THE QUAKE : Game 3 Postponed for 2nd Time : World Series: ‘Baseball is not the highest priority,’ commissioner says as San Francisco recovers from earthquake.

Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent postponed the third game of the World Series for a second time today, saying “baseball is not the highest priority” as the Bay Area recovers from a devastating earthquake.

Vincent met with representatives of the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics, city officials and representatives from ABC, the network televising the World Series.

“We will not play tonight,” Vincent said at a news conference from a candle-lit room. “Obviously, we’re in the process of getting more data.”

He planned to meet with the same group later in the day after an inspection for structural damage at both Candlestick Park, where 62,000 people felt the earthquake minutes before Tuesday’s scheduled start of Game 3, and Oakland Coliseum, where the sixth game was to be played, if necessary.

“The early report is that the damage to both places is not significant,” Vincent said. “But that is preliminary. Neither stadium has been inspected by the proper engineers.

“There is a tragedy in this area,” Vincent said. “Baseball is not the highest priority to be dealt with today.”

There had been speculation the Series might move to Southern California, but Vincent said such talk is premature.

“I don’t want to deal with hypothetical,” he said. “We hope we’ll be able to fulfill our commitment to play here in San Francisco.”

Vincent said television network officials are working with baseball officials and are not pushing for a quick resumption of the series, which Oakland leads 2-0.

“The people at ABC are highly supportive,” Vincent said. “They have taken part in the meetings and there has been no pressure whatsoever.”

Jack McKeon, manager of the San Diego Padres, praised Vincent’s decision to abandon play tonight.

“If they played 40,000 people wouldn’t show, guaranteed,” he said. “Only baseball people would go. People are either out of work or working overtime.”

Vincent spoke in candle light, with at least 150,000 homes and thousands of businesses without electrical power.

At the high-priced Le Meridien Hotel, headquarters for the World Series, patrons stood in food lines, waiting for emergency provisions of juice, milk, soft drinks and bread. No restaurants in the immediate area were open.

The last World Series played in San Francisco had trouble with Mother Nature as well

In 1962 heavy rain forced three postponements of Game 6 at Candlestick Park between the San Francisco Giants and New York Yankees. Wet weather also pushed Game 5 at Yankee Stadium, back one day.

The World Series lasted seven games, and with two dates added for coast-to- coast travel, the matchup lasted 13 days.

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