Elephant Rumblings: A’s ballpark drama continues as Manfred threatens move to Las Vegas

A’s Coverage:

• Matier: The Las Vegas A’s? Baseball commissioner tells Oakland it could happen... ($)
• Ross: What A’s must do to win AL West in 2020, avoid wild-card heartbreak...
• Rubin: Billy Beane, David Forst and Bob Melvin reflect on A’s early postseason exit... ($)
• Ostler: Fuse already lit to blow up another great A’s team... ($)

Best of AN:

• Frijoles: Manfred rips Oakland City Council over lawsuit...
• Nico: It’s Almost Time For “Zig-Zag” Season...
• Frijoles: Does the Oakland government want to lose the A’s?

MLB News:

• Bowman: Braves stun Cards in 9th to seize 2-1 NLDS lead...
• Gurnick: Dodgers poised to advance after bats come alive against Nats...
• Rosenthal: The MLBPA responds to teams’ talk of curbing spending; perils of non-traditional coaches; more notes... ($$$)
• Puma: Joe Girardi already doing his homework on Mets managerial opening...
• Somers: Buck Showalter Tells WFAN He Wants To Be Considered For Mets Job...
• Rosenthal: Joe Maddon to interview with Angels this week...

Baseball Interest Stories:

• Buchanan: A cold case, not a closed case - The baseball obsessives correcting the record about the 1919 Black Sox Scandal... ($$$)
• Posnanski: The Nationals’ ‘gutsy’ intentional walk was an astonishing act... ($$$)
• Kram: All of the Exciting Baseball Is Happening in the National League—at Least for Now...
• Rowley: The Astros Remind the Rays and Us of Their, and Our, Mortality...

Today in Baseball History:

• 2001 — The San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds extends his major league record for home runs in season to 73 as he drives a 3-2 1st-inning knuckleball off Dodgers pitcher Dennis Springer over the right field fence. The blast also secures two more major league records for Bonds as he surpasses Babe Ruth - who slugged .847 in 1920 - with a .863 season slugging percentage and bests Mark McGwire, who in 1998 hit one HR every 7.27 at-bat by homering in every 6.52 at-bats.

Best of Twitter:

• How does anyone hit Gerrit Cole...

• It’s been two years now, but we still aren’t talking enough about how great Max Muncy has become...

• Liam Hendriks’ 2019 season was even more special than it felt...