Rick Monday joins the MLBPA's "Stitch x Stitch'' podcast and shares stories from six eventful decades in professional ball. Rick made history as the No. 1 pick in MLB's first-ever amateur draft in 1965, and played 19 seasons as an outfielder with the Athletics, Cubs and Dodgers before transitioning to a distinguished career as a broadcaster in LA. He reflects on his interactions with Dodger legends Tommy Lasorda and Vin Scully, his military service, and that memorable day in 1976 when he rescued the American flag from protestors intent on burning it in the Dodger Stadium outfield. He got the baseball bug as a kid in Southern California, and that passion for the game has never waned.

• (00:00:00) - Rick Munday on the Players' Association
• (00:07:23) - Tommy Lasorda on Becoming a Major Leaguer
• (00:12:17) - The Draft 1st Pick
• (00:19:21) - Charlie Finley During the Strike
• (00:25:08) - The Chicago Cubs' Leo Durocher
• (00:31:52) - Tommy Lasorda on desecrating the American flag
• (00:39:44) - The Battle of San Diego
• (00:40:28) - Vin Scully on His Turnaround
• (00:44:50) - Vin Scully on Baseball's Future

Dick Bosman, this week’s guest on Stitch x Stitch, won an American League ERA title in 1969 and threw a 79-pitch no-hitter against Reggie Jackson, Sal Bando and the World Champion Oakland A’s in 1974, while armed with a fastball that topped out in the mid-80s. He was also a steadfast ally of Marvin Miller, at a time when taking a strong stance on labor matters could be hazardous to a player’s career aspirations. Dick weathered the 1972 strike as the Texas Rangers’ player representative, but he remains convinced that his union advocacy led to him being blackballed from the game at age 32. Fifty years later -- after a long and successful run as a pitching coach and mentor to many -- he shares his memories of a momentous time for baseball labor and the game.

• (00:00:05) - Duane Bosman on the Players Association
• (00:07:06) - Strike 1, 1972
• (00:13:25) - Baseball Player in Labor
• (00:14:23) - Tim Rainey on Working Two Jobs
• (00:20:43) - Bob Kennedy on Being Blackballed by the Indians
• (00:25:41) - Tom Leyland on the Fight for Pension
• (00:31:24) - Stitch by Stitch

Larry Dierker, our latest guest on Stitch x Stitch, broke into the big leagues as a “bonus baby’’ with the Houston Colt .45s in 1964 and celebrated his 18th birthday with a first inning strikeout of Willie Mays. Over the next four decades, he became synonymous with Houston baseball as a two-time All-Star pitcher, Astros manager and team broadcaster. In this episode, Dierker reflects on the formative years of the union and the partnership between Marvin Miller and players that forever changed the game. His memories run the gamut -- from Leo Durocher scattering players with fungoes as they assembled for a union meeting in the outfield to an awkward encounter with a general manager who responded to his request for a raise with silence and a puff of cigar smoke. Dierker shares his story with an eye for detail, a wry sense of humor, and an enduring commitment to the player fraternity and the game he loves.

• (00:00:05) - Larry Durker on His 18th Birthday
• (00:07:40) - Marvin Miller on Starting a UAW
• (00:15:36) - Joe Morgan on the Baseball Players' Union
• (00:17:18) - George Steinbrenner on the Strike
• (00:26:12) - Marvin Hall on His Pension