A Great American Hero

Someone sent me a video the other day that I was shocked I had never seen or heard of. It was entitled, “The Greatest Play in Baseball History,” so I assumed it would be some diving catch, walk-off home run or the Jeter stand dive from 2004. Boy was I wrong. This video changed my life, and gave me a new American hero. Watch the video below:



Here at NervousCircle, two of the things we pride ourselves on are our love for America and our love of useless sports knowledge. And although this happened a decade before I was born, I am disgusted with myself that I had never heard about this incredible display of Patriotism and athletic ability until recently.

If you’re like me, a few questions had to have come to mind after watching this. First off, who were these characters trying to defile the symbol of freedom in the middle of Dodger Stadium? Because it was in LA, the dudes looked kind of shabby and the fact that they’ll always be our retarded little brother to the South, I just assumed they were Mexicans. Call me a racist, but it's usually pretty fool-proof reasoning; dark, dirty dudes who hate America are usually Mexican or Arab. I was wrong though. “The man who tried to burn the American Flag at Dodger Stadium was attempting to draw attention to what he claims is his wife’s imprisonment in a Missouri mental institution, authorities say,” wrote the Los Angeles Times on April 30. Because obviously the best way to send a message to a mental institution in Missouri is to burn a flag in LA.

The second logical question is how the hell did these guys get out onto the field and have that long to attempt this? I guess in 1976, there wasn’t the same kind of security there is now a days. Dudes that jump on the field now are usually aggressively form tackled by huge security guards, then cuffed and arrested with a knee in their backs. And there’s always a loud “oohhhhhhh” when they get brought down, because it never really looks like it feels good. You can’t help but think “was it worth it?” when you see that. These nut jobs? They strolled onto the field, and leisurely attempted to light a flag on fire while the “security guards” panicked (or maybe they were in the beer line). If it wasn’t for the heroics of Rick Monday, who knows what could’ve happened. Worse, once Rick saved the day, these goons were escorted off the field by a few guards and the grounds crew. Not exactly murders row.

But I guess we should be grateful that they left the camera’s rolling back then, or else Rick Monday would just be another run-of-the-mill former ball player. They don’t even show these idiots on TV anymore. Only occasionally will Joe Buck say something about them. Now that I think about it if Joe Buck was calling the game back in 1976, he probably would’ve supported those animals. Why? Because Joe Buck is a communist. And what really puts the cherry on top of these pathetic morons trying to burn an American flag? Watch closely after Monday swipes the Stars and Stripes; the dude’s first move is to throw the box of matches at him. Obviously this dude was intelligent, because if there anything that’s going to hurt a professional athlete running full speed, its being hit with a box of matches.

And the most understated portion of the video? Tommy Lasorda claiming he was going to do the same thing but Monday beat him to it. Ok Tommy, you can’t bullshit a bullshitter. Looks to me like you pulled the classic make a move as it’s being taken care of deal. It’s like the guy who asks “are you sure? We can split it,” about a dinner bill as you’re signing the check.

But I digress. The point of this post was to show what a truly great American Rick Monday is. He didn’t care that he could have been set on fire, or think of the repercussions of what the two idiots would do, he just acted. He looked fear in the eyes and said “These colors don’t run!” It takes one hell of an American to get 50,000 people to sing “Gob Bless America” spontaneously. Rick joins a long line of American Heroes, from Abraham Lincoln to Joey Chestnut. And for that, we proudly induct Rick Monday into the NervousCircle Hall of Fame. Congratulations Rick and God Bless America.