The Revolution that was Cowboy Monkey Rodeo
If you didn’t make it out to a game this weekend, then you missed one of 2010’s most unique on-field entertainment acts to visit Dow Diamond. The following is a photo recap of Team Ghost Riders performance that brought tricks from the South to Midland, Michigan.
The old saying is: you can’t tell how deep a well is by measuring the length of the pump handle — which in minor league baseball translates to: you can’t tell how good an entertainment act is just by looking at the trailer. But Team Ghost Riders’ ‘Wild Thang’ trailer certainly promised great things.
So here’s what happened. First, these four rams were let out onto the field. They ran around amidst all the chaos of baseball players warming up and fans screaming, and actually did a really good job of sticking together, like a school of fish or Def Leppard.
Then once the rams had harassed the players enough to need rescuing, out comes Wild Thang and his four little buckaroos. With the slight lift of his hand and one unintelligible yelp, Wild Thang sent the monkeys after the goading rams. The monkeys then guided the sheep dogs with their little spur boots to save the day.
Everything was over in two minutes, ready for the baseball game to resume. The antics left all the players with smiles on their faces, and every kid in attendance a craving to own a little cowpunching capuchin.
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Here is Wild Thang and company, getting prepped for the Loons ceremonial first pitch. Wild Thang may have out-thrown them both, but the dog and monkey stole the show later.
The in-game performance was just a little teaser for what followed after the game’s conclusion; a herding extravaganza that sent the four rams to the top of the star-spangled truck, all perfectly choreographed to the score of Lonesome Dove.
At the very end, Wild Thang grabbed the microphone to host a Fireside Chat with the fans at Dow Diamond. He encouraged everyone to follow their dreams, like he did, and left us with a performance that affirmed the tired cliche: anything is possible.
Here, Loons 3B Brian Ruggiano and OF Blake Smith pose with Sunday’s stars.
On Saturday night, which was Wild, Wild West Night at Dow Diamond, the Loons staff pose with Wild Thang and the Maverick Monkeys.
So there you have it, Cowboy Monkey Rodeo. The pictures are fun and all, and do a good job of making the field look really green, but until you’ve seen the show for yourself (that is: a Loons baseball game with Cowboy Monkey Rodeo) then you’ll never be considered the tallest pig at the trough. Dive in!
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I’m getting reports of loyal readers having trouble seeing the pictures, it’s mainly because of a flaw with Internet Explorer. I suggest switching to Firefox, which is a much more user-friendly web browser. It has less pop-up windows and less spam ads. Plus you can see the monkey pictures! What are you waiting for?
