Nineteen year veteran Rick Monday played for 4 teams during his MLB career, he was elected to 2 All-Star games, and is a World Champion. Monday retired after the the 1984 season, and is probably best remembered for two events during his playing career.

Monday celebrating 1981 NLCS victory in the clubhouse

In 1981, Monday who came up big in game 5 of the NLCS against the Expos in Montreal. Monday (on a Monday) homered in the top of the ninth to give the Dodgers the 2-1 lead and the eventual win, advancing his team to the World Series that year which they also won.

4-25-76 Monday’s patriotic play

In 1976 the year of our country’s Bicentennial… today’s date, APRIL 25th marks the 40th anniversary of probably the most spontaneously patriotic event ever by a professional athlete. It was a sunny Sunday afternoon in Los Angeles, and the Cubs were in town finishing up an early spring series with the Dodgers. In the bottom of the 4th inning while playing center field for the Cubs, Monday, who spent six years in the United States Marine Corps Reserves before his baseball career, noticed two males running into left-center field, in an attempt to burn an American flag on the outfield grass. Monday sprinted toward the man and his 11 year old son, snatching away the flag before they could set fire to it, and placed it in bullpen. Almost instantaneously  following the incident the crowd gave Monday a standing ovation, broke into a spontaneous rendition of “God Bless America.” The Cubs may have lost the game 5-4 in 11 innings, but, one of their own won the hearts of America.

Dodger scoreboard 4-25-76

Ironically, after hitting a career high 32 home runs in ’76 Monday would be traded to the Dodgers with reliever Mike Garman, in exchange for outfielder Bill Buckner and backup shortstop Ivan DeJesus. Monday will play for the Dodgers from 1977 til the end of his career in 1984.

What what actually happened here

(photos courtesy of: likesuccess, infieldbox, chicago cubs, dodgerfan, spokeo, ar15)