Say goodbye to the Coca-Cola slide in San Francisco

Maybe not officially or anything, but the big slide in the Coke bottle at AT&T Park may not be around much longer:

The famous Coca-Cola bottle slide at the San Francisco Giants’ waterfront ballpark is becoming known for another reason: lawsuits. The team, which starts its season Monday, is facing a $6 million suit by Chad Mello, who injured his left knee and ankle in July 2008 on the slide, which shoots people through a green, 60-foot Coke bottle via metal tubes.

At least 55 people have been injured on the slide, known as the Guzzler, which failed two safety inspections in recent years, the Giants said.

I was dismissive of the risks when the first lawsuit was filed a couple of years ago -- and I haven’t seen the lawsuits or the evidence, so who knows if this Mello guy has a case -- but if that many people are busting their ankles on the thing, it just might be inherently dangerous.

In other news, ballparks are for baseball games. Not carnival rides and other assorted amusements.