Sh*tty Stadium

OAKLAND -- There was a time, only a generation or so ago in fan years, when the Coliseum was the most pleasing stadium in the Bay Area.

Aesthetically and otherwise.

Now? The aging concrete mausoleum still takes center stage for the Athletics, but for all the wrong reasons. The lone stadium still being shared by a big league baseball club (the A's) and an NFL team (the Raiders) has become the butt of jokes for two proud franchises, one which is winning and chasing its third straight American League West title while the other is in Year 1 of a self-described reconstruction phase.

But in their typical loose fashion, the A's are having fun with their predicament, even after water came up through the drains in the coaches' showers while the toilets backed up and unleashed an unholy gurgle on Saturday during an exhibition game against the Giants. This, after a few plumbing stoppages flooded the clubhouses and the A's dugout with raw sewage last season. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/10709280/mlb-oakland-coping-stadium-plumbing-issues