In 1976, the country was wrapped in a fervor over the impeding Bicentennial celebrations coming on July 4 of that year. From a special Bicentennial symbol, to the commissioning of a park in Joliet, to even a special edition of the quarter, America had a bad case of Bicentennial fever. Meanwhile over in the world of Baseball, the Chicago Cubs were commemorating the 100th Anniversary of their (and the NL's) origins.
April 25, 1976 marked 100 years since the first game ever played in Cubs history, and they were marking the occasion by playing a contest against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In the fourth inning of that game, Cubs player Rick Monday was warming up in the outfield. At this point, two fans all of a sudden charged the field and start running toward the center. In the 70s, streaking had elevated itself to a common pastime, and so it may have been assumed that that was what they were up to. However, nobody really knew what was going on, and so the two men proceeded to the middle of the field. It was at this point that Monday noticed that the object the two men were holding was a folded up American Flag. They draped it on the playing surface, perhaps as if to use it as a picnic surface of sorts? But wait, then they started dousing it with lighter fluid, and then they brandished matches? My goodness, they were gonna burn it! At this point, Monday(who had served in the Marine Corps reserve) sprung into action, sprinting all the way from Center field to Left, swooping down and snatching up the flag mere seconds before it would've burst into flames(a moment that was captured for posterity in this picture by Jim Roark). Immediately, Monday was honored with multitudes of praise, was named the Grand Marshall of Chicago's 1976 Flag Day Parade, and established a legacy that would go on to define his career.
Looking back on it now, Monday is intensely proud of that act and has said that "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 the intervening 37 years since the incident, Monday has been offered amounts of money up to and including $1 Million to sell the flag, but has decided to keep it for his personal collection. The 1976 Cubs finished that season with a 4th place record, but Rick Monday finished first in the hearts of Americans in our Bicentennial Year.
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