MLB NETWORK TO DEBUT STUDIO 42 WITH BOB COSTAS: THE EARTHQUAKE WORLD SERIES & MLB PRODUCTIONS’ TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY: THE 1984 SAN DIEGO PADRES
TMC
We have a couple of things for you baseball-wise. From MLB Network, we
have two programs of note on Friday, one involving Bob Costas and
another one looking back at the 1984 San Diego Padres.
MLB NETWORK TO DEBUT STUDIO 42 WITH BOB COSTAS: THE EARTHQUAKE WORLD
SERIES & MLB PRODUCTIONS’ TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY: THE 1984 SAN DIEGO
PADRES
Programs Take an In-Depth Look at Important Moments and Characters in
MLB Postseason History
Secaucus, N.J., October 27, 2009 – MLB Network will debut Studio 42
with Bob Costas: The Earthquake World Series and MLB Productions’
Triumph and Tragedy: The 1984 San Diego Padres on Friday, October 30.
At 9:00 p.m. ET, Costas interviews current NBC sportscaster Al
Michaels about Game Three of the 1989 World Series with the Oakland
Athletics at San Francisco Giants that was interrupted by the Loma
Prieta earthquake on October 17, 1989. Michaels, who was calling the
game for ABC Sports, famously interrupted an on-air highlight reel to
tell the audience that an earthquake was happening. Power was lost in
Candlestick Park and Game Three was postponed for ten days until
October 27. In addition to Michaels, the piece includes interviews
with Michaels’ former ABC Sports colleague Tim McCarver, who was in
the broadcast booth with Michaels when the earthquake began, former
Oakland manager Tony La Russa and former San Francisco first baseman
Will Clark.
Highlights of the interview with Michaels include:
"I knew it was an earthquake within two or three seconds, maybe less.
I remember hearing what sounded like bats being pounded on the floor
of the upper deck, which was just above the booth. This was probably
the eighth or ninth earthquake I had felt but the biggest one by far.
People are always talking in California about "the big one." I thought
this might be "the big one".
"I knew I was the only guy covering this earthquake live from San
Francisco. There was a lot of misinformation floating around so I knew
at that moment in time the only things I was going to talk about were
the things I could actually see on television."
"There wasn't any real sense of tension or nervousness in the stadium
because there was enough natural light. If this had taken place after
dark and had the lights gone out, we would have had a whole other
situation. There was also a little sense of security in that you had
50,000 people gathering so everyone was in the same boat. So right
after it had taken place, you had people almost saying "Wow, isn't
that something. Here we are at the World Series and what a story we
have to tell."
MLB Productions’ “Triumph and Tragedy: The 1984 San Diego Padres” is
the premiere episode of a new MLB Network series that looks at the ups
and downs of some of the most notable players and teams in baseball
history. Narrated by MLB Network studio host and former Padres
television announcer Matt Vasgersian, the documentary looks at the
National League champion 1984 Padres, whose lineup was filled with
unique characters and storylines—a team that came together to win the
first National League Pennant in Padres history, only to have its
players go down very different roads in the future. The team featured
three future Hall of Famers: right fielder Tony Gwynn, pitcher Goose
Gossage and manager Dick Williams. The roster also included star
players who faced personal struggles, including second baseman Alan
Wiggins, who left baseball in 1987 and died from complications related
to AIDS in 1991 at age 32; pitcher and Padres all-time wins leader
Eric Show, who died of a drug overdose at age 37; and pitcher Dave
Dravecky, who lost his pitching arm and shoulder to cancer and now
serves as a motivational speaker. The episode includes stories and
interviews – some being told for the first time on television - with
Gwynn, Gossage, Williams, Dravecky, current Padres broadcasters Jerry
Coleman and Ted Leitner, and former 1984 Padres second baseman Tim
Flannery, third baseman Kurt Bevacqua, first baseman Steve Garvey,
shortstop Garry Templeton, catcher Bruce Bochy and pitcher Craig
Lefferts. Triumph and Tragedy: The 1984 San Diego Padres will air on
October 30 at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Highlights of the episode include:
“When I think about the things that happened during that time and
after that time, there was triumph that was born of tragedy, and I
think all of us on that club would agree.” – Dave Dravecky
“Great moments and sad moments. It’s never perfect and never works the
way you want it. I guess the ‘84 Padres are a microcosm of what life
is really all about.” – Jerry Coleman