When heavy rain hit O.co Coliseum prior to Saturday's Twins-A's game, storm sewer drains in both dugouts "couldn't handle the deluge and backed up, flooding the bench areas," according to Mark Purdy of the SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS. The backup led to "another sewage volcano," which would be "a travesty and an embarrassment on the national stage" during the upcoming AL Playoffs. Oakland and Alameda County "are responsible for Coliseum upkeep," and both parties "should be mortified." Jokes will "only continue to multiply" until the situation improves. Fans "have to wonder if more people are turned off" by the sewage issues or by A's Owner Lew Wolff's recent comments about attendance (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 9/22). CSNBAYAREA.com's Ray Ratto wrote under the header, "Coliseum Sewage Problems Growing Tiresome." The entire system "needs a full-blown cleanout." The sewage jokes "were funny the first two times they made the circuit," but now are "just a cliché" (CSNBAYAREA.com, 9/21). In S.F., Matier & Ross write the Oakland Coliseum Authority "now has its own plan to fight all the bad publicity and to try to sell the public on any ideas the city and county have for redeveloping the stadium site." The board on Friday "voted to spend $65,000 to bring aboard a PR consultant -- a firm aptly dubbed Full Court Press" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 9/23). ESPN.com's Buster Olney wrote the situation could be a "potential national embarrassment" for MLB if the A's reach the World Series. Olney: "This is when you don't want naming rights to a stadium" (ESPN.com, 9/22). ESPN’s Israel Gutierrez said, “Oakland Coliseum’s plumbing issues have left sewage flowing through its dugouts. So now it’s official: No one wants to play the Oakland A’s in the playoffs” (“The Sports Reporters,” ESPN, 9/22).
PLAYING MONEYBALL: In L.A., Bill Shaikin noted this year's AL West title is the A's sixth during the 16-year tenure of VP & GM Billy Beane. Wolff gives Beane "a budget, and autonomy to run the baseball operations as he sees fit." Beane in '05 was given a 4% stake in the team by Wolff, while President Mike Crowley was given "a 1% ownership stake." Wolff said that "neither Beane nor Crowley has liability for any losses." Beane "resents that Wolff has become something of a pincushion in Oakland." He said, "Some of the personal shots he has taken have been so far out of bounds. I'm at a point in my career where I don't need to score brownie points by saying nice things about my owner. But, in my opinion, I have the best owner in the game to work for" (L.A. TIMES, 9/22). ESPN.com's Dave Schoenfield writes under the header, "With Another Division Title, Beane Is Best GM" (ESPN.com, 9/23).
