THE WORLD SERIES : OAKLAND ATHLETICS vs. SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS : Rozelle Knows How Tough World Series Decision Is

The postponement of Game 3 of the World Series after a devastating earthquake hit the San Francisco Bay Area is the first time a major sports event has been delayed because of a natural disaster.

However, it is not the first time a postponement of a major sports event has been considered. National Football League Commissioner Pete Rozelle was widely criticized in 1963 for allowing NFL games to continue the weekend after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

It was a decision Rozelle has long regretted.

“As I’ve said before, I wouldn’t have played those games if I could make the judgment again,” Rozelle said Tuesday night from New York.

“It was a tragedy and a President was involved (making it even larger in magnitude).”

Rozelle also said that the earthquake may cause Sunday’s New England Patriots-San Francisco 49ers game to be moved from Candlestick Park to Foxboro, Mass.

“We’re looking into the possibility of transferring the game,” he said.

Rozelle sympathized with the difficult decisions that await baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent.

“In circumstances like this, you don’t make a decision until you have to. In this particular situation, you wouldn’t decide at least until overnight. Then I’d make a decision based on the circumstances.”