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The Truth About the Rally Monkey
Television (FOX, ESPN, and even local stations)
does not do the rally monkey justice.  The World Series
couldn't show the nation what the Rally Monkey experience
is all about.  It's not just a bunch of fans waving around
stuffed monkeys.  Unless you're a player or a fan that has
gone to an Angel game where the monkey appeared,
you don't know what an incredible experience it is...

October 31st, 2002

The Setting
We went to see an Angel game last season against the Baltimore Orioles.  Now keep in mind that both teams are about 30 games out of first place and there is no such thing as "thunderstix".  The Big Ed is about 2/3 full and nobody is purposely dressing in red.  Through 6 innings the Orioles lead 3-1 and the loud roars from the crowd come
only when Baltimore does something good.  (because a third
of the people in the stadium are rooting for Baltimore) At this time, the highlight of the game for us is the food.

The Bottom of the Seventh
The Angels, trailing by a couple of runs, finally get two
runners on.  The Baltimore manager goes to the mound and
signals the bullpen for a new pitcher.  Suddenly on the big
screen, Tom Cruise is on the phone with Cuba Gooding Jr.
from the movie, Jerry Maguire.  We immediately wonder,
"What is going on?"

The Scene
I can't remember the scene exactly,
but you know the one
I am talking about.
It went something like this...
Cuba:  "Let me hear you say it, Jerry..."
Tom Cruise (Jerry Maguire):  "Show me the Monkey."
Cuba:  "I can't feel you, Jerry..."
Tom Cruise:  "Show me the Monkey!"
Cuba:  "I can't hear you, Jerry..."
Tom Cruise:  "Show me the Monkey!!!"
Cuba:  "Louder Jerry..."
Tom Cruise shouts:  "SHOW ME THE MONKEY!"

The screen fades to black... as the music begins to play the opening chords of "Jump Around" by the House of Pain.  The crowd begins to make noise...

The Monkey Cometh
Suddenly on the screen, the rally monkey is jumping
up and down as the chorus to the high energy
"Jump Around" is being blasted throughout the stadium...

"Jump around, jump around... jump up jump up and get down...
Jump, jump jump... everybody jump, jump, jump..."
(forgive my bad singing/rapping)
On the screen during this are shots of the monkey jumping
up and down mixed with past scenes of crowds quite
literally going ape... Silly?  Yes!  Fun?  You bet!
The crowd is suddenly cheering like the Angels
just won a playoff game...  The kids in the stadium are
holding up their rally monkeys and jumping up and down.
The crowd is now on the edge of their seat with every
pitch... you can't hear the Baltimore fans anymore.
Clapping on every ball, booing on every strike, yelling
encouragement and believing that the Angels will prevail.
Another pitching change... another movie scene...

More Scenes
Baltimore kept making pitching changes, which led
to more movie scenes featuring the rally monkey...
   Kevin Costner is walking around in the cornfields
   (from the movie Field of Dreams).
   The voice in the field keeps repeating to him:
   "If you make noise, he will come."

   Obi Wan Kenobi whispers into Luke's ears as
   he is flying his x-wing through the Deathstar...
   "Believe in the power of the Rally Monkey!"

   Haley Joel Osment tells Bruce Willis in
   the movie, Sixth Sense... "I see Rally Monkeys!"

You get the picture...
Other movie scenes which I haven't seen include
Star Trek, Risky Business, Signs, and many others...

The Comeback?
So, guess what happened after all the appearances
of the rally monkey?  A come from behind victory?
Not quite... the Angels could get guys on base,
but the Halos just couldn't drive them home.
They lost 3-1, but we had a blast!
What other stadium can generate such energy?
A dead crowd went into a complete frenzy...

Misc Rally Monkey Facts
The Rally Monkey was born on June 6th, 2000 in
   an interleague game against the San Francisco
   Giants.  The Angels came from behind and beat
   Rob Nen, one of the best closers in the game.
   The monkey shown on this night was the monkey
   in a scene from Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.

The Rally Monkey does not guarantee a victory...
   Which proved to be the fact in this year's World
   Series.  The monkey's record is 63-42, not bad.

On June 6th, 2001, the Angels hosted a Rally Monkey
   Birthday Bash before and during their game with
   the Seattle Mariners.  They did win this game...
   However, that night, pitcher, Jarod Washburn
   complained that the Rally Monkey was getting too
   much attention and that Anaheim should promote
   their players rather than the monkey.  The next day,
   the Angels trailed once again, but the Rally Monkey
   was nowhere to be seen.  The kids in the crowd  
   were extremely disappointed as they were ready
   to jump up and down with their monkeys.  After
   the game was over (the Angels lost), the outcry
   from the fans reinstated the Rally Monkey.

In conclusion...
Go to an Angel game and hope they are losing as
it goes to the late innings... They may not win,
but it's an amazing experience!

(Rally) Monkey
on a round key ring

Lil Angel
on a round key ring

Lil Angel
on a round key ring

The 3 Best Baseball Games I've attended
Please keep in mind, I only go to 1 or 2 games a year.
(the longer the better?)

     #1  Philadelphia Phillies at the Los Angeles Dodgers
                (date:   Sometime in the early to mid 90's)
                Final score: Phillies 10, Dodgers 11 (in 10 innings)
                Both teams used almost every pitcher/hitter.  There was
                a home run by the Philly pitcher and a Dodger grand slam.
                Game started at 7:30pm, the third inning finished after
                10:00pm, and the game ended after 1:00am in the morning.
     #2  Milwaukee Brewers at the Anaheim Angels
                (date:   June 8th, 2004)
                Final score: Brewers 1, Angels 0 (in 17 innings)
                The Brew crew tied a major league record by striking out
                26 times in a single game.  This game started at 7:00pm
                the ninth inning finished around 9:00pm (really fast)
                and the game finally ended at 12:00am.  (and arrived at the
                stadium at 5:00pm to catch batting practice.)  We sat in
                the left field pavilion and eventually ended up behind the
                Angels dugout as the innings wore on.  The crowd finally
                figured out how to get "the wave" to work in the 17th inning.
                It was hilarious as the crowd really got into it and some
                sections had only 2 or 3 people in them, but they still did it!
                Got to experience the 14th inning stretch and view about
                5 or 6 of the rally monkey video montages.  (parodies of
                The Brady Bunch, The Ring, Austin Powers, etc.)
    #3  Cincinnati Reds at the Los Angeles Dodgers
                (date:   May 22nd, 2000)
                Final score: Reds 3, Dodgers 4 (in 14 innings)
                As the game went into extra innings, all I remember is that
                the Dodgers kept getting guys on base, the crowd going
                nuts, and then the Dodgers making out sending the game
                into another inning.  They must've loaded the bases 3 times
                in extra innings, but couldn't score until the 14th inning.
                This was our first experience with the 14th inning stretch.
                The game lasted over 4 1/2 hours, so we didn't get home
                until after midnight.  I remember my friend bought some
                garlic fries to take home to his parents in the 8th inning
                so they would hopefully be hot when he got home, but as
                it turned out, they were ice cold by the time we got home.