As the nation marks 250 years since the founding of the United States, the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is celebrating the moment with several special events over Memorial Day Weekend.
Highlighting the festivities is the Hall of Fame Military Classic Presented by New Era, a legends game that will honor baseball’s longstanding connection to the military. Set to take place on Saturday, it will feature 24 former big leaguers playing on historic Doubleday Field, including Hall of Famers Wade Boggs, Rollie Fingers, Todd Helton, Fergie Jenkins, Tony La Russa, Jack Morris and Scott Rolen serving as managers and coaches.
The weekend’s festivities began on Friday with highlights laid out by Hall of Fame leadership during an evening event inside the Museum’s Grandstand Theater. These included the opening of two new exhibits: “The Rules of Base Ball” on the Museum’s second floor as part of the “Taking the Field” exhibit, and Rick Monday’s flag exhibited on the Museum’s third floor.
“As you know, on Doubleday Field tomorrow, we are hosting the Hall of Fame Military Classic: A Tribute to Service and Sacrifice,” said Hall of Fame Chairman Janes Forbes Clark. “The game is just one part of the Hall of Fame’s America 250 celebration.”
The celebration includes the America 250 Trail, which can be followed throughout the Museum, exploring the ideals of the Declaration of Independence reflected through the lens of baseball.
One of the stops along the Trail is a new exhibition, “The Rules of Base Ball,” featuring the oldest existing rules of the game that were drafted as part of a convention called to codify the rules. The documents, which are nearly 170 years old, are on loan to the Hall of Fame from Hayden Trubitt.
“For a non-athlete like myself, this is definitely the only way I'm going to get any part of being in the Hall of Fame, and I love it,” Trubitt said. “[The convention] was a full and fair interchange of equals, and what came out of it was a document that allowed everybody to move forward together.”
Also, it was 50 years ago that one of the most patriotic moments on baseball history took place when Rick Monday saved an American flag on the field at Dodger Stadium. A United States Marine reservist, Monday had that special flag in his possession since that moment in 1976 – and he and his wife, Barbaralee, have used it in many successful fundraising efforts for veterans and their families over the years.
“This flag has never been on exhibit until now, as they are graciously loaning it to the Hall of Fame for a special exhibit,” Clark said. “We are so grateful for Rick’s role in this truly great American moment and for their generosity.”
Monday, 80, was the first player taken in the inaugural MLB Draft in 1965. In 1981, he hit what proved to be the game-winning home run in Game 5 of the NLCS, clinching the pennant for his Dodgers. For his career, he made two All-Star teams, hit 241 home runs and posted an OPS of .804. And for almost 35 years, he has been a broadcaster for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
And while all of that is noteworthy, it might be overshadowed by what he saved on April 25, 1976. Playing center field for the Cubs, in bottom of the fourth inning, he saw a man and his son make their way onto the field.
“[Hall of Fame President] Josh [Rawitch] and I had a delightful dinner in Spring Training a year ago, and [he] brought up the idea and said, ‘Hey, we'd like to display the flag. It's going to be a big celebration in our country, the 250th, and how can we make this work?'” Monday recalled earlier in the day at a Baseball’s American Voices event in the Grandstand Theater. “Barbaralee and I thought and about and said, ‘We're all in. Let's do this.’ To see that display today, to me, it is very heartwarming. It's overwhelming to see the reaction of people that see that the display that they put together.”
Rawitch ended the Grandstand Theater portion of the evening stating, “For the past 87 years, this institution has been focused on preserving history, honoring excellence and connecting generations, and we believe each of the new initiatives Jane described will accomplish that mission.
“Most importantly, this weekend is a tremendous opportunity for all of us to pay tribute to those who have served and sacrificed in the military. Recognizing military service and sacrifice is something we proudly do here every day at the Hall of Fame.”
Earlier on Friday afternoon at Doubleday Field, about 130 youngsters, aged 7-12, participated in a youth skills clinic. The two-hour event gave participants a chance to receive hands-on tips and advice from several former Major Leaguers who will be participating in Saturday’s legends game.
Instruction on this day was provided by pitchers Jeremy Affeldt, Mark Dewey, Mitch Harris and David Robertson; shortstop Nick Ahmed; and outfielder Shane Spencer, as well as a pair of players in the Women’s Pro Baseball League, Brittany Apgar and Alyssa Zettlemoyer.
Affeldt, a three-time World Series champion with the Giants, said: “My dad was in the Air Force, so I grew up in the Air Force all over the world, so it’s pretty awesome to be able to represent that. I respect what everybody did because I lived it, obviously, but also, I had a lot of friends that were in the Special Forces. So, being able to represent this situation, being America's pastime, and then also coming [to Cooperstown] and just playing again, you can't get any better than that.”
Spencer was a two-time World Series champion with the Yankees whose father served 20 years in the Navy.
“Just getting invited is awesome,” Spencer said. “And, obviously, I'm part of the military background because my dad was in the Navy for 20 years, U.S. Customs for 23, and my stepdad was in the Navy, so obviously I'm a Navy guy.
“My dad was gone a lot, and as a baseball player, we know as parents, like we're gone a lot, and the kids have to deal with it, and it's hard. It really is difficult, but we respect what they do, and you know, hopefully my kids respect what I do.”
Ahmed, who retired after the 2025 season, was a two-time Gold Glove winner with the Diamondbacks whose grandfathers both served in the Army.
“[Baseball has] brought me so many amazing blessings and opportunities, and the relationships that I built through the game, the lessons that the game has taught me. It's such an amazing game,” Ahmed said. “It teaches you so much about yourself as a person, helps you to overcome failure and adversity, just camaraderie as you learn how to be a good teammate. So, it's an amazing game. I love it. It's brought so much to my life, my family's life, and I couldn't be more grateful for it.”