Shaikin: 'We responded to the moment': Fred Claire's lasting lesson for a former young assistant

Fred Claire was calling. In April, when we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Rick Monday rescuing an American flag from protesters about to set it aflame, Claire wanted to share more of the story. Claire, then the Dodgers’ publicist and later their general manager, had directed that “RICK MONDAY … YOU MADE A GREAT PLAY” appear on the Dodger Stadium message board. As we talked, Claire made sure to drop the name of the college student earning $15 per game to operate the message board on game nights.