MLB: Five Teams Needing New Parks

Apr 4, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; A general view of the new netting at the stadium in the game between Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Texas won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; A general view of the new netting at the stadium in the game between Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington. Texas won 3-2. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
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1. Oakland Athletics

Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The place rains raw sewage in the clubhouses.

At 50, the Oakland Coliseum is closer to being condemned than refurbished. Thousands of seats are tarped off and, with the Miami Marlins now playing at Marlins Stadium—the old Orange Bowl—and not with the Miami Dolphins, the Athletics are the lone team sharing a facility with an NFL team.

What was a nice stadium until the Oakland Raiders renovated it upon their return in 1995, Oakland Coliseum has turned into a public relations disaster. The Athletics know this but attempts to move to nearby Fremont and San Jose died either from the dot-com bubble bursting in the early 2000s or the San Francisco Giants refusing territorial rights. Maybe at some point, the A’s lawsuit against the Giants for San Jose will settle.

Until then, Oakland is the best place for the Athletics to play, but any serious renovation or rebuild to the coliseum depends on the Raiders. Baseball fans do not care if the Raiders move to Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas or Timbuktu. Decide where they are going and let a new stadium go up on the current site.

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Although the future of the franchise in Northern California is not in doubt, like the Rays in Tampa, expecting players wanting to play on a scarred field with facilities lacking working facilities is. The sad part is the Athletics, unless they threaten to leave the area, are powerless to fix it.