Throwback Thursday: The Greatest Save in Baseball History

Blackball Bill14 years ago

“It was the greatest heroic act that’s ever happened on a baseball field.”

Today we look back at the greatest play in the history of our national pastime, which took place 35 years ago this past Monday, April 25, 1976. Rick Monday was playing center field for the Chicago Cubs, when he noticed two unkempt hippies kneeling in left-center, attempting to burn The American flag. Monday, being a veteran of the Marine Corps Reserves and adamant patriot, was not about to stand idly by and watch these protestors desecrate Old Glory. He dashed toward them and scooped up the flag, saving it from flames. Only one thing could have made this an even more timeless TFM: if he’d looped around and delivered a patriotic double clothesline to those disrespectful clowns.

The flag was displayed in Monday’s Vero Beach home until a hurricane threatened its safety, and it was moved to a safety deposit box. Monday hasn’t given a specific value for the flag, but said, “you’d have to add a lot of zeros. People have offered an outrageous amount of money for it- not that it’s for sale.” Rick Monday, American hero, FaF.