Rick Monday, Freedom Fighter

by Kelly Huffman and Chris Hansen

Baseball fans know the name, Rick Monday. They know him not only as a clutch player and a play-by-play announcer, but as a true American, patriot, even Freedom Fighter.

Monday earned these titles with some quick on-field thinking during a flag burning incident, reminding everyone that baseball is America's pastime.

But first some background.

Monday played in the majors for 18 years, earning 2 All-Star appearances, 5 LCS appearances, and 3 World Series appearances in 1977, 1978, and 1981.

Monday Career Highlights • Led Arizona State to the 1965 College World Series Championship and earned All-America and College Player of the Year honors • Drafted by the Kansas City Athletics as the first player ever in the initial major league Free Agent Draft in 1965 • Played from 1966 to 1984 for the Athletics, Cubs and Dodgers • Career: .264, 1619 H, 248 2B, 241 HR • Was an All-Star in 1968 and 1978

Probably the crowning moment of Monday's career came in Game 5 of the 1981 National League Playoffs. His two-out, 9th-inning home run off Steve Rogers beat the Montreal Expos. This clutch hit sent the Dodgers to the 1981 World Series and drenched the Canadians' dreams of their first taste of October bliss.

With that magical blast, Monday became the second player to clinch a LCS with a last-inning homer. It propelled the Dodgers to their 17th NL title.

Monday always had a sharp wit, which is likely one of the reasons he went into broadcasting upon retirement. Asked if coaching ever interested him, Monday said, "Coaching is too close to pain. I have a very easy motto: Pain is no longer mandatory, it is and always will be optional."

But there is more to this man than swift swings and a wise-cracking wit.

Like Dodger Stadium on April 25, 1976.

While playing for the Cubs, Monday rescued an American flag from being burned by two protestors. In the middle of the fourth inning, the two men ran out onto the field, doused a flag with lighter fluid and tried to light it. Monday raced over from his centerfield position, snatched the burning flag and stomped out the flames, much like some kind of super hero.

A day later, Illinois law-makers unanimously voted to name May 4th, Rick Monday Day. It's not often that politics and baseball overlap, especially in the middle of Chavez Ravine. However, Monday's shining moment off the field would have made Betsy Ross proud.

The story could have ended here. But the impact of Monday's actions reached into today's discussions of civil rights. In July of 1998, Tommy Lasorda, the Dodgers' third base coach in 1976, testified in front of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Lasorda spoke of Monday's actions in defense of the flag, calling the incident "one of the most heroic acts ever to take place on the field during a Major League Baseball game." Lasorda recalled, without prompting, the crowd breaking out into "God Bless America" moments later.

In a chat with Fastball.com in 1997, Monday said that his first thought was to get the flag, hope it wasn't on fire, and then let the security guards handle it. The "burners" were fined $80 and put on two years probation. Monday kept the flag as a memento. Quite a story for a guy who was supposed to make an impact on the game of baseball, not make politcal statements about patriotism.

In honor of the World Champion Yankees, did you know ... For a little extra entertainment, Yankees slugger Bernie Williams carries a guitar on road trips. David Wells and Darren Holmes also play ... Paul O'Neill listens to Classic rock, John Mellencamp, the Rolling Stones, and Big Head Todd ... Chuck Knoblauch was a huge Ozzie Smith fan when he was younger, but who wasn't? ... The first Official New York Yankees Interactive CD-Rom Yearbook is now available. Fans can see the field the way their favorite player does, tour Monument Park and listen to Bob Sheppard and Eddie Layton update the latest stats while reading stories.

After his retirement in 1984, Monday stayed away from coaching and dove into the world of television as a sports anchor in Los Angeles, where he has been very successful. He began doing the Dodgers pre-game and play-by-play work for local television. In 1988, he was nominated for an Emmy for his work on "Dodger Central" and served as color commentator for the College World Series.

Monday left for San Diego in 1989 to call play-by-play for the Padres. He returned to the Dodgers, and the place of heroism, in July of 1993 as a broadcaster. On the weekends, Monday hosts "Dodgertalk" AM 1150 Sports Radio in Los Angeles.

Through broadcasting, he can still voice his opinions and relay his beliefs to fans, but Rick Monday will always field questions about that day in Los Angeles where he donned the name, Freedom Fighter.