Some teams have their rally towels, and some use a different hair cut, but we have our Monkey. This is not just entertainment value for the fans, the players are well aware of its power. The Monkey “haunted” Torii Hunter for years after the Twins lost to the Angels in the Championship series in 2002 where Torii lost his World Series opportunity. When he came to the Angels he said he was “glad to have the Monkey off his back.” The Monkey also did all of baseball a justice by keeping Barry Bonds from the one thing he didn’t have, a World Series.

In all seriousness, 2002 was year where the Angels were in every game. They lead the league in come from behind wins, and most importantly made one of the most historic comebacks in game six of the World Series. Since then, it has not been so magical. Every Angels fan is sick and tired of losing to the Boston Red Sox, but even more so we are sick of falling short in close playoff games. In past years it has seemed as though the Angels hitters are afraid of something. I’m convinced that Josh Beckett and John Lester have gained their playoff confidence by facing the Angels in the playoffs. We make them look much better than they are and every year is the same story, going home after a great season.

This year seems to be different. The Angels once again lead the lead in comeback wins with 35 and the Rally Monkey has awaken from his slumber. Maybe it’s the Angels not getting the respect they deserve, or maybe it’s these great young hitters we have, but either way the Angels have their swagger back. Napoli is sporting the hawk, and Vlad looks young again, but more importantly the Monkey is back and I look forward to finally scoring some runs in the playoffs.

- Tony C