Aug 8, 2006

Long live the Rally Monkey


The San Bernardino County Sun reports that the Rally Monkey is alive and well at Angel Stadium. Highlights:
"Fans still love him,'' said Peter Bull, Angels entertainment manager. "Sales in the team store are still strong. People still bring their monkeys to the game. Adults and kids, both.''
...
Just jumping. That was all the monkey did in his debut, back on June 6, 2000.

The Angels were losing to the Giants in an interleague game. Bull's entertainment crew ran video of a leaping monkey from "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'' and superimposed the words "Rally Monkey'' over it.

The crowd went wild - and the Angels scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth to win.

A star was born. The monkey was a hit from the start.
...
The monkey's biggest moment came in Game 6 of the World Series. The Angels trailed the Giants 5-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning; San Francisco was nine outs from winning the Series.

Bull remembers the moment well. He cued co-worker Bob Castillo's Rally Monkey takeoff on the M. Night Shyamalan movie "Signs.''

A tense Mel Gibson edges through a corn field. An overhead shot shifts to show a mysterious "crop circle'' - and the Rally Monkey suddenly fills the screen, demanding belief in his/her power.

Fans erupted. The Angels scored three runs in the seventh and three in the eighth to pull out a memorable 6-5 victory, then romped in Game 7 the next night.

Read the full article...


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