Ex-ballplayer to be cited for saving flag

More than 32 years after saving an American flag from being burned, former Chicago Cubs outfielder Rick Monday will be honored today in Norristown.

The Citizens Advisory Council of the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department will honor Monday at 11:30 a.m. at the Holy Saviour Club, 436 E. Main St. Sheriff John P. Durante will give Monday an American flag that flew over Valley Forge National Historical Park.

On April 25, 1976, Monday rushed to save an American flag from being burned by two protesters during the fifth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.

"I was angry when I saw them start to do something to the flag, and I'm glad that I happened to be geographically close enough to do something about it," Monday told the Associated Press in 2006.

"What those people were doing, and their concept of what they were trying to do, was wrong. That feeling was very strongly reinforced by six years in the United States Marine Corps Reserves. I still think it's wrong to do that."

The Baseball Hall of Fame has chosen Monday's act as one of the 100 greatest moments in the game's history.

Monday, who started his career with the Kansas City Athletics in 1966, had an 18-year major-league career, retiring in 1984. He was a two-time All-Star, and won a World Series with the Dodgers in 1981. He is a broadcaster for the Dodgers, who are scheduled to conclude a four-game series against the Phillies tonight.