Rick Monday’s 19-year baseball career was full of some memorable firsts, but none captured the attention of the nation like the time he saved the American flag from being burned.
Wednesday marks the 42nd anniversary of the day that Monday, the A’s first draft pick but then a Cubs outfielder, made what some still call one of the greatest plays in Major League Baseball history.
The year was 1976 and there were tumultuous times in America while the country was celebrating its 200th birthday. Unrest was on display in the fourth inning of the Cubs-Dodgers game in Los Angeles when two protestors ran onto the field and began lighting the American flag on fire in left field.