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Robert James Monday
Oakland Athletics
Outfield
Born: November 20, 1945, Batesville, AR
Drafted: Drafted by the Kansas City Athletics in the 1st round (1st pick) of the 1965 amateur draft, June 8, 1965
Major League Teams: Kansas City Athletics 1966-1967; Oakland Athletics 1968-1971; Chicago Cubs 1972-1976; Los Angeles Dodgers 1977-1984
World Series Appearances: Los Angeles Dodgers 1977-1978, 1981
Rick Monday was the first player selected in the inaugural amateur player draft, held in 1965, and he'd go on to play in 19 major league seasons. Some of his best seasons came in the late 1960s/early 1970s with the Athletics as their everyday center fielder, and he was named to his first All-Star team in 1968. He was dealt to the Cubs before the 1972 season, and he'd spend five years patrolling the Wrigley Field outfield. On April 25, 1976 at Dodger Stadium, Monday famously saved an American flag about to be burned in the outfield by a pair of protestors. He swiped the flag and ran off with it, receiving thunderous applause from the crowd. 1976 was his best season statistically as he batted .272 while attaining career highs in home runs (32) and RBIs (77).
On January 11, 1977, Monday was dealt to the Dodgers for Bill Buckner and Ivan DeJesus. The Dodgers would fall short against Reggie Jackson (#260) and the Yankees in the 1977 and 1978 World Series, but they'd finally prevail in 1981, giving Monday a World Series ring. During his eight years with the Dodgers, which included his second All-Star Game nod in 1978, Monday gradually shifted from an everyday outfielder to a left-handed bat off the bench. The majority of his appearances in the early 1980s came as a pinch-hitter, and he'd retire following the 1984 season. He's since been a long-time broadcaster for the Dodgers. Monday batted .264 over his career, with 1,619 hits, 241 home runs and 775 RBIs.
Rick Monday was the first player selected in the inaugural amateur player draft, held in 1965, and he'd go on to play in 19 major league seasons. Some of his best seasons came in the late 1960s/early 1970s with the Athletics as their everyday center fielder, and he was named to his first All-Star team in 1968. He was dealt to the Cubs before the 1972 season, and he'd spend five years patrolling the Wrigley Field outfield. On April 25, 1976 at Dodger Stadium, Monday famously saved an American flag about to be burned in the outfield by a pair of protestors. He swiped the flag and ran off with it, receiving thunderous applause from the crowd. 1976 was his best season statistically as he batted .272 while attaining career highs in home runs (32) and RBIs (77).
Building the Set / Card #145
March 12, 2023 from The Philly Show (Uncle Dick's Cards)
In mid-March, Doug and I attended the Philadelphia Sports Collectors Show, held within the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania. My main focus for this show was accumulating as many 1969 Topps commons as possible, which I did by adding a grand total of 193 cards to our set. That's almost 30% of the entire set added in one enjoyable afternoon. I wrote a full summary of the show in a post over at The Phillies Room, found here.
This is the 68th of the 193 commons and semi-stars purchased, pulled and stacked from the first two neon green binders housing 1969 Topps cards at the multi-table spread of Uncle Dick's Cards from Babylon, New York. My method was simple - I pulled up a chair, found a card I needed, picked the best of the group from the binder page and set it aside. After each 100 cards, I'd ask the dealer to tell me how much damage I had done so far. With a budget in mind, I kept going twice, continuing after card #100 and card #200, and stopping at card #298. The final amount due was 17% off the sticker price for the pile of 193 cards, with this card costing me $1.25.
The Card / Athletics Team Set / Accuracy Index +2
Topps blotted out the "KC" logo on Monday's helmet, given the team's move to Oakland in 1968. The photo was likely taken at the same time as the one used for Monday's Deckle Edge card, and given he's wearing #28, it's from the 1966 or 1967 season. The back of the card mentions his status as the top draft pick in 1965, and also celebrates his appointment to the Topps Rookie All-Star team in 1967.
Accuracy Index: The uniform is right (+5), but the helmet logo is missing (-3).
Inserts: Monday is included in the 35 card Topps Deckle Edge insert set and is one of 48 decals in the Topps Decals insert set. He's one of 27 players to appear in both insert sets.
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1969 Season
Monday was the regular center fielder for the Athletics for the third season in a row, making 111 starts in center field for the second place club. His partners in the outfield were usually Jackson in right field and Tommie Reynolds (#467) in center field. Monday batted .271 with 12 home runs and 54 RBIs and his .388 on-base percentage was third on the club behind Jackson and third baseman Sal Bando (#371).
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First Mainstream Card: 1967 Topps #542
Topps Flagship Set Appearances (18): 1967-1984
Most Recent Mainstream Card: 2023 Topps Living #638
Total Non-Parallel Baseball Cards: 189 in the Beckett online database as of 10/14/23.
Sources:
Baseball Reference / Wikipedia
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