The Oakland Raiders have a classic style stadium that is shared with the Athletics and after years of trying to get a new stadium and upgrades, it may finally be time to do so, as the San Francisco Chronicle reported that hazmat crews needed to be brought in to help the cleanup after a sewage pipe bursted during a baseball game.
The game between the Mariners and Athletics took place in mid-June and following that, the teams had to use the Raiders clubhouse, as a pipe clogged and spewed sewage all over the clubhouses for the two teams. The Coliseum itself had numerous problems after that and workers needed to come in and repair everything that was damaged, replacing various carpets and other equipment while also installing some new carpets. Hazmat crews were brought in originally to help with the damage and the original damage came after a pipe was clogged and forces an overflow.
The stadium is nearly 50 years old now and for years players have been complaining and pitcher AJ Griffin said after the game that everyone should realize that a new stadium is needed in Oakland. Even in the NFL it's an issue, as many players have complained about how the team shares with the Athletics, forcing the first to stay on during the first part of the NFL season. During a six day home stand officials said over 170,000 fans came and that is why the pipes had issues.
The Mariners and Athletics needed to use the same lockers after the 10-2 win by Oakland on Sunday, as there was a backup of sewage that spilled out into the clubhouse level of the stadium. The two teams needed to move up to the Oakland Raiders locker room to shower and dress and it brought up questions about the old stadium, which has done some upgrades but is still behind many in the league.
The San Francisco Chronicle has reported that leak issues are a problem all the time, as the field is below sea level and so is the clubhouse. A's team president Michael Crowley said that it is clear that new upgrades are needed and many players as well as M's manager Eric Wedge skipped showers. Wedge had his office covered in liquid and he had his post-game conference in the hallway instead. The Mariners won two of three and then will play the Angels, while the A's are heading out to play the Rangers.
According to SI.com, the San Jose City Council has voted to sue the MLB to allow the A's to move into the city, something that they have wanted to do for years, but since the league and the San Francisco Giants have territory rights, they can block the move, which they have for a number of years. A's owner Lew Wolff has repeatedly said that he would like to move the team and now the players have joined in loudly after the swage issues came up over the weekend.
