Elephant Rumblings: Elephant in the Room, Buying the 2018 A’s, Satchel Paige

Bruce Maxwell Reactions:

• If you happened to be off the grid this weekend, Bruce Maxwell became the first MLB player to kneel for the national anthem...
• SI: Who is Bruce Maxwell?
• A’s teammates voice support of Maxwell...
• Maxwell received threats for his demonstration...
• Jon Tayler believes Maxwell’s protest was courageous and hopes others will follow...
• Craig Calcaterra has some thoughts on why more MLB players don’t kneel...
• Dodgers’ Manager Dave Roberts would take issue with anthem protest....
• Here’s what Jackie Robinson had to say about the national anthem...
• Baseball's integration and the contemporary civil rights movement...

Prospect Watch:

• Max Schrock could be a bargain for Oakland...
• A few of the best ‘rookie dress-up days’...

ICYMI:

• A’s win seventh straight, beat Rangers 8-1...
• Meet the heartbeat of the Oakland A’s...
• Pinder, Powell unlikely to play again this season...
• R.J. Anderson: A's deal with another down year but have ingredients for solid lineup, intrigue in 2018...
• Braves sign Kurt Suzuki to one-year extension...
• Khris Davis hit yesterday’s longest homerun...
• Baseball owners are a scourge on the sport...
• How Major League Baseball is using Apple’s ARKit to increase fan engagement...
• Marlins still feel loss of Jose Fernandez one year after the light turned off...
• Bryce Harper will likely be activated today...
• Judge homers twice, now just one away from McGwire’s rookie record...
• How financial security for minor leaguers would benefit everyone...
• What in the heck is Derek Jeter doing with the Marlins?

Today in Baseball History:

• 1965 - In a classic Charlie Finley publicity stunt, Satchel Paige becomes baseball's oldest performer. At 59, Paige hurls the first three innings, garners one strikeout, and allows just one hit, to Carl Yastrzemski.
• 1981 - Nolan Ryan becomes the first player to pitch five no-hitters, hurling a 5-0 victory over Los Angeles at the Astrodome.

Best of Twitter:

• Some encouraging words from one of baseball’s leading Statcast writers...

• Oakland’s path to a second place finish...

• The DBacks celebrated clinching in the most obvious place...

• The old hidden ball trick strikes again...

• And finally, the hapless Tigers allowed a Little League homerun on a bunt. Probably Brad Ausmus’ fault...