Who is the man: Rick Monday was entering what would be his sixth and final season with the Athletics. He would be traded at the end of 1971 to the Cubs for pitcher Ken Holtzman.
Can ya dig it: This is one of the first 1971 Topps cards I owned, as you can tell by the beaten corners.
Right on: A terrific "at the batting cage" shot. I don't think I've appreciated how great this photo is.
You see this cat Monday is a bad mother: There has never been anything more bad-ass than Monday running to snatch the American flag from two protesters in the outfield of Dodgers Stadium while a member of the Cubs in 1976. In a true bad-ass statement, Monday said, "If you're going to burn the flag, don't do it around me. I've been to too many veterans' hospitals and seen too many broken bodies of guys who tried to protect it."
Shut your mouth: Monday works Dodger games on the radio with Charley Steiner. I wonder if he's ever said this to Charley?
No one understands him but his woman: Monday can forever say he was the first player ever selected in a Major League Baseball amateur draft. He was the initial choice in the inaugural draft in 1965.
(A word about the back): Topps' arbitrary capitalization of all its letters, which it doesn't do anymore, was something frowned on by my journalism teacher. If the letters aren't initials for anything, then it doesn't get capitalized.
