ESPN

On Oct. 17, 1989, the San Francisco Bay Area was struck by an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 on the Richter scale. Sixty-three people died, and more than 3,700 were injured. A section of the upper deck of the Bay Bridge collapsed, as did sections of the Cypress Street Viaduct. The Bay Area suffered an estimated $6 billion in damage.

The earthquake hit at 5:04 p.m. Pacific Time. At that moment, ABC was broadcasting live from Candlestick Park, where the Oakland A's and San Francisco Giants were warming up for the third game of the World Series. That meant viewers around the world saw the initial earthquake strike live, but ABC was knocked off the air before the tremor ended. ESPN went on the air 18 minutes later. Other national networks also began broadcasting live. The stadium was evacuated, and the series was postponed for 10 days.

Sunday on "Outside the Lines," ESPN's Bob Ley will take viewers back nearly 20 years to that day, telling the stories of what happened and sharing sports figures' memories of the natural disaster.

ESPN would like to hear your story, your remembrances of where you were and what you were doing the moment the earthquake struck. Share them in the comments below.

• How has "Moneyball" affected MLB?

Six years ago, the world was rocked by a book that challenged the fundamental assumptions of many of the power elite. Long-held beliefs were called into question. History was re-examined. Even the Pope got involved ...

Wait. We're not talking about "The Da Vinci Code"? This is a sports Web site? I guess that explains all those ex-athletes walking around the building.

Anyways, except for the bit about the Pope (a longstanding proponent of the value of OBP), all the previous statements could have just as easily been made about "Moneyball." Written by best-selling author Michael Lewis, the book examined Billy Beane and how he was able to keep the Oakland A's competitive despite a disadvantage in money and resources. It's safe to say the book was revolutionary; many teams now utilize at least some of Beane's techniques, and the Red Sox have even hired Bill James as a consultant.

Still, the book's premise falters a bit when one looks at the current state of the A's. Last in the AL West, Oakland's offense features barely anyone who can get on base or hit for power, key tenets of the so-called Moneyball ethos. This is the third losing season in a row for Oakland. Is some of the luster off of Beane's genius? Or have his once-revolutionary practices become, as is so often the case, commonplace? When teams like the Red Sox are playing Moneyball with more money than you have, it's no wonder that losing seems to be the new market inefficiency.

• Mets GM Omar Minaya was portrayed as somewhat of a dupe in "Moneyball." These days, SportsNation seems to have agreed with that assessment.
• User Mike Gwizdala reminisces about A's great Rickey Henderson, a Moneyball player if there ever was one.
• Beyond the Nation: Billy Beane explains his team's struggles.
• SportsNation Groups: Oakland A's Baseball | Diehard A's Fans

There are videos that raise more questions than they answer. The Bigfoot footage. Franco Harris reaching toward the turf for the "Immaculate Reception." The evil chipmunk. And then there are videos that offer conclusive proof of a certain order of events in the flow of the universe, like Michael Cuddyer's foot touching home plate well before Michael Wuertz applied a tag at the end of Monday's wild game between the Athletics and the Twins.

You could watch it at home. Fans in the stands in Oakland could watch it on their phones. People in the Australian Outback could watch it (although we're guessing they chose not to). Just about the only people on the globe who couldn't watch it, at least not until after the game, were the umpires on the field.

The charm of baseball's old-school history is one thing, but there's a reason they got rid of flannel uniforms, train travel and the spitball.

Now more than 40 years after we landed on the moon, maybe it's time to consider putting technology to use for more than just home runs. Or bring back the spitball. Either way, we'll be happy.

• Does MLB need expanded replay? Vote on replay-related issues.
• Chat: Hall of Famer Joe Morgan talks baseball at 11 a.m. ET
• Groups: American League Central | Carlos Gomez Fan Club | Oakland A's Baseball

The All-Star Game isn't the only game in town. Forget voting for the best players of the first half of this season; we're looking for the best of 20 seasons of baseball on ESPN.

We asked you to help us narrow down the field for the best players and managers during 20 years of baseball on ESPN. The first round of voting is complete, and we've got the three finalists you selected at each position. Now it's time to pick the winners.

For this week's edition, three of the finest modern era catchers square off. The winner will be announced Aug. 2 on Sunday Night Baseball (Los Angeles at Atlanta, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN). Next Monday, you'll have a chance to vote on a first baseman to join the team. The final team will be announced Sept. 20 on Sunday Night Baseball.

Without further ado, the three catcher finalists you selected:

Mike Piazza: Arguably the best-hitting catcher of all time, Piazza is a 10-time Silver Slugger Award winner and 12-time All-Star selection. With 427 home runs under his belt, he holds the career record for most HRs hit by a catcher. Other notable achievements include his 1993 selection as NL Rookie of the Year and one as MVP in the 1996 All-Star Game.

Jorge Posada: This Yankees legend has won five Silver Slugger Awards and is the only Yankees catcher since Yogi Berra to hit 30 home runs in a season. He has won an incredible four World Series championships with the Yanks and has been selected for the All-Star team five times. Posada's best season perhaps came in 2003, when he drove in 101 runs and hit 30 home runs.

Ivan Rodriguez: With 13 Golden Glove Awards to his name, Ivan "Pudge" Rodriguez ranks as one of the greatest defensive catchers ever to play the game. Other additions to his résumé include his seven Silver Slugger Awards and his 14-time All-Star selection. In 1999, I-Rod took home the AL Most Valuable Player Award, and he won his first World Series title in 2003.

We should be careful what we wish for. Running through National League reviews and predictions, we lamented the lack of sports on the day after the All-Star Game. But how could we be so foolish as to think Brett Favre wouldn't sniff out the opportunity and announce that he is definitely, positively, beyond a shadow of a doubt ... going to tell the Vikings whether or not he's coming back ... at some point between now and the start of the team's training camp. Whew, glad we've got that on the record.

Games not involving Favre's mind resume on baseball diamonds Thursday, but we're taking a look back at the American League before we get there. And compared to the projected runaways in the NL, the division races on this side of the ledger look like they could keep us entertained well into the fall.

American League Team MVP
Red Sox: Jason Bay
Yankees: Mark Teixeira
Angels: Torii Hunter
Tigers: Miguel Cabrera
Rangers: Ian Kinsler
Rays: Evan Longoria
Mariners: Ichiro
White Sox: Jermaine Dye
Twins: Joe Mauer
Blue Jays: Roy Halladay
Orioles: Adam Jones
Athletics: Matt Holliday
Royals: Mark Teahan (Offensive MVP)
Indians: Grady Sizemore (Least Valuable Player)

• Who will lead the AL in home runs, batting average, wins, steals and RBIs?
• 56 percent: Red Sox will win the AL East.
• 39 percent: Tigers will win the AL Central.
• 54 percent: Angels will win the AL West.
• Midseason reviews: AL West | AL Central | AL East | Cy Young | MVP

SportsNation is clear on two things when it comes to tonight's All-Star Game in St. Louis. First, the American League is going to win. And second, a good chunk of the 'Nation isn't happy about it.

Just like political elections (only with much younger combatants, except in the cases of Jamie Moyer and Tim Wakefield), the All-Star Game brings out the regional divisisions in all of us. From sea to shining sea, there are distinct bands of support for the American League and National League. And just like the elections, there are some familiar swing states.

Florida: With both the Marlins and Rays, the state is up for grabs. But barring a recount, the AL holds a 53-47 edge, perhaps thanks to AL East retirees.

California: The A's and Angels never stood a chance against the longstanding order of the Dodgers, Giants and Padres (sound familiar in the Golden State?). The National League holds a commanding 65-35 lead for the hearts and minds of Californians.

Ohio: What should be a battlegrouind between the Reds in the south and the Indians in the north is surprisingly one-sided, 62-38, in favor the American League.

Wisconsin: It hasn't taken Wisconsin long to adapt to life in the National League. In fact, at 82 percent support, it's the NL's biggest stronghold in the country.

Next week in chat: James Carville and Mary Matalin on the wild-card races! (not really).

• Have you switched league alleigances in your life? Vote on All-Star Game issues.
• Voters don't think the All-Star Game should decide home-field advantage.
• 'Nation agrees with Roy Halladay over Zack Greinke for American League.
• Chat: Ask Joe Morgan about the National League's golden years at 1 p.m. ET.

• Rank all 30 teams at midseason.

As the saying goes, the more things change, the more the Cubs struggle to find .500. At least, that's how we learned it. And by "we," we mean anyone born since 1909.

With the baseball season pausing for its official midpoint at the All-Star Game and its less official one in the firing of the Nationals manager, consider how SportsNation sized up the field after the first week of the season.

1. Florida Marlins
2. St. Louis Cardinals
3. Chicago Cubs
4. Atlanta Braves
5. Toronto Blue Jays

At least the Nationals were properly slotted at No. 30. Congrats on getting that gig, Jim Riggleman. Now the Cubs, Marlins and Braves are fighting for wild-card relevancy, hoping a division leader stumbles, and the Blue Jays are listening to offers for Roy Halladay.

• A Mariners fan, blogger Dawgman0387 gets a little excited about the team's winning record at the break and starts throwing out terms like "World Series run." But hey, with a top three like Felix Hernandez, Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn, maybe he's on to something.
• Things aren't quite as rosy for the Reds. SportsNation blogger xubugg pleads for more "patients" at the plate. We're guessing that's supposed to be "patience," but when it comes to Dusty Baker's lineup experiments, you never know.
• We're all a little worse off having an All-Star Game without "Kung Fu Panda," but a Giants blogger upset that the so-nicknamed Pablo Sandoval won't be in St. Louis takes out his frutrations on the frauds that he feels are the Philadelphia Phillies.

Manny Ramirez brought his own cheers with him when Dodgers fans flocked down I-5 to cheer his return from suspension in San Diego (much to SportsNation's surprise), but the greeting wasn't nearly as warm in his hometown Tuesday night during a game against the Mets. Just imagine what would happen in Boston.

Speaking of which, a day earlier, Nomar Garciaparra returned to Fenway Park for the first time since being traded midway through the 2004 season and received a sustained standing ovation from a fan base that wasn't unanimously sad to see him go.

Which perceived sins come with a statute of limitations, and which are unforgivable?

• At least in comparison to a couple of former Red Sox, Aaron "Bleepin'" Boone is apparently off the hook for the home run that beat Boston in the 2003 ALCS.
• If Rocket were still active, who would get a cooler reception at Fenway: Roger Clemens or Manny Ramirez?
• And nice moment aside, Garciaparra isn't getting to Cooperstown.

The All-Star Game offers a chance to stop and survery the landscape (actually, considering how little else is going on in sports, it doesn't so much offer as demand it). We'll start today with the AL West, mostly because nobody ever starts with the AL West.

With the exception of the good people in the state of Washington, SportsNation doesn't rate the AL West race all that highly. But a photo finish between three really slow runners is still a photo finish, and the Angels, Rangers and Mariners are within a few games of each other -- and .500 -- at the season's midway point.

In the heady days of early May, SportsNation gave the Mariners a better chance to stay in first place than fellow Cinderella hopefuls the Tigers or Royals. But two months later, with the team still winning, voters are undecided when it comes to selling off potentially valuable pieces like Erik Bedard and Jarrod Washburn or buying replacements for injured contributors like Adrian Beltre and Endy Chavez.

• Angels were SportsNation's clear choice before the season (March 26).
• Cast your votes on each AL West team at the midway point.
• More midseason reviews: AL East | AL Central | NL West | NL Central | NL East
• Groups: Seattle Mariners | Angel Nation | Texas Rangers | Oakland A's Baseball

• Vote on the biggest snub and other All-Star topics of the hot variety

When it comes to All-Star selections, Keith Law thinks fans failed like a 24-year-old in Rookie Ball with poor plate discipline (too early on a Monday for sabermetric humor?). Then again, SportsNation's occasionally cantankerous guru thinks managers and players didn't fare much better in picking the reserves and pitchers. But until Law is established as baseball's supreme overlord, we're stuck with the current system.

There are 23 first-time All-Stars this year, including Yadier Molina, the first of the Molina brothers to make an appearance (leaving them just 18 Grand Slam titles and two Super Bowl titles shy of the Williams sisters and Manning brothers). The rookies also run the gamut, from 42-year-old Tim Wakefield to 21-year-old Justin Upton, who was born the year before Wakefield was drafted by the Pirates.

And if that doesn't make you feel old, consider that Tim Wakefield debuted for the Pirates in 1992 on a team that also included pitcher Dennis Lamp, who was born six years before Kevin Bacon.

• SportsNation can't pick if it should be allowed to pick the All-Star starters
• No surprise that AL is the overwhelming early All-Star Game favorite