Lisa Guerrero: Time to end this monkey business?

All in all it’s been a rough few days for the monkeys.

On Friday night, the Angels’ Rally Monkey let down the home crowd in Anaheim. Although the team triumphed Sunday night in Boston, you can’t credit the monkey unless he sneaked into Jared Weaver’s suitcase.

On Saturday, John McCain’s rally monkey, Sarah Palin, popped up in Carson. Fresh off of her victory over herself at the debate, her campaign let Palin out of the cage to rev up the fan base.

Only problem was that, according to an Associated Press analysis, the lady maverick made some “racially tinged” remarks about Barack Obama. Someone might want to inform Sarah that although comments like that may play well in Wasilla, here in Southern California we celebrate diversity along with divisional championships.

Now back to the other primate.

It pains me to write this because I’m a fan of the Angels. Having grown up in San Diego, then Huntington Beach, and finally settling in Los Angeles, I root for every SoCal team. I also love the Rally Monkey.

Through the years I have purchased several of them. The current one smells like stale beer, has cotton candy stuck in his fur and lives in my closet standing vigil over my shoe rack.

But it may be time to put the Rally Monkey out to pasture. (Or Rain forest? Zoo? Jungle Cruise at Disneyland?) He’s just not performing well in the postseason anymore. Since 2000 he’s done an admirable job overall and has a higher approval rating during this same span than that other monkey in the White House.

There’s no denying that he was once a part of some historic, come-from-behind-victories at the Big A (yes, I still call it that and the Angels will always be the California Angels to me).

Last month, my husband and I had dinner in New York with Johnny Damon and his wife, Michelle. The subject of the Rally Monkey came up –- don’t ask me why –- and he said that the Yankees “fear him.”

Derek Jeter told Johnny that while in the dugout during the 2002 ALCS, several members of the team were watching the scoreboard in Anaheim during a Rally Monkey video. Derek stepped in front of them and warned his teammates to avert their eyes. “Don’t look at the monkey, whatever you do, don’t look at the monkey.” They laughed him off, watched the video anyway and the Angels defeated the Yankees three games to one and the rest was history.

Johnny told us that he believes in the power of the primate.

But has Rally lost his monkey mojo? And why? Is it his age (what’s 8 in monkey years?)? Could it be a woman? A lack of focus? Global warming? I guess for ol’ times sake, if the Halos can pull off another stunner in Beantown, we should give Rally one more chance. So, for now, I’ll get off the monkey’s back and if we’re lucky, he’ll get off Vlad’s.

Lisa Guerrero has covered Super Bowls, NBA championships and the World Series, along with the Oscars, Emmys and Grammys. As an actress, she has appeared on "Frasier," "The George Lopez Show," and as Billy Baldwin's long-suffering wife in the family film "A Plumm Summer," which she executive produced.

Photos: Top: Rally Monkeys were on hand during an April 16 game at Angel Stadium. Credit: Alex Gallardo / Associated Press. Insert: Lisa Guerrero.

Comments

[None of Your Business]

Please keep up the vile personal attacks on Sarah Palin. They are so devastatingly effective. Unfortunately for you (and all the other self absorbed media elites), the effect isn't what you intend. Rather than diminishing her in the eyes of bitter, clingly bumpkins like myself, they just make our support for her stronger and stronger.

Oh bye the way, just for the record, by the end of this election cycle you media elites will have permanently destroyed you credability with mainstream America. We won't be needing you any more. There is no market in Real America for leftist propaganda wraped in a thin veneer of "information".

Have a Nice Day!!!!

[drjohn]

Sports?

This is sports?

Guerrerro is a tool. Then again, no one has ever accused her of having a brain.

Palin is a Governor, Guerrerro is an attractive empty package.

[Darwin Akbar]

Another example of Palin Derangement Syndrome, as a Tolerant Liberal finds herself incapable of writing a column about baseball without launching an idiotic rant againt A Women With Whom She Disagrees. Small wonder that the L.A. Times and its Dead Tree Media brethern are bleeding red ink.

[Mike]

Speaking of monkeys . . . I think Obama has monkey ears. Could he be the Rally Monkey for ACORN when they are standing trial for voter fraud? Lisa, stick to sports your roots are showing.

[Tim]

Wow, Lisa, you got your liberal LA cocktail party ticket punched. Good job, insulting Palin...it's so very edgy of you.

I mean maybe the political hacks at your paper will not make you go to the little kid's table (sports) next time there is a gathering.

How incredibly, fresh...

[iconoclast]

Lisa

"racially tinged"? Palin as "McCain rally monkey"? In an article about how LAA completely collapsed in the post-season?

You are not much of a sports writer and even less of a political commenter. You need to stick to something more appropriate to your abilities--such as just reading some lines and posing on the small screen.

[David Astroturf]

I fully expect to see an LA Times weather report in the next few months calling Palin a monkey (or worse). We're already treated to movie reviews and sports stories larded with utterly nitwit editorializing on politics. That's in addition to the LA Times' and other media outlets total inability to write a straight news story without turning it into a Der Sturmer-style cheering and ranting session for Jesus H. Obama.

And the LA Times thinks that people are canceling subscriptions purely because of the internet. That's as pathetically stupid as all their other pieces of analysis.

[Assistant Village Idiot]

The commenters here miss the undercurrent. Sportswriters feel they are looked down upon as not being real journalists, and so try to bring their chops on political topics to gain status. This is almost invariably progressive echo-chamber stuff, as that's where the jobs are.

The difficulty, Lisa, is that sportswriting is a more honest profession than journalism, and you shouldn't be trying to leave a respectable field for whoredom. Sportswriters admit when they're wrong. They are more vivid writers. They deal with real jerks but write objectively about them anyway. They actually have to know something about the subject to get paid. They know the difference between having a perspective and having a bias. They have a sense of history beyond their own teenage years. They know their job is to report the facts clearly, not "make a difference."

They lose all that when they move to politics.

[Michael Moore]

Who wants to hear some sports chick call Gov. Palin a "monkey."

Why was this article even published?

[Linda]

You media types just can't help yourselves. The ONLY reason I read the LA Times if for its Sports. Can't even do that anymore without reading cowardly and unnecessary attacks against Sarah Palin by "fair and balanced" reporters.

[Becky]

"Only problem was that, according to an Associated Press analysis, the lady maverick made some “racially tinged” remarks about Barack Obama. Someone might want to inform Sarah that although comments like that may play well in Wasilla, here in Southern California we celebrate diversity along with divisional championships."

How ignorant you sound. I assume someone read you the AP headline and you ran with it. Too late to read the actual article now - you'd only be embarrassed for having relied on it.

John McCain's rally monkey indeed. An airhead actress can only make herself look silly by presuming to look down on someone with real accomplishments.

[Tom]

Lisa blew her chance at stardom on MNF. She'll never get another one. Sucks to be her!

[StopLyingObama]

Lisa. Thank you for the laugh. I am still surprised by how sad, uninformed, ignorant, and pathetic so many Democrats are. She questioned Obama's lies regarding his associations with many radical people and groups throughout his life. This is only the tip of the iceberg as these connections are wide and deep. This has nothing to do with racism. William Ayers is not African American. Same with Resko, the leadership of the corrupt group ACORN, the Democrat Socialist Party, or any of a growing number of groups we will be hearing about in the coming days. Really pathetic to repeat things when you clearer have no idea what you are talking about. But then, you are a Democrat after all.

[Jon Gale]

I do not follow baseball but since Lisa has been writing her blog i have been trying to make heads or tails of it. I play baseball in highschool and was most valuable player but i never really liked watching men throw a ball at someone and mybe 1 out of 5 times they will hit it and most of those times they are out. But i have been noticing that there is more to the game then just that thanks to Lisa. Thanks maybe i will be a sport caster some day..... maybe a weather man i can always dream. Great work Lisa kept it going.

[Steve]

It's a BLOG, people...she's supposed to share her opinions here. Get a life, and if you don't like what she writes, scroll down, clown.

[creature]

As a former co-worker of Ms. Guerrero (Fox 11) I had to finally speak up. The comments left on this board are primarily left by people who got riled up by The National Review critic that took her comments OUT OF CONTEXT. Guerrero didn't say that Palins remarks were "racially tinged", the Associated Press did. As was evidenced by Palin getting booed off the ice at last nights game (while using her daughters as political props,) Palin is a divisive figure and not a popular one in California. The "trolls" that write here because of The National Review piece obviously aren't from here, but are also obviously threatened by what Ms. Guerrero has to say. I worked with her for several years at Fox. She knows her sports, is terrific on camera and, as evidenced here and throughout all her blogs on this site, she's a talented writer. Finally, for the Palin apologists, she and McCain are the first ticket in American history to BOTH be found GUILTY of ethical violations before the election!

[sean]

To those of you that lack of a sense of humor and are bitter, republican apologists, 3 things; This blog was quoted out of context in the National Review. If you READ IT CAREFULLY you'll see that it was not Ms. Guerrero that called Gov. Palins' remarks "racially tinged", but it was the Associated Press. Last night on MSNBC a journalist from Alaska also accused Palin of "race baiting" during The Rachael Maddow Show. Secondly, this blog is not only funny, but VERY well written and obviously that must threaten the furious posters above. Lastly, she was right. Don't see any angry postings since Election Day. Guess 'the base" is off licking their wounds. In her own words from her last blog, "Scoreboard, Baby!" Great job, Lisa!