It was early in the season, only April 25th, and the weather in Los Angeles that Sunday afternoon was a cool 56 degrees.  The Cubs had scored a run in the 3rd inning, but the Dodgers were threatening in the fourth.

Suddenly, there was a commotion in left-center field.  Two people had jumped over the wall and into the field.  They unfurled an American flag, and one person began to douse it with gasoline while the other held a lighter.  Just then, the Cubs’ center fielder, Superman, otherwise known as Rick Monday, appeared.  Moving fast, he ran past the two wannabe flag burners, grabbed the flag, and kept running off the field, saving Old Glory from being burned.

I was thinking about this today on Flag Day, 2026.  I wonder how many people would bother trying to save the flag?  

As for me, I think today should be renamed “Rick Monday Is A Hero” Day, because he certainly is one.  Funny, too, that it happened in LA, where Kirk Gibson hit the impossible home run in the 1988 World Series. You never know what you’ll see in LA..

–Mike–