April 25, 1976

Batesville (Independence County) native Rick Monday, who played nineteen seasons for four different teams from the mid-1960s to the mid-1980s, stopped an attempted flag burning. While playing in the outfield for the Chicago Cubs against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, Monday saw two spectators leave the stands and attempt to burn an American flag in the outfield. Monday raced to the spot and took the flag away before it was ignited. A month later, the rescued flag was presented to Monday by officials from the Los Angeles team. The Cubs traded Monday to the Dodgers after that season, and he played in the World Series three times for the Dodgers.