On April 25, 1976, during a game at Dodger Stadium, two protesters, a man and his son, ran into the outfield and tried to set fire to an American flag they had brought with them. Rick Monday, then playing with the Cubs, noticed they had placed the flag on the ground and were fumbling with matches and lighter fluid; he then dashed over and grabbed the flag from the ground to thunderous cheers. He handed the flag to Los Angeles pitcher Doug Rau, after which the ballpark police officers arrested the two intruders. When he came up to bat in the next half-inning, he got a standing ovation from the crowd and the big message board behind the left-field bleachers in the stadium flashed the message, "RICK MONDAY... YOU MADE A GREAT PLAY..." He later said, "If you're going to burn the flag, don't do it around me. I've been to too many veterans' hospitals and seen too many broken bodies of guys who tried to protect it."
In today politically correct society, could Monday have done the same thing? Would the flag have been given back to the protesters? Would he have been disciplined? I still applaud his action.
4 comments:
Hi. I found you through YewNorkBabe. In answer to your question, I want to say "yes" a player would do the same now and "no" they wouldn't get the flag handed back, but. But...yes, there's always that big old but in the way.....but, I'm answering the way I'd hope it would turn out although I'm certainly not sure of anything these days. God bless America!!! And don't tread on my flag or I WILL kick your butt. uhm....not you...but anyone who would attempt that around me. :)
Hello, I also came over from YewNorkBabe. I say AMEN to applauding his action. What would happen? I don't want to know!!
I have been reading through your Flashback Fridays. They are so funny! Unfortunately, I have oldest sibling guilt for many of the things I put my younger sister through. I'm afraid you and I can't be friends because the first thing my dad taught me to say was, "Oh how I hate Ohio State!" I actually am terribly embarrassed by the Wolverines lately. I mostly follow the Gators with my husband. We are big Chicago Cubs fans in baseball, Washington Redskins in NFL, and Duke for college basketball. Long story! :)
Anyway, thanks for stopping by my blog and your encouraging comment.
Blessings!
I would hope a ballplayer would do the same today. Not sure if ALL of them would do the same...
Post a Comment