While performing my rain dance over the weekend, I started wondering if there are obvious signs that the Apocalypse is nearing. First, we have no water. Unless a tropical storm the size of Lake Titicaca blows through here, we might very well run out of water. Oh, it would be funny if it weren't so serious. One of those cases in which "truth is stranger than fiction," I guess.
Second, we have no money. The Commonwealth of Virginia is in, what, like $400 billion in debt. We soon will have to pay for printing, yet every time I turn around my out-of-state tuition continues to rise.
And then came what seemed to be the clincher -- the Virginia football team is riding a five-game winning streak -- not five quarters, but five games!
But, for me, there is yet another telltale sign that the inmates are now running the asylum: the emerging popularity of the "Rally Monkey." Don't reread the previous sentence just because you are confused or think I must have made a typo, I did mean to say the words "Rally Monkey."
For those of you unfamiliar with this fear-inspiring little primate, let me fill you in on the latest cultural phenomenon sweeping the sports nation.
The so-called Rally Monkey was "born" June 6, 2000, at Edison Field in Anaheim. On that seemingly harmless night, the Anaheim Angels hosted the San Francisco Giants in an interleague baseball game. And then it struck. On the Jumbotron in the outfield, the monkey from "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" appeared on the screen jumping up and down with the words "Rally Monkey" flashing above its head. The Angels, who must have been inspired by the antics of the cute little monkey, rallied in the bottom of the ninth to score two runs and win the game.
From then on the monkey developed a life of its own, as only the Disney-owned Angels could create (i.e. Emilio Estevez and the Mighty Ducks of the big screen become Paul Kariya and the Mighty Ducks of the NHL). Disney responded to the popular demand associated with the Rally Monkey by making him a featured event at Anaheim games and by developing shirts, stuffed animals and other Rally Monkey merchandise. To further capitalize on the fan hysteria, the Angels hired a full-time Rally Monkey -- the same capuchin monkey that appeared on the sitcom "Friends" as Marcel (its real name is Katie).
In order to vary up the appearances, the Rally Monkey was superimposed on movie clips that ranged from "Jerry McGuire" to "Star Wars." Subsequently, the Rally Monkey developed a cult following unmatched by any other sports mascot. The Rally Monkey not only displaced the "rally cap" traditionally used by baseball followers in Anaheim but also replaced the San Diego Chicken as the most beloved animal mascot in sports.
Despite his devoted following in southern California, the Rally Monkey toiled in relative obscurity for the past two years as Anaheim continued to finish near the bottom of its division. But when the Angels' success on the field began to match that of its endearing rally mascot, the Rally Monkey was thrust into the spotlight. Anaheim fans started bringing stuffed rally monkeys to the game for good luck. The Rally Monkey even has its own Web site (no joke) that explains -- and this is my favorite part -- proper "Rally Monkey Etiquette."
The power of the Rally Monkey has been apparent this playoff season. In Game 3 of the ALCS, the Angels entered the eighth inning in a 1-1 tie with the Twins -- that was before the Rally Monkey went to work. Anaheim third basemen Troy Glaus, no doubt riding the momentum of the Rally Monkey, hit a game-winning solo homerun in the bottom of the eighth to give the Angels a 2-1 victory. In Game 4, the Rally Monkey struck again. Entering the seventh inning in a scoreless tie, the Angels scored seven runs in the last two innings to beat the Twins 7-1. The Rally Monkey didn't stop there, though. Entering the bottom of the seventh trailing 5-3 in Game 5, the Angels, obviously inspired by the Rally Monkey, scored a League Championship Series record 10 runs in the inning to take a 13-5
lead that would give them a spot in the World Series.
Can't you picture it now? Bottom of the ninth, Game 7 of the World Series, Rally Monkey vs. Barry Bonds: a clash of titanic proportions.
The widespread appeal of the Rally Monkey may have caught the sports world off guard, but it has made baseball fans, especially those in Anaheim, true believers in the might of the monkey. If we've learned anything these past few weeks, it's that the power of the Rally Monkey should not be underestimated as, dare I say, simply "monkey business."
Read More
For Leah Hayes, 'Just keep swimming' is what Virginia is all about
By Xander Tilock | YesterdayShe shatters records in the pool and is an inspiration to swimming fans and all those with alopecia.
Virginia comes back from a 20-point gap but falls short versus No. 18 Georgia Tech
By Victoria Blankenship | YesterdayVirginia loses another ACC bout in heartbreaking fashion.
How a reinvention turned Andrew Rohde into men’s basketball’s most reliable player
By Thomas Baxter | 2 days agoThe guard has become one of Virginia's primary threats.
