Share This Episode
Our American Stories Lee Habeeb Logo

The Day Rick Monday Made One of Baseball’s Most Patriotic Plays

Our American Stories / Lee Habeeb
The Truth Network Radio
August 20, 2025 3:00 am

The Day Rick Monday Made One of Baseball’s Most Patriotic Plays

Our American Stories / Lee Habeeb

00:00 / 00:00
On-Demand Podcasts NEW!

This broadcaster has 4367 podcast archives available on-demand.

Broadcaster's Links

Keep up-to-date with this broadcaster on social media and their website.


August 20, 2025 3:00 am

On April 25th, 1976, Rick Monday, a Major League Baseball player, made a historic play by saving the American flag from being burned by two hippies at Dodger Stadium. This act of patriotism has become one of the most celebrated moments in sports history, reminding the country that patriotism can show itself in unexpected places.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

This is an iHeart Podcast. This Labor Day, say goodbye to spills, stains, and overpriced furniture with washable sofas.com, featuring Anibay, the only machine washable sofa inside and out, where designer quality meets budget-friendly pricing.

Sofas start at just $6.99, making it the perfect time to upgrade your space. Anibay's pet-friendly, stain-resistant, and interchangeable slip covers are made with high-performance fabric built for real life. You'll love the cloud-like comfort of hypoallergenic, high-resilience foam that never needs fluffing and a durable steel frame that stands the test of time. With modular pieces, you can rearrange anytime. It's a sofa that adapts to your life.

Now through Labor Day, get up to 60% off-site-wide at washablefas.com. Every order comes with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping, no restocking fees, every penny back. Shop now at washable sofas.com.

Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions. may apply. iHeart presents the Big Three Playoffs. This Sunday, the remaining four teams battle to make their championship in the most physical, fierce, and competitive basketball league in the world. The action starts with the Big Three Monster Energy Celebrity Game.

Then Dwight Howard and his L.A. Riot take on Montrez Harrell and Dr. J Chicago Triplets. The finale will see popular Miami 305 with stars MVP Michael Beasley and Lamb Stevenson take on Nancy Lieberman's Dallas Power, who will make it to the Big Three Championship. The no-holds bought action starts Sunday at 3 p.m.

Eastern, 12 Pacific, only on CBS. This is Danielle Fischel from Pod Meets World. Parents, quick question. When is the last time you won snack time? The other day, I handed my son a perfectly portioned Pinterest-level snack and And he traded it for a Mott's applesauce pouch.

I'm not mad, just impressed. And that's why Mott's no-sugar-added applesauce pouches are perfect to keep on hand. They're made with real apples, packed in a super easy pouch, perfect for tossing in a lunchbox, keeping in the car, or grabbing as you're running out the door. Plus, they're a good source of vitamin C, and kids love them. Win-win!

Make sure your kid wins snack time with Motts. Real apples make real good applesauce. Learn more at Motts.com. My finance guy is like, you know, we talk every day about stocks. We should just shut up and bought Bitcoin.

Just shut up and bought Bitcoin, forget everything else, and bank. I have all my crypto on Kraken. Dave Portnoy trusts Kraken with his crypto.

So do millions of clients around the world. Download the app today. Get $10 in Bitcoin after your first trade of $10 or more. Just enter code iHeart10 under Add Invite Code when you sign up. Not investment advice.

Crypto trading involves risk of loss and is offered to U.S. customers through Payward Interactive Inc. Terms and Conditions Apply. Good morning. Welcome to Today.

From back to school to tackling your to-do list, the Today Show is your best start to the day. It's a new season and every morning. We're here to help you take it all off. As the forecast calls for football all across the country. Blockbuster stars, live concerts, and so much more.

Wake up to where it's all happening. We're getting back to all of it and the best way to start is together. Watch The Today Show, weekday mornings at 7 a.m. on NBC. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star and the American people coming to you from the city where the West begins.

Fort Worth, Texas. Up next, a story about the greatest play in baseball history. And I know what you're thinking: that perfect game pitched way back when in Yankee Stadium? Or maybe that great catch by Willie Mays or the Hank Aaron home run that broke the Major League Baseball home run record? That's none of those.

Here to tell the story. Of the greatest play ever made in a baseball stadium is Blake Stilwell, our regular contributor. Take it away, Blake. On April 25th, 1976, amid the national pride of America's bicentennial year, one of Major League Baseball's most unforgettable moments unfolded at Dodger Stadium. None in the form of a dramatic home run or a game-winning pitch.

but through an act of patriotism. Rick Monday's name may not ring a bell for younger MLB fans, but it's a guarantee your elders know who he is. That ball is out of here and a hole. Run for Rick Monday and the Dodger bench clears to congratulate Rick Monday. Besides being the top prospect for the 1965 Major League Baseball Draft.

and playing for the Athletics Cubs and Dodgers over nineteen seasons. and winning a World Series with Los Angeles. Monday is actually best known for defending the American flag in the middle of a baseball game. On that fateful day, the Cubs were facing off against the Dodgers in a closely contested matchup. At the bottom of the fourth inning, two strangely dressed hippies made their way out on the baseball field.

and crouched down in the left center of the outfield. There they began dousing an American flag in kerosene, preparing to set Old Glory ablaze. It was supposed to be an act of protest. Filmed on live TV right there in front of Dodger Stadium. the United States and the world.

But after the batter and play hit a pop fly, Monday noticed the commotion. As a former U.S. Marine Corps Reserve member and a man with deep respect for the flag and the country it represents, Monday did not hesitate. he sprinted toward the men and snatched the flag from the ground. Just in time.

The crowd erupted in applause and cheers as he secured the flag and continued running with it toward the dugout.

Well, they better lose him in a hurry. And Monday, when he realized what he was gonna do, raced over and took the flag away from him. The act was met with an overwhelming emotional response from fans. After the inning ended, the stadium spontaneously broke into a rendition of God Bless America. Then, as Monday stepped up to bat in the top of the fifth inning, the Dodger Stadium scoreboard lit up with a message of gratitude and admiration.

Rick Monday, you made a great play. If you're going to burn the flag, don't do it around me, he said. I've been to too many veterans' hospitals and seen too many broken bodies of guys who tried to protect it. It's the way I was brought up to respect it and those that really carried the rights and freedoms that all of us have if we exercise those. And it was reinforced by six years serving in the Marine Reserves while I was playing Major League Baseball.

Monday, received the flag as a gift after it was no longer evidence in a criminal case. But the irony of it is taking the flag away from those two guys that Sunday afternoon at Dodgers Stadium. My wife and I have that flag, and we take it around the country and raise money, help raise money for military charities, and that's important because. We are where we are and it needs to be improved and we're the ones that can improve it. But a lot of people represented the rights and freedoms that that flag represents and some paid the ultimate price.

that affected a lot of families. In 2016, on the fortieth anniversary of the event, Monday said The very symbol that represents the rights and freedoms for all of us in this country is the flag. The very flag that two guys were trying to desecrate on this field forty years ago. has helped raise money for military charities. It continues to live.

Long after I'm gone, this is something my family will continue to do. We've had a great response all around this country. Rick Monday's actions that day continue to be celebrated. Not only is a proud moment in sports history, but as a rare instance when athletic instinct aligned perfectly, with personal conviction and national values. and a year devoted to commemorating America's founding, a simple, decisive act by a ball player.

reminded the country that patriotism can show itself in unexpected places. Even in the middle of a baseball game. And a terrific job when the production, editing, and storytelling by Aron Monte Montgomery and Reagan Habib. And a special thanks to Blake Stilwell. Who writes for We Are the Mighty, and was a former Air Force combat videographer.

And journalist. And what a story he told. That was the 200th anniversary. And if something like that happened today on a baseball field, we can only hope that a ball player would do the same thing. There are times and places for protests, burning the American flag in front of a guy who served six years in the Marine Corps.

Well, that just wasn't gonna fly. And by the way, Monday did more than that. He then took that flag. and well went around the country Raising money for veterans, because so many people Remembered that great play. And again, we started off with a teaser: the greatest play in baseball history.

And folks, there's no other play like it. Go to YouTube and watch it. The speed with which Monday made that move Within seconds, that flag would have been ablaze. The story of the day Rick Monday saved the flag from being burned by a couple of hippies at Dodgers Stadium. here on Our American Stories.

Lee Habib here, and I'm inviting you to help Our American Stories celebrate this country's 250th birthday, only a short time away. If you want to help inspire countless others to love America like we do, and want to help us bring the inspiring and important stories told here to millions for years to come, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to Our American Stories. Go to OwamericanStories.com and click the donate button. Give a little, give a lot. Any amount helps.

Go to OwamericanStories.com and give. This Labor Day, say goodbye to spills, stains, and overpriced furniture with washable sofas.com, featuring Anibay, the only machine washable sofa inside and out, where designer quality meets budget-friendly pricing.

Sofas start at just $6.99, making it the perfect time to upgrade your space. Anibay's pet-friendly, stain-resistant, and interchangeable slip covers are made with high-performance fabric built for real life. You'll love the cloud-like comfort of hypoallergenic, high-resilience foam that never needs fluffing and a durable steel frame that stands the test of time. With modular pieces, you can rearrange anytime. It's a sofa that adapts to your life.

Now through Labor Day, get up to 60% off site-wide at washablesofas.com. Every order comes with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping, no restocking fees, every penny back. Shop now at washablesofas.com.

Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply. This is Danielle Fischel from Pod Meets World. Parents, quick question. When is the last time you won snack time? The other day, I handed my son a perfectly portioned Pinterest-level snack, and He traded it for a Motts applesauce pouch.

I'm not mad, just impressed. And that's why Mott's no-sugar-added applesauce pouches are perfect to keep on hand. They're made with real apples, packed in a super easy pouch, perfect for tossing in a lunchbox, keeping in the car, or grabbing as you're running out the door. Plus, they're a good source of vitamin C, and kids love them. Win-win!

Make sure your kid wins snack time with Motts. Real apples make real good applesauce. Learn more at Motts.com. iHeart presents the Big Three Playoffs. This Sunday, the remaining four teams battle to make their championship in the most physical, fierce, and competitive basketball league in the world.

The action starts with the Big Three Monster Energy Celebrity Game, then Dwight Howard and his LA Riot take on Montrez Harrell and Dr. J Chicago Triplets. The finale will see popular Miami 305 with stars MVP Michael Beasley and Lance Stevenson take on Nancy Lieberman's Dallas Power, who will make it to the Big Three Championship. The no-holds bought action starts Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern, 12 Pacific, only on CBS.

You don't need $1,000 to buy Bitcoin. You just need a plan. Kraken lets you set up recurring buys so you can build your position over time. Invest on your schedule, not the markets. Set it and forget it.

Kraken handles the rest. Download Kraken. Get $10 in Bitcoin after your first trade of $10 or more. Just enter code iHeart10 under Add Invite Code when you sign up. Not investment advice.

Crypto trading involves risk of loss and is offered to U.S. customers through Payword Interactive Inc. terms and conditions apply. Looking to buy your first car or home? Understanding your FICO score is key to achieving your life goals.

Knowing your FICO scores helps you apply for loans with confidence and avoid surprises. With MyFICO, you get access to your FICO score, credit reports, 24-7 monitoring, and alerts on the go. Take the mystery out of your score and get your FICO score for free today. Visit myfICO.com/slash free. That's myfico.com/slash free and discover the score lenders use most.

This is an iHeart Podcast. Um

Get The Truth Mobile App and Listen to your Favorite Station Anytime