Grantland has done a terrific job of using oral histories, where one quote flows into another and another, tell stories. The latest, by Bryan Curtis and Patricia Lee, is a detailed account on the 1989 Earthquake World Series. They talk to everyone from players, managers, broadcasters, fans. Well everyone.

Here is ABC’s memorable open when the earthquake hit and some excerpts from the piece.

Timothy Busfield, actor: We were in a plexiglass booth at the top of the stadium with all the announcers and everybody. I rode up in the elevator with Johnny Bench and Willie McCovey. They were having a conversation about Willie Mays. From what Bench said and what McCovey said, Mays didn’t want to come that day. He was spooked by the weather, by the stillness and the heat. He didn’t like the air.

Tim McCarver, analyst, ABC: I remember getting sick at Candlestick at around three, after our managers’ meetings. I felt just awful. I don’t know that I had any sense of impending doom at 5:04 that October 17, but I’ve often thought about that.

The Earthquake hits:

Noah Graham, fan, lower deck: I remember seeing the right-field foul pole and it’s bouncing back and forth, like a needle on a metronome.

Busch: I was absolutely convinced we were going to die.

Maldonado: It felt like if you’re surfing, like you’re in a wave, and I felt myself elevating.

Roger Craig, Giants manager: I was in my office when the walls started shaking. I heard Don Robinson hollering, “Earthquake! Earthquake!” I told everybody to run out to the parking lot. It was asphalt and it was just rolling.

Scott Garrelts, Giants starting pitcher: I saw cars kind of bumping each other.

Reporting the story:

Ley: We make our way downstairs. At that point, people are still being led into the stadium. The cops haven’t stopped it. Nobody knows what’s going on.

Gallagher: We had no emergency power. We had no way to talk to people. The emergency preparedness, if you will, was really sorely lacking.

Letendre: Everything was down except for one land line in the press box of Candlestick Park.

Bob Cohn, reporter, Arizona Republic: I go to the press room. I have one phone call. Rather than call my wife — my then-wife — I call the copy desk. Of course.

Murray Chass, reporter, New York Times: I felt I had to do my job. The lights were out in the press box, but there was light outside. So I went out of the press box to read some notes, and then went back to the phone to dictate. I did this several times until I dictated everything I had.

Ley: Baseball gave us a disadvantageous location for our set and our trucks, way out in center field by the parking lot. Because of that, we had to be on generator power. So what had been a marvelous pain in the ass was suddenly a blessing. Also, we had two functioning telephone lines. We gave the police one and kept the other to communicate with Connecticut.

And there’s more. A good read.