World Series skipper recalls 1989 quake

St. Louis Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, whose team plays in the World Series of baseball this week, was in the World Series in San Francisco in 1989, the only time one of his teams has won the Series. But on 17 October, game 3 was stopped before it could begin when the Loma Prieta earthquake struck. La Russa recalled that day for Major League Baseball 15 years later: "When I heard all that booming, I thought it was just fans pounding their feet. Then I saw the light stand was waving. I said, 'They're enthusiastic, they're not that enthusiastic.'"

This time his team will play in Boston. But that city is not free from earthquakes. A big one struck Boston on 18 November 1755, knocking down buildings and leaving a lasting impression. It was the strongest quake ever recorded on the east coast. St. Louis is earthquake country, too: the region was strongly affected by the great New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-1812, the worst recorded in all of North American history. Another major shock could happen at any time—let's hope not this coming week. One World Series quake was enough.