OAKLAND (CBS/AP) — A sewage problem at the Coliseum forced the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners to use the same locker room after Sunday's game.
During Oakland's 10-2 victory, pipes in the stadium's lower levels burst, causing a stench and puddles of water in the clubhouses used by both teams and the referees.
The A's and Mariners moved to a higher floor and cleaned up after the game in the locker room used by the Oakland Raiders during NFL games.
Coliseum officials said the six-day homestand, which drew 171,756 fans, overwhelmed the 47-year-old stadium's plumbing system.
“Make sure everyone knows about this sewage thing,” Oakland starter AJ Griffin said. “We need a new stadium.”
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that leaking pipes and clogged drains are common, even on days when the Coliseum is empty. The playing field is 22 feet below sea level and the elevation of the clubhouse is 3 feet below sea level.
A's team president Michael Crowley told the Chronicle: “It's clear, right? This is not the first time something like this has happened.”
Several Mariners left without showering. Towels were used to prevent wastewater from entering the general players' changing area.
There was about a foot of liquid in Seattle manager Eric Wedge's office, forcing him to hold his postgame press conference in the hallway.
The A's, who begin a road trip to Texas on Monday night, will likely have new carpet when they return. The extent of the damage is not yet known.
There were visible wet spots around every drain on the ground floor, but the main damage was to the changing rooms and storage areas.
Coliseum sewage problem forces A's and Mariners into same locker room
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KCBS, SF Chronicle and KPIX Insider Phil Matier said there were more than 37,000 fans in the stadium for Sunday's Father's Day game.
“The A's are enjoying a major sellout stadium revival, tickets are sold out, the team is hot and owner Lew Wolff would like a new stadium, the problem is he would like it in San Jose and the Giants aren't above that happy.” “So for the last three years there's been a bit of a stalemate about where to build a new stadium,” Matier said.
Matier noted how much “sports construction” is currently taking place in the Bay Area, noting that the 49ers are building a billion-dollar stadium in Santa Clara, right next door to the A's' destination. The Warriors plan to build a $1 billion arena on the San Francisco waterfront.
“This takes advantage of a lot of the loose money that people have for sporting events, corporate sponsorships, skyboxes and all of these things that help fund stadiums,” he said.
“The big question is whether you can afford to build a completely new house instead of calling a plumber. I think in the short term they will have to call a plumber.”
(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
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