hilarious moment the media getting pranked. Wish it would happen more.
And he's still active today (NBC Sunday Night Football)
Imagine watching this from a different state and thinking "Wait, what the hell is happening!?" Pretty scary
I live about three hours south of SF, and was watching when it happened. There were just a few seconds between losing the link and feeling the quake here, so I knew what had happened even before the POTS audio came back.
I lived in LA at the time and remember thinking WTF is happening. I live in the Bay Area now.
Yes the silence was creepy. Then all you do is hear people screaming and you have no idea if people are ok or whats even going on. scary.
This was also the age of nukes. If you didn't know this was an earthquake, and lived in a different state, probably think a nuke went off
Ivan Cortez Seriously, yes.
30 years later, Los Angeles takes its turn with a 7.1 at night
Literally came to this video just bc of what happened today
Here to😭
So frightening
im here cuz I’m scared and i wanna be ready for the big one 😭😢
@@beezia3789 Make sure to have a backpack with essential emergency items just in case you need to run out.
That sounds pretty haunting. It must have been a huge relief to hear those voices back on the tv. I mean, "I tell you what we're having an ear---" followed by static just sounds like something out of a horror movie. If I was watching this live, I would have thought they were goners for sure.
I was born about 6 hours later... my mom's water broke a little bit after this quake hit. My parents joke that the earthquake broke her water lol.
We were born on the same day then! Neato
Cool tale there
I was working at pier 39
Sorry, I was born on labor day of that same year.
Well at least you're alive lol
4:37 "I'll tell ya what, we're havin' an earth---" *fzzzzzzzzzzzt*
WORLD SERIES
@@scribblypibbles4129 ABC
WORLD SERIES
That's what I would say in the middle of a 6.0 earthquake
I guess Dave Parker
Only Al Michaels could keep his cool and his sense of humor at a time like that. Absolute legend.
Today's the 30th anniversary, and that's why I'm here.
Me too.
Me three. And I'm a Giants' fan today because, in part, to the earthquake.
Same.
Actually it’s today....those of us who actually went through will never forget that
Will soon be 32 years ago in 2021.
I would totally watch baseball if James Earl Jones opened every game with an epic poem of fantastic metaphors comparing the bases to far away lands dominated by ongoing war between 2 factions,
that'd be fucking hilarious
@@SeanMadeAScene and amazing
James Earl Jones poem was so baddass it made the earth shake literally
"I find your lack of base running disturbing."
@@odizm5196 it was mother nature’s way of showing appreciation for his work!
I was in South San Francisco when this happened at my dad's warehouse. We felt it and it was crazy watching the power lines whip and I'll never forget watching a wave roll through the concrete parking lot like it was water. All that being said we didnt suffer any damage and had no idea how bad thing really were until we starting hearing on the radio as reports came in.
As maligned as Camdlestick Park was, I like to think of this as part of its legacy. How it stood strong and potentially saved the lives of around 60,000 people.
Wow, this comment gave me chills. Good on Candlestick!
I was having a 🍺 beer at Stinson beach ⛱️
What is wrong with Candlestick Park?
@@billmason2785 I was watching this game when it happened.
Candlestick probably saved hundreds of thousands if not millions because almost everyone was home to watch the ball game.
Unless you've ever *experienced* an earthquake, you don't know how much more scary than pictured it really is.
I experienced an earthquake before but a small one
I’ve experienced small quakes and it is a strange feeling. At my house I have asked around for my family saying “Did you feel that?“ and in public I’ve seen 5-10 look around and say “That was an earthquake wasn’t it?”
Ive slept through 3. Never been awake for one. Lol
I am from Philly and was in San Diego in 1986 when two earthquakes hit. One centered in North Palm Springs on July 7th and the second off Oceanside on July 13th. Both were Magnitude 5.6 and both were horrific. To this easterner, you never forget that feeling.
I was in this Earthquake. I was 6. We lived in Novato at the time.
“And we will be back, WE HOPE, from San Francisco in just a moment...”
Easily some of the most erie words spoken on live TV
I believe he meant he hopes for the start of the game.
@@thegreyavenger2 Yes, that is exactly what he meant. However, the 1989 World Series did not resume until October 27, ten days after the earthquake.
This was October 17, 1989 on my 17th birthday. I will never forget that day.
It was on my brother's bday as well. He turned 3 that day.
That means you were born the same day as Eminem. Interesting.
I wasn’t born when this happened
I was born in 2003
So I was 14 years late
My cousin turned 9 on that day.
4:37 - "I'll tell ya what! We're havin' an earth..."
+Nor Norranun Just epic? Try historic of epic proportions
MrUnidyne I
Don't quit your day job
Assuming they have one.
MrUnidyne quake
We can clearly hear the people screaming in the stadium. I would have panicked. They said that a lot of lives were saved because people were in the stadium.
Not just inside the stadium, but because of the timing of the game (and the fact that they were both California teams), a lot of people went home from work early in order to watch the game. Saved a lot of lives because a lot less cars were on the bridges and overpasses when the earthquake happened
They weren’t screaming they were cheering it was over.
@@thegreyavenger2 “tHeY WeRe sCrEaMiNg tHeY WeRe cHeErInG It wAs oVeR” shut the fuck up
@@bobkinect5254 I was there you shit head were you?
@@thegreyavenger2 imagine lying to prove your aren’t a piece of shit
how about this, prove me wrong by getting a picture of you at the stadium, also, let me see a picture of you now so i can see what your saying is true
I was pretty young when this happened maybe 6. I remember for the longest time I was freaked out by baseball cause I thought that was what caused the earthquake.
+Elise Fincher The signal went out, my stepdad told me "Stand still and DON'T move, we're getting ready to have an Earthquake". I asked him how do you know, and he answered "We're only 30 minutes from SF son, it'll hit within a minute". one minute later at 5:07 PM PDT, it hit. He carried my infant baby brother and ran out of the house after it was over while he told me to follow him. Mom was at Safeway just 3 minutes up the hill. She got back about 6:05 PM. and started telling us that people in the parking lot ducked down and covered their heads.
I too was 6 when this happened.
+Tornado1994 this is one of those events that if you were at the right age you remember right where you were and exactly what you were doing. I myself at the time lived in Sausalito and was watching the world series with my grandparents. I had never ever experienced anything like that so rightly so I froze. I had a shelf that pretty much fell on me but by the grace of god I had no injuries. My grandfather ended up pulling me from under the shelf and ended up pulling me out and got us out of the house. Glad you and your family were okay.
Elise Fincher Thanks. We were in Novato at the time.
Must be a mechanism they enact whenever the visiting team is at about to swing the bat, lol
@@Tornado1994 Wow! Amazing.
Al Micheals is a legend he took that whole experience in stride and still delivered excellent play by play
RIP Tim McCarver.
4:36 not even an earthquake can shut Tim McCarver up.
lol
Imagine if Joe Buck is in this
well at least not for very long.
are you my twin?
nor al michaels 😒😒😒😒
I was south of SF in Gilroy. I was only 9 yrs old in 1989 but I remember how STRONG the earthquake was!! That deep rumble and the WHOLE GROUND was not so much shaking but more like rocking--VIOLENTLY.
Yeah man I was 8 n I knew it was the end. That shake was the hand of God scaring the shit out of the Bay Area. I was terrified out of my mind through out. What a way to end the 80s.
being a former Bay Area resident...this is still very engrained in my memory..was a Tuesday..Oct.17 1989..bout 5:05 p.m...dinnertime pretty much...
I was living-in Cleveland, Ohio, at-the-time; so, it was about 8:05 PM, Eastern-Time. I missed the event, because I had-been taking-a-nap, after-work. When I woke-up, I turned-on the TV, and I was really-confused.
I was in Fremont at the time.Shooting pool, playing Cutthroat, rap music was causing more crime than ever. I thought post game meant before the game.. apparently they had no such intentions of doing what I thought. I live in Sacramento now,I self discovered Psychiatree Psychiatricks and plan to take over the World someday. If I could just find Adam/Eve who got your deed through Eden/need.. I'm beginning to think they're a delusion and you can't take something from a delusion. You're species was very foolish as to give the deed(intentionally leave it to) non existent Eve/Adam.. huh.. bummer.. ©Dino Sherman
I was in my dorm room at UC Davis and some of my friends were in the room with me. We felt it quite strongly and I was the first person to say that it was an earthquake. We knew it had to be a huge quake somewhere not nearby. A friend down the hall was on the phone with her parents in SJ when it happened and told us they had a huge earthquake there. We all immediately tried calling our parents but we couldn't get through for 3 days. We were freaking out but there was nothing we could do so we all went to dinner.
@@Scrappicat "Oh my god I can't get hold of my family (weeping) what do we do!? I'm scared what's happening I can't contact anybody I'm hungry let's go eat...."
@@briane173 Oh hush. Were you there? What was your experience?
May Tim McCarver rest in peace 🕊️
I'll tell you what where having an earth....
creepy right?! O.o then nothing.
the day someone says "we no longer have an earth" will be the worst day ever
I'll tell you what it looks like a small moon has appeared near Ear....
100th like I know irrelevant
(Static) (world series)
It's hard to believe it's been 30 years since this happened. Times were so much different then.
I remember this as I was on the Bay Bridge heading from my SF office to my East Bay home. My car was stopped with thousands of others -- a block and half from the collapse of the top (west bound) bridge. It took over 9 hours to get home and was one of the few
people who had a cell phone to call my children. I lent that phone to over a dozen others
to do the same !!!!
Woodrow, I was stuck with some coworkers on 101 south trying to get back to the east bay, seemed newsradio reports said San Mateo bridge was open, then closed, back & forth, so we ended up crossing Dumbarton bridge...doing like 10-15 mph on the freeway. Took over 9 hrs finally. Eeriest part was the entire way there were NO lights on hardly anywhere, except for some spots like SFO🤤😨and how Hot it was outside.
I was above you just past the tunnel.
RIP Tim McCarver. One of the greatest announcers of all time. I sat done at the dinner with my family when the earthquake happened
Tim and Al handled this with such grace.
Was there with my family in the upper deck right above al Michaels head. The crowd went crazy with excitement after the earthquake, I think most of us thought it was just the fans stomping our feet. Then a few minutes later a guy with a portable radio yelled “Jesus Christ! The bay bridge collapsed!” We then understood the magnitude and my mom was like “let’s get the hell out of here”. We were one of the first to leave and they wouldn’t let us out for like 15 minutes because everyone was confused. It was crazy
"Well folks, that's the greatest open in the history of television, bar none!"
I was in 3rd grade back in ‘89 when this happened. I remember my dad watching the World Series on television and that great awful earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area. Then I remember my 3rd grade class talking about the earthquake.
I was 15 I remember watching that with my mom and dad. It was so weird bc I rarely watched baseball and I was up in a rec room alone when it started and my parents never came up there and that evening they both did and we all were just lounging on the carpet watching together when it happened. I'll never forget it. R.I.P DAD 🙏❤
I remember the day very well. For me living in central California and feeling the minor shaking, I knew exactly what happened. So incredibly scary for the people up in the bay area.
I'm in that part of California, too. I had the day off, but I worked at a Giants affiliate and was watching the ballgame. The thing, of course, is that if you just feel it, you can't tell if it's fairly small and close or big and far away. Having the picture cut out and then feeling it told me the rough details of what I needed to know. I called the studio and told them so they could be ready for the calls.
The weird thing was that if you were listening on the radio, you didn't know until later where the quake was. They were in the pregame show, which was pre-recorded, and KNBR (that originated the broadcast) just "blipped" off the air for a second or two before their emergency generator kicked in.
You gotta hand it to California, hardly ever a dull moment.
Two legends on the Mic. Thank you Al and Tim.
Imagine Joe Buck reacting to an earthquake
Baaaack...at the wallll...gooone.
Earthquake earthquake earthquake
Ground iiiiiiiiiiis.... shaking.
He'd be all Johnny Weir about it.
That is a disgusting act by plate tectonics
I was 12 and my family had just moved to CA. This was our introduction to the state. I still love San Francisco:-)
The 1989 World Series actually saved lots of lives. It occurred on what usually is rush hour traffic but the freeways had less commuters due to most people watching the game
It's true!! There were TONS of watch parties going on when Loma struck so FAR less traffic on BOTH major bridges in the Bay
@@1Cheytown The Most Folks that perished in Loma Prieta was on Cypress Nimitz I-880. There was a few fatalities on Oakland Bay Bridge though.
If it wasn't for San Francisco winning the National League pennant in 1989 and Oakland winning the American League pennant, the World Series Game 3 would have been held in Chicago, Illinois on that day instead against Toronto Blue Jays, and would have resulted in a death toll topping 390,000 people from Loma Prieta Earthquake. This earthquake did save 385,000 people that day, thanks to the World Series held in San Francisco. They are very lucky to survive this!
@pantherzone2008 Yep....since both teams were Bay Area teams, lots of watch parties being held and people were off work early so the normally busy structures weren't as crowded...saving many a lives. (I lived through it and remember it well)
I was in a parking garage in San Jose leaving work that day when my car and everyone else's started shaking, and people walking to their cars were losing balance and staggering. Electricity went out and we had to wait for them to remove the arm to get out of the garage. I couldn't believe the number of big aftershocks that evening. Memorable day.
Oh I would have lost my mind thinking I was a goner. 😢
Who better than Al Michaels to be at the helm of live TV when an earthquake strikes. Bravo.
I asked my dad (who was born in 1955) if he remembered when the earthquake happened, & he told me that he was getting ready to listen to the game on the radio (he's from Wisconsin, but he lived in Belize at the time) and they announced that there was an earthquake in the Bay area.
my mom was a senior in high school when she felt it
I remember it like it was yesterday. I had just turned 38. Now i’m 68 and the memories are still fresh.
I remember this. I was 10... 5th grade, came home to watch. I remember very well
Al Michaels is one of the classiest and professional sports announcers out there. I'm glad he's still doing it.
I remember that like it was yesterday. Best night for television ever.
My 3 year old son and I were returning to Sacramento from the Santa Ana SF International airport and as we were 10 past the Oakland Bay Bridge we had to pull over on the Freeway. Grateful we departed early. Always listen to you gut feelings. Intuition and Devine Intervention saved our lives.
I was 5 and in the grocery store getting chips and dip with my dad for the game. I will never forget the screams!
I was under the right field bleachers with a 600mm lens trained on first base. At first I thought the people in the stands were stomping their feet, but it was the quake. My first reaction was I was worried the lens on the tripod had moved away from the base. Gradually we figured out that it was serious. A TV guy called me over to look at his monitor. The blimp was over the Bay Bridge showing that part of it had collapsed. Behind the bleachers I ran into a guy who was vomiting. I asked him if he was OK and he said he'd been up in the lights changing a burned out bulb when it hit. The lights were swinging 20 feet each way and he thought he was toast for sure. "I'm OK, I just can't quit throwing up!" Finally at midnight the boss told me I could go home. I lived in the Marina district and it was on fire. A lot of buildings had collapsed and there was a real spooky vibe. No lights. The only damage at my apartment was my yucca plant had fallen over. I baseball game to remember.
A day in baseball history we will never forget.....even on the east coast.
28 years ago, I was watching this with my mom and living in San Francisco. And then the quake hit. Surreal.
Thanks for the flashback. Saw this as it happened. Me and my dad sitting down to an evening meal (his famous Hamburger Helper made his way ;)) The broadcast just as you see it, were both trying to figure if he said "earthquake", and that's when we felt it. We were both laughing like kids at the experience (in shock and fear) looking out the window at everything shaking. Then it stopped. The TV came back in the middle of an episode of "Rosanne" where I live. That's when I saw a deep worry wash over my dad. A lot of people did die in that one. Edit: Posting this after experiencing today's earthquake.
Out of this whole video, all I can do is laugh at the description for it. Seriously, though, these guys are actually heroes in my book for what they did as journalists after the quake struck. It takes guts to just do your job, but it also takes heart and balls to do it the way they did.
It’s so eery looking at that footage from the blimp just moments before the destruction. It’s kind of like rewatching a horror film and you’re waiting for that jump scare to occur, but you’re never 100% sure when it’s going to happen… what impresses me about this video the most is the fact that the audio feed of Al Michaels was back on within around 10 seconds of the earthquake ending. That’s great work by the media team, under duress.
I was 5,in NY,watching the game on pops lap in the living room with my sis..after it hit they switched over to Rosanne episodes. It was one of those everlasting memories that stick around forever..
NeoNitty I’m pretty sure they went to ABC news covering the quake story.
@@rustykuntz94 no someone else said they switched to roseanne too. Which is better than the news anyways.
33 years ago tonight - the bay area earthquake - i was home ready to watch the world series at home & i was shocked when the earthquake happen.
I was in Los Angeles in Studio City watching the Game when it happened. And we felt it a bit! It was so sad that it happened during the Game!
Peace Be Unto You All and GOD Bless! Jane.
4:33
The earthquake kicks in.
25 years later Al Michaels sounds the same.
And everyone in the stadium just cheered. Awesome.
Remember watching this live....that quake was devastating...thought of my former friend and co worker Marlene W who was living in the Marina neighborhood.
I remember watching this on WABC-TV Channel 7 in the Newark, NJ area that night. But then again, I was only seven years old and didn't know anything.
Christopher Howell Funny I remember watching this with my Mom. I was 7 too in the Bronx. Weird, but one of my first memories. Time fly's huh?
+Anthony Heyward I was six years old and didn't care for this series since the yankees weren't playing and I was getting ready for bed.
I was 14 and watching on WABC-7
+Christopher Howell
Wow, I was 8 years old living in Belleville, NJ watching with my father. I'll never forget the video going out when Canseco was running and Al Michaels saying we're having an earthquake.
I had just turned 7 and was living only 80 miles away. I’m pretty sure it was felt where I lived.
If Fox were filming the World Series 89 when this happened, they would be like "Woah. That was weird. Alright moving on... "
Jose Maldonado ikr
Joe buck would be like "Folks that was an earthquake. let's go back to the 4th inning....."
Or they would blame on the Clintons or Obama and then cut to a car crash and wrap it up with Shemp Hannity lying about anything.
ChrisDutch Wrong Fox, dipshit.
do you even know how bad that earthquake was? It doesn’t matter who was broadcasting it, they could’ve have just shaken it off. (No pun intended)
I was living in Texas now living in California. I remember watching the Series at the time the earthquake struck. I was taken back by the evens that aired although it is not shown in this clip. But the announcers were on air when everything I was watching on the T.V. started to shack. The announcers seem to be able to pull me in as a viewer to feel the panic that they expressed while on camera. They soon announced to the crowd at the game as well as the viewers; that a bridged had collapsed. A gasp could be heard I felt myself sink into my chair. I was every young at the time so I imagine it was due to youth more than anything else; I've not felt an earthquake and I hope that if or when I do I well know what to do to help myself and those around me. But those few seconds shown on T.V. with the announcers well never be forgotten.
I was 3 years old when this happened I remember watching it with my dad
Lived in Novato and remember this like yesterday, my father worked in Oakland and used the Cypress Structure to commute back and forth. He didn't work that day and would have been driving home from work when the quake hit. He lost couple of co-workers that worked with him. I remember taking a drive to look at the collapse couple days after the quake. We got out to look, I didn't understand how serious it was until I saw the destruction for myself. I could see my father was a little shook up but
I was ALSO in Novato at the time!
Good lead up toward the scheduled game. The beginning quote's from Bart Giamatte, the late baseball commissioner who'd died a month and a half earlier. His quote begins the theme of homecoming which continues with James Taylor's song. The tune is fitting as the Fall Classic was shifting to the Giants home at Candlestick Park for the first Series game since 1962. It also says "stay awhile and play" and "over here it's clear" with a backdrop of blue sky. And fittingly October's mentioned. The montage from the Giants locker room shows the admonition "Never Give Up." This would soon resonate beyond mere baseball.
He died after the season. He was at Game 5 of the NLCS the previous week at Shea. And it's Giamatti.
I remember this moments vividly. I was standing on a large grass field in front of my apartment swinging a baseball bat, getting ready to watch the WS. When the earthquake hit, I saw the ground waving like water. It even carried me about 2’ up and down, multiple times. Very unique experience.
I was out in my front yard playing catch with my brother when this happened - and we could feel it all the way up in Washington state.
From the beginning sequence, its obvious that Darth Vader was in the building. He force choked the stadium
I remember my mother telling me the story of when I was little she couldn't get me to sleep so she rocked me while he watched this game. Suddenly the earthquake hit. I always imaged in my head what it must have been like. Now I know.
I was watching the 89’ world series when the earthquake struck. Less than a minute after the announcer mentions earthquake we were feeling it all the way down in San Diego. One day I’ll never forget for sure.
I just remember that I didn't feel the earthquake back then in "89". was 7 years old in daycare running around outside playing. Came home later in the day and saw headlines on the news on TV saying we had a big earthquake in the Bay Area. The side of our house had a crack in it that had to get fixed.
I remember watching the news all night into the next day. Such powerful, heartbreaking stuff. What stood out was that car driving on the bridge and when the bridge collapsed, the car was left dangling by the front wheels. I forget if the ever rescued those people.
I'm watching a video about an earthquake, and all I can think about is how, "Everything we see exists together in a delicate balance..."
I was downtown for this one and in L.A. for the Northridge quake. VERY different experiences in a lot of ways...except one. The power in each was phenomenal. A big earthquake is an instant reminder of how truly insignificant people are when faced with the insane power of nature.
Agreed.
True that! I was in Nevada City, CA for the Lona Prieta quake, Ontario, CA for the Big Bear/Landers Quake (92) and Claremont, CA for the Northridge Quake (94) and all 3 were different from one another. I think this is why I'm in Southern Idaho now. Oddly enough, 8 months after we arrived here in Idaho (July 2019) we had a 6.5 Quake centered near Stanley, ID that we felt in Twin Falls....go figure! Quakes followed me from California to Idaho!
I read that nature isn't powerful
I remember watching this live with my roommates on TV. We couldn't believe it.
I was four years old at the time of the 89 earthquake, but my father was three rows behind home plate at Candlestick Park during the earthquake and every time I hear this legendary call from Al Michaels, I always think of my dad and how brave he was trying to get from San Fran back to Sacramento.
Lived in a 3 story building in the mission...I just froze. I was 11 years old and was horrified by them. I still remember the day when my grandma had to slap me because i ran out with my pants and drawers down screaming off a 2 point something while on the toilet months before. 1989 was a life changer for me...ever since then I stay calm, cool, and collected. God Bless those who lost their lives that day. Everyone else, be ready. Remember, we were told that the next big one would hit us in the next 30 years. As of now, we have 5 years left.
It's estimated it may be a magnitude 7.5 or above, so brace yourself! Bless you!
1
This was posted 5.. years ago... OH NO
The "Big One" was supposed to happen by the time I turned 16, according to the news after the Whittier Narrows quake in 1987. I lived in Whittier and was 6 at the time. Earthquakes were terrifying to me after that. The worst quake I felt was the Northridge quake in '94, though. The "regular" quakes are bad enough. May the Big One hold off until I no longer have family in CA.
@@angiebee2225 The "Big" One is an old Wives Tale. So as a California born Texan, I say, you've got nothing to worry about.
I got chills when I heard the sound of the crowd clearly change one second before the video trouble starts.
I started kindergarten right before this happened, I was living in Clovis which is right outside of Fresno, I remember going to SF two years later and there were still signs of the earthquake
4:35 15 Seconds of pure terror. I was 5 at the time, I lived it. I felt it. And it caused a phobia I have been battling ever since.
A phobia of earthquakes?
+Jack Ripper NOOO. A fear of shit.😑😑😑
+Tom Gifford Why a phobia? I lived it too. You can't outrun an earthquake and you have nowhere to go, best thing to do is to prepare and to be a safe and as CALM as you can when, yes WHEN... another one strikes! :)
I was 6 and living in Whittier when the Whittier Narrows quake hit in '87, and have never lost my fear of earthquakes. They're terrifying because you can't outrun it and have nowhere to go. Now I live where there are tornadoes, and those at least sometimes have warning, and you can go down to the basement...
some cloverfield shit right here
Great British bake off
@@dotybrown250 ?
We were watching this game from NC. When the picture went out my guys started just throwin a fit. I stayed up long after the beer was gone and watched the ongoing broadcast of the destruction. Horrible time for those folks.
My husband remembers this well, it was his 18th year old birthday. He was planning on watching the Giants v. A's. as his traditional watching the World Series like he always does on his birthday!
My mom remembers this earthquake very much. She was at work in Seattle when the tremor occurred.
That Earthquake Is The Equivalent Of Ken Griffey Jr's Earthquake Shattering Home Runs Of That Magnitude
I still remember watching this. I was 10 at the time and I've watched every WS since then but this game is the one I remember most.
The World Series would be delayed 10 days because of damage to Candlestick Park. It got fixed quickly.
Candlestick had relatively little damage. It did need to be checked structurally. The reason for the 10 day delay was to let people recover from the terrible things that happened around the Bay area. After the quake, baseball meant nothing with all the human suffering.
I remember watching this with my dad in Pittsburgh. I was 8 years old at the time.
I've only ever seen Al Michaels in recent years. He looks so young.
Well, it was 30 years ago, so....
"How to get Tim McCarver to shut up." Love as a cardinals fan 💘
Who is watching this after the 7-5-19 earthquake?
water :/ Lmao Yup
25 years later, another quake, and the A's will be playing a nationally televised game on ESPN, which is of course a sister-station to ABC, both owned by Disney. I'm sure we'll see plenty of ABC's footage from 1989 during tonight's Angels - A's telecast on ESPN.
Larry Renforth The irony is that even though ABC was a majority owner of ESPN since 1984, the to didn't co-mingle that much during the pre-Disney days. This was because ABC Sports was a pro-union (mostly on the technical side) shop while ESPN was union free.
@@TMC1982Part2 but once Disney bought ABC and the majority of ESPN, the two became coexistent with each other, eventually leading to ABC Sports' coverage of the NHL and NBA (and possibly other sports coverage) being on a time-buy basis from ESPN and then the dissolving of ABC Sports entirely, replacing it with ESPN on ABC.
I'm a Blue Jay fan. It's a really good thing that the A's beat them that year, and that the Giants played them. It probably saved some lives because people in the area left work early.
Watching this entire clip knowing what’s going to happen made my stomach churn. Shows the world can flip upside down at an instant. I bet it was terrifying over there.
This was on my son's 7th birthday. I was living in Sacramento and was sitting in the Raley corporate headquarters parking lot waiting on my wife to get off work. Suddenly, this strange shaking feeling started and I looked to my left to see the car parked next to me rocking back and forth while the car in front of me was rocking side to side. I turned to look at the office building and saw the office chandelier swaying and thought "Get out of there" in reference to my wife. It lasted about a minute and that was plenty long enough for the feeling of having the earth moving underneath you with virtually nowhere to go to escape from it.
What a decade, the 80's started off with the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens in 1980 and ended with a 6.9 eathquake in the Bay area in 1989. I can't think of any decade that started off with a bang and ended with a bang, that tells you what the 80's were all about.
I love this video, its exactly what you'd expect from a satellite uplink that starts to shake, ABC must have had a telephone link for backup audio that stayed on.
I remember watching this with my dad. We were absolutely terrified. You didn't know what the hell was going on, because the feed shut down, and all we could think of was those people in that stadium. Still gives me chills to this day.
believe it or not everyone in the stadium was safe. (according to Wikipedia)