On this day, April 25, in 1976, Chicago Cubs outfielder Rick Monday rescued the American flag from two protesters who had run on to the field at Dodger Stadium to set the Stars and Stripes on fire. Immediately after the center fielder and former U.S. Marine made the quick-thinking save, Dodgers fans gave Monday, an opposing player, a standing ovation for several minutes before spontaneously singing “God Bless America.”
At the end of that season, the Cubs traded Monday to the Dodgers. He played for Los Angeles the last eight years of his career.
The Baseball Hall of Fame recently named Monday’s “save” one of the 100 Classic Moments in the game’s history. Monday has turned down $1 million for the flag. Instead, he uses it to raise money for Walter Reed Army Medical Center and other veterans causes.
-Scott McCabe
