Elephant Rumblings: Sunday brings Mother’s Day and 510 Day

Good morning, Athletics Nation!

The country is still on lockdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, but that won’t stop us from celebrating a couple of special occasions on Sunday.

First off, Sunday is Mother’s Day. If that is news to you, then you’re welcome for the reminder! Go figure out what nice thing you’re gonna do for your mom, even if you aren’t able to actually visit in person right now.

For A’s fans, Mother’s Day also means the anniversary of Dallas Braden’s perfect game in 2010. Well, technically the anniversary will be Saturday (May 9), but the holiday itself is generally when we identify with the memory even if the dates don’t quite line up. The image of Braden celebrating the biggest moment of his career, in an emotional embrace with his grandmother who helped raise him after his mother passed away, is an inner-circle moment in A’s history.

If you’d like to revisit the perfecto, then you’ll have two chances to watch it on Sunday. MLB Network is airing it at 3 a.m. (I recommend recording it; not like it’s live anyway), and Fox Sports 1 is showing it at 9 a.m. (both times are Pacific).

Also on Sunday is 510 Day, a local holiday meant to celebrate the town of Oakland — the date is May 10, or 5/10. Of course there won’t be a game at the Coliseum at which to observe the occasion, but the A’s will help make up for it by streaming a live concert that’s free to watch. Local product and two-time Grammy Award winner Fantastic Negrito will perform at 5 p.m. at youtube.com/athletics, and for more info check out John Hickey’s writeup below from Sports Illustrated.

Have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend, and have a Happy Mother’s Day and 510 Day on Sunday!

A’s Coverage:

• Slusser: A’s Plus podcast, guest is former catcher Landon Powell
• Slusser: Even on vacation, Alex Rodriguez couldn’t get away from A’s Dallas Braden ($)
• Hickey: The Cat That Changed Tony La Russa’s Life
• Hickey: Athletics Will Stream Fantastic Negrito Musical Show on 510 Day
• Hall: Today in Oakland A’s history (5/7): Mike Fiers throws no-hitter
• Hall: Evie the Cat, and a brief history of animals running on baseball fields

MLB News & Interest:

• Todd: Which CPBL/KBO Team Are You Adopting?
• Hickey: Boog Sciambi and the 7,000-mile ESPN Baseball Challenge
• McEnery: Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez end their quest to buy the Mets
• Grant: As Joey Gallo expresses concern about deep center field at Rangers’ new ballpark
• Stark: Sean Doolittle on spitting, high-fives and hologram fans in post-pandemic baseball ($$$)
• Byrne: Steal 26 Players And Build A Roster
• Simon: Let’s build the ultimate MLB career
• MLB Pipeline: Each team’s best small school Draft pick
• MLB Quiz of the Day: Best player by number (10-19)
• Today in Baseball History (including Catfish Hunter’s perfect game!)

Best of Twitter:

Also check out our full story on the topic, but this is a particularly fun this-date-in-A’s-history memory.

More details on the upcoming streaming show for 510 Day.

Two chances to watch Dallas Braden’s perfect game on Sunday!