Full-Court Press: Every Fourth of July makes me remember Rick Monday’s great play

Ever since I can remember, I have been fascinated with every facet of this country’s history, and it’s no secret the United States has seen its share of tough times and struggles.

However, since the turn of the century, sports have been there as a distraction from those stressful times, even if it has only been for a few hours or so. Now, I do not feel sports can heal a nation, but many times these moments have left lasting memories of why it is so great to be an American and live in a land that gives us the freedom to attend athletic events.

There was the 1980 Miracle on Ice during the Cold War, Whitney Houston’s singing of the national anthem at Super Bowl XXV in the midst of the Gulf War and the first baseball game played in New York following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks – all moments sports helped grab our attention during dark days.

One of those times popped into my memories while enjoying Fourth of July celebrations with my family last weekend, and although the incident took only a few minutes to unfold, it is one that made me proud to live in the good old USA.

The date was April 25 in the year of our bicentennial, 1976, and the place was Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The defenseless victim had 13 red-and-white alternating stripes and a blue field in the upper left that contained 50 white stars.

Old Glory, which many – including both of my grandfathers and uncles and cousins – have fought for, was under attack in short left field in the middle of the fourth inning. A father and his 11-year-old son, armed with lighter fluid and matches, were about to burn an American flag in the middle of America’s pastime.

Cubs center fielder Rick Monday, who served six years in the Marine Corps reserves, was about to foil the plot.

“What they were doing was wrong, and I wanted them off the field,” Monday said to David Davis of VICE Sports. “I did not want them to be able to desecrate an American flag that some of my buddies lost their lives for, representing the rights and freedoms that you and I enjoy.”

Monday streaked toward the two trespassers and swiped the flag from their possession just before they could complete the act. Dodgers fans gave Monday a standing ovation in his next at-bat, and the scoreboard operator posted “Rick Monday – You just made a great play.”

[ Rick Monday saves American flag from protesters in 1976 ]

I have to tell you, I was 7 years old at the time, and Monday was one of my favorite players before his heroic play that day. His 19-year professional baseball career started with being the No. 1 pick in the first Major League Baseball draft in 1965. He was a two-time All-Star and hit .264 with 1,619 hits, 241 home runs and 775 RBIs.

In 1981, then with the Dodgers, he clinched the National League Championship Series with a dramatic two-out homer in the ninth inning to defeat the Montreal Expos. Yet, when you Google his name, most of the entries include the words “saves the flag.”

He was given back the flag that same year by the Dodgers and has used it to travel the country raising money for military charities and their families.

“The irony is the flag that they attempted to desecrate that afternoon is something my wife and I have taken across the country and have used to raise more than $500,000 for military charities,” Monday, who in the past has declined a $1 million offer for it, told the Los Angeles Times in 2016.

Monday has been working as a professional baseball broadcaster for over four decades and continues to be an integral voice of the Dodgers’ broadcasts today.

When you think about all the things for which the American flag stands, we were very fortunate 49 years ago when Rick Monday was there to stand up for it. He still carries the label of “American hero” with humility and class, saying anyone would have done the same thing if given the opportunity.

I sure hope he’s right.

• Brian Hoxsey is a Shaw Media sports writer and columnist. Write to him at bhoxsey@shawmedia.com.