1977 NYC Blackout During Cubs Mets Game (WNEW Radio)

[@rxpro19]

great to hear this because this is what I was listening to on the stereo in my room when it happened in 77...I was 16

[@albertjaime3565]

MARK PORCELLI Me to I was 12yrs old it was a radio game not televised Jerry Koosman was pitching

[@yeshuaischrist9951]

I know your comment is old but that's so cool. And now another blackout 45 years to the day. Coincidentally? I think NOT.

[@lacheraqui]

That's the wonderful Jane Jarvis playing organ through the darkness...

[@taxitalknyc7600]

GREAT !!

[@MrAitraining]

This is why I lOVE youtube. Wow. Thank you. It was a crazy few days.

[@144Donn]

Amazing that the power remained on for the PA and the radio broadcast. And what a job Ralph does in covering it! Perhaps his best work!

[@raygordonteacheschess5501]

Radio stations are designed for emergencies.

[@SheltonWalden]

Ralph Kiner mentioned during the 1965 blackout, he was having dinner with Monte Irvin, who just passed yesterday @ the age of 96. RIP

[@rrizo6846]

shea stadium attendance that night was 14,626 I was 8 and we were there that night

[@tyrese3745]

How’d you get back home since the 7 Flushing Local service originally between Times Square and Main Street-Flushing were shutdown? Were you driven or did you utilize the MTA New York City Transit bus services?

[@FortyNineHudson]

4:59 “I had a number of friends who were regulars at Toots Shorr’s, and you could have had a blackout any night and they would have never known it.” LOL. The great Lindsey Nelson.

[@robertmasina4610]

I remember that. I live in the Chicago area and I was casually watching that Cubs vs Mets game when TV screen turned blank black.

[@jimkavanagh4646]

I remember listening to this! This game wasn't on channel 9, which was the exception in those days.

[@RGL01]

That was a bad blackout. My friends dads went into their stores with their shotguns, and locked themselves in to defend against the looters, who came out in droves.

[@jimkavanagh4646]

Great line by Lindsay about blackouts at Toots Shoor's!

[@defaultusername123]

What an era to live. If you were there, you guys were lucky.

[@bernardoconnor1502]

I was in the Bronx that afternoon, at the Yankee Stadium box office trying to get tickets to that year's All Star game. I spent most of the day in the city, I got on the bus at the Port Authority to come back to Jersey, when I got off about 20 minutes later the City was dark. I lived just across the river from Manhattan and could see the darkened island from my side. It was very surreal. I also was around for the 65 blackout although I was young at the time and don't remember a lot about it.

[@voidfilan5055]

I remember listening to this in my bedroom. Grew up in north Jersey and although we did not loose power most of the tv stations were off air and I remember being able to pick up some philly stations and one from Connecticut

[@geoandamygiustiniani]

I lived in Middletown, New York at the time. I was 10 years old. We were able to pick up Connecticut stations along with Massachusetts stations and Pennsylvania. It really was a weird time. Something you can never forget.

[@anonnumber1]

Lenny Randle was at the plate, “I didn’t know what was happening when I swung, hit the ball, took off for second,” Randle said. “I thought it was a double, I got tackled by Ivan DeJesus and Manny Trillo,” he said of the Cubs’ shortstop and second baseman. “And I’m thinking, ‘I’m from Compton. We play with car lights.’ I could see the ball, I’m fine,” Randle said, laughing. “Get candles, we can still play. Everybody panicked but I didn’t.”

[@epaddon]

I seriously doubt that's what happened. You'll notice that before the blackout, Ralph Kiner isn't describing Randle at the plate or that a pitch is about to be thrown. Lenny I think is engaging in a tall tale not realizing one could check the broadcast and realize that he was likely just getting into the box.

[@sirmount2636]

Lol!

[@rustykuntz94]

Shea was massive, held close to 60,000 people but with the Mets so bad the stadium was barely 1/3 full. The entire 2 upper decks looked completely empty.

[@ajn1717]

55,500

[@fredsmith6324]

15,000 in attendance that night. small crowd.

[@GEMINITREKKER]

Pretty hot night that night! Even in Northern New England where I was 13 years old watching a sitcom (cant remember which one) when a Special Report broke through announcing the massive New York City power outage.We wernt effected in Northern New England.

[@quintquint5946]

affected.* cah Havahd Yahd

[@8avexp]

I had left for Switzerland the day before and read about the blackout the following day in Zurich.

[@mitchellbaker9434]

That was a crazy year in NY. Hotly contested mayoral race. The city going bankrupt. Son of Sam prowling around for victims. Punk rock, disco and hip hop all coming up. Just a wild time.

[@johnclark562]

Nothing went right after Tom Terrific was traded.

[@michaelsullivan3142]

You ain't kidding!!!!!!

[@defaultusername123]

May he R.I.P.

[@georgeluongo550]

They're the Mets for losing to the one in the bottom of the six hitting yes Jane Jarvis did a great job playing Christmas songs that was one great night best Shea Stadium memory ever

[@author]

LOL! After the announcer said that ConEd was trying to rectify the situation, Lindsey Nelson said that he could make many remarks about that, all of which would get him in trouble, so he wisely didn't say. Power companies weren't liked to well by the general public back then for being expensive with their rates.

[@Mhel2023]

True...I remember our mom always yelling when we went outside "...close the door! I don't own Con Ed....." 😂

[@Mistachill]

lol, are they well liked now?

[@SALBANDO]

I was there, They brought cars on the field so they could toss the ball around by the light of the headlights.

[@stevemandl5140]

are you the sal bando from the Milwaukee brewers years ago?

[@albertjaime3565]

This game was on radio also,i remember like it was yesterday Jerry Koosman was pitching,i was 12yrs ole living in E Flatbush Bklyn

[@taxitalknyc7600]

1:00 LOVE the organ - MEET THE METS !!! *

[@oghymieweiss4656]

I was home I’m East Flatbush 90s Bklyn,Ny , the game was on radio not 📺 ,Jerry koosman Was to pitch , I WAS 12 yrs old at the time⚾️LETS GO METS💯

[@williammazzotta5595]

I was out at SPEAKS in Island Park watching Twisted Sister!! Dee Snider told the audience to be careful driving back to the city!! It was wild!!

[@JeffDearman]

I was 6 days old (born on 7-7-77)

[@rentslave]

I remember the day that you were born.I took this girl to a Gordon Lightfoot concert.

[@fredsmith6324]

haha i remember that day too. i remember my sister saying today is 7-7-77!

[@duran007fan5]

Dog the bounty hunter, mentions that date alot. because he was in prison.

[@timdailey2690]

“Luckiest day of the century”

[@brianjschumer]

No doubt Mets have had some crappy teams..but I wouldnt trade..our Mets announcers over the years for anyone..I have MLB package and other then Vin Scully (Dodgers/retired)..Nelson, kiner, Murphy..the best team ever..The (current) Hernandez, Darling, Cohen, really good as well.. I would say the Phil Rizzuto and Bill White team for the Yankees were pretty good back in the day, but the Mets really had them in the announcer Department thru the years.

[@seanconlon2408]

Bob Murphy calling games on the radio by himself was every bit the equal of Vin Scully.

[@KevinCanessaJr]

Your clips are absolutely amazing. I don't suppose you have any of WFAN on Sept. 12, 2001?

[@epaddon]

+Kevin Canessa Jr. Thanks! No, I unfortunately don't have audio that can settle the question of what Francesa-Russo said that next day. In many respects, I've been lucky to find as much material as I have, some from my own fragmentary recordings and others that I've been able to locate elsewhere. If I hadn't lived so far away at the time a lot of these events happened, I might have had a lot more.

[@KevinCanessaJr]

Isn't that something. You knew exactly why i was asking! I've been helping Phil Mushnick for years to try to find that audio (which we're pretty sure exists at 340 Hudson St.). We thought we were close a few years ago. But it turned out the clips were about 2 hours after a gentleman stopped recording that day. With that said I've had so much fun listening to Pete Franklin, the blackout, etc. Each clip, in its own way, brought me back to fun times of being younger. So thank you again for sharing what you had. The only one I couldn't listen to? From 1994 -- after Matteau. I am a Devils fan! All the best -- and thanks again. Kevin Canessa Port St. Lucie, Fla. formerly of Kearny, NJ

[@epaddon]

+Kevin Canessa Jr. You are welcome! And glad all of these are giving you enjoyment. It always seems like every site on the net devoted to radio station airchecks has to be music-DJ stuff only and I like to think there's a market to hear the sounds of the talk and sports talk people of the past too whose work has largely disappeared into the ethers of time. (BTW, Ranger fan that I am, I was happy for them in 95 and pulled for them in 00-01-03 too. I could never hate the Devils after growing up in the early 80s and learning to hate all things about the ICE-landers as the Schmoozer would call them). Best.

[@SZALESKI55]

I remember watching this game on WGN-TV - Chicago when I was a kid. I was thinking that was sort of a different type of event that you don't see every day. I had no idea that this was the pre-curser to a historic night of violence and looting!

[@lsmftymf]

Did the exact same thing that night, too. What I remembered was that Lenny Randle stepped into the batter's box and...POOF!...there went the picture. To this day, I still joke that he started the blackout.

[@josephtisdale5262]

I was in Sterling, CT when this happened. On the 15th of that month, we were listening to WNBC and WPJB.

[@stevemandl5140]

how do you do a broadcast w/out electricity?

[@4wheelerDJ]

maybe a van control center?

[@shadmeister87]

I was listening when this happened. Power went out in Brooklyn about 15 minutes later. My parents told my kid brother and I telling us to calm down, "it's just a blown fuse." Then I told them power was out in Queens.

[@fredsmith6324]

"... and mom, what is that silhouette out in the darkness staring at our house? it's the son of sam! ahhhhh! " ... "relax, it's just uncle harv having a smoke..."

[@wiedep]

GREAT!

[@duran007fan5]

The blackout happened on 7-13-1977. not 7-7-1977.

[@taxitalknyc7600]

03:35 Amen, Lindsey !!! ;D

[@andrewgray3874]

is there any video of the game known to exist

[@epaddon]

None that I know of. WOR didn't televise the game in New York and from what someone else has posted, WGN did televise the game in Chicago but they lost the signal the instant the blackout happened so there isn't likely any footage showing the aftermath at Shea during the blackout.

[@thomasponzio7759]

Andrew Gray only on radio that night Lenny Randle wss batting

[@donwert70]

There are some clips of it in Mets Yearbook 1977.

[@Retiredman.]

I wonder how the subway riders got home

[@epaddon]

I read where they had to stay at the ballpark until the next morning when buses were brought in.

[@vegasjay2326]

How did they do a radio broadcast with no electricity?

[@4wheelerDJ]

maybe a van/truck control center?

[@chrisneidenberg3509]

Maybe because the transmitter for the station - WNEW - was in New Jersey?

[@rustykuntz94]

Chris Neidenberg That is true, WOR was located in Secausus New Jersey. The fees though of course came directly from Shea Stadium (Flushing NY).

[@rustykuntz94]

FEED ^

[@kingammo6090]

Learned this from Men in Black weirdly 🤷🏿‍♂️

[@grooping]

cool

[@stevep8445]

Well, it least it meant fans didn't actually have to look at the Mets

[@goback3spaces]

So what? Mets and Power Failure are synonymous.