O.co Coliseum reopened yesterday after last week's sewage overflow and new carpet was "put down in significant areas of the visiting clubhouse and umpires' room and was also installed in the hallway between the two clubhouses," according to Carl Steward of the OAKLAND TRIBUNE. Carpet was "not only replaced but dry wall and tile was removed up to a foot in the damaged areas." The A's had "carpet tiles in storage from when the clubhouse was originally renovated several years ago and those were used to replace the damaged carpets in the manager's office, training room and hallway." The A's "did their own testing after the hazmat company completed its work looking for possible harmful bacteria." Everything "checked out clear." A's VP/Stadium Operations David Rinetti confirmed that a "large mass was found to be clogging a pipe and caused the overflow." Several A's officials, including Rinetti, were "asked about the cost of the repairs, but claimed they did not know." AEG, which manages the Coliseum, "did virtually all of the work" (OAKLAND TRIBUNE, 6/26). Rinetti said, "We basically stepped back and let the facility do the work to repair everything that had to be repaired" (MLB.com, 6/25). A's Visiting Clubhouse Manager Mike Thalblum said of the work crews, "They went above and beyond. They did absolutely everything to make sure it was spick-and-span" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 6/26).
REED BETWEEN THE LINES: San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed said of why his city sued MLB in an effort to get the A's to move to the market, "We have to knock these so-called territorial restrictions out of the park so we can get back to the possibility of getting a team." Reed, appearing on ESPN.com's "Behind the Dish" podcast, said the end game of the lawsuit is to "knock the territorial restrictions out so that a future mayor, a future council could have an opportunity to get a baseball team without having to worry about the territorial restrictions." Reed said he requested a meeting with MLB's Blue Ribbon Panel handling the A's issue, but the panel said that "we have nothing new to tell you." Reed added the MLB league office "refused to say anything." Reed: "I just finally concluded we're never going to get an answer, this is going nowhere and I need to look out for the rights of the people of San Jose so four-and-a-half years of waiting was just a little too much" ("Behind the Dish," ESPN.com, 6/25).
