Elephant Rumblings: The Story Behind the Mask, A’s Draft Catcher in Fangraphs’ Mock Draft

A’s Coverage:

• Game #19: Matt Olson walks off third-longest game in Oakland A’s history...
• Fangraphs’ team has A’s drafting college catcher in first mock draft...
• Cut4: Inside the story of Mark Canha and his lucky ski mask...
• Oakland Athletics Minor League Notebook: Jesus Luzardo does it again...
• Gallegos: Sleepless in Oakland - Lou Trivino’s exciting first 24 hours in majors...
• Becker: MLB decides not to count A’s ‘free game’ toward attendance figures...

MLB News:

• Sporting News: Reds great Barry Larkin headlines list of potential Cincinnati replacements for Bryan Price...
• ESPN: Mike Napoli suffers ‘significant knee injury’ in minor league game...

Baseball Interest Stories:

• Synder: Five reasons why I’m not worried about low attendance in MLB ballparks this season just yet...
• Cut4: New Braves infielder Jose Bautista flashed the leather back when he was a full-time third baseman...
• WSJ (subscription): A Moment of Reckoning for Baseball in Florida...
• 538: Everyone Wants To Go Home During Extra Innings — Maybe Even The Umps...

Today in Baseball History:

• 1981 - The Oakland Athletics set a modern-day record for the most consecutive wins to start a season. Billy Martin’s charges defeat the Seattle Mariners, 6 - 1, giving them their 11th straight victory. The 1982 Braves will surpass the mark by opening the season with 13 consecutive victories.
• 2015 - There is a lot of tension between the Royals and Athletics, who met in an epic Wild Card Game last year. In the concluding contest of a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium, five members of the Royals are ejected but Kansas City still prevails, 4 - 2. It’s the third straight game that sees a bench-clearing incident, after Oakland 3B Brett Lawrie slid hard into second base in the opener, injuring SS Alcides Escobar and Royals P Yordano Ventura was tossed out the next day for throwing at Lawrie. Today, the fireworks start when K.C. OF Lorenzo Cain is hit by a pitch from Scott Kazmir in the 1st inning. His manager, Ned Yost, and pitching coach Dave Eiland both get the thumb as a result of the ensuing fracas, and umpire Greg Gibson issues a warning to both benches. In the 8th, P Kelvin Herrera is shown the door after throwing a 100-mph fastball behind Lawrie. In the argument that ensues, bench coach Don Wakamatsu and Escobar, who is not playing because of the injury, are also sent to the showers. Trailing 2 - 1, the Royals get their revenge in the bottom of the inning when rookie Paulo Orlando leads off with a walk and Cain follows with an RBI double before stealing third base. 1B Eric Hosmer draws a walk and DH Kendrys Morales drives them both in with another double.

Best of Twitter:

• We’ve already got a good chunk of the band back together...

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• Hershiser-esque...