Rick Monday played 19 years in the majors but one moment defines his career. The greatest play he ever made wasn’t a diving catch or an NLCS-clinching home run. Rather, it was a play where Monday stood up not just for baseball, but for his country.
April 25, 1976.
Something was amiss on the field at Dodger Stadium. Monday, playing center field for the visiting Cubs, saw two men run onto the field. It had happened before, except this time the men had an American flag. They laid it on the ground and began dousing it with lighter fluid.
Six years in the United States Marine Corps Reserves told Monday this certainly wasn’t right. It certainly wasn’t something he could stand on watch. In anger, he charged towards the men. What happened next defined him as a man, a baseball player, a Marine, and an American.
Monday shared the story with Fred Roggin. Originally aired on Going Roggin, August 18, 2013.
