Rally Monkey Vigil for Barbaro

By: M. Noonan

BEEFARINO, KY (AP) - The Anaheim Angels' rambunctious Rally Monkey led a vigil of fellow sports animals outside of Barbaro's hospital room late Thursday as the Kentucky Derby champ remained in critical condition.

The Monkey rallied a pack of fellow sports animal celebrities including Smarty Jones, Air Bud, a collie named Ricochet from the Outdoor Games, 2006 Best in Show winner Rufus, and that chimp from the movie "Ed" with Matthew LeBlanc.

The Monkey nearly started several fires as he couldn't keep his candle steady without performing multiple backflips. Emotions began to run high in the waiting room area as Smarty Jones got into it with the horse from Hot to Trot who, although a close friend of Barbaro's, has never seen eye to eye with Jones and was not on the hospital guest list. As tempers flared, the rally monkey began an impromtu 'Yankees Suck' chant uniting the motley group while doctors and nurses looked on with approval.

Several dogs, cats, squirrels, rabbits, and other neighborhood animals were gathered outside the hospital to wish Barbaro well but were not let inside for fear the large crowd might turn the hospital into a chaotic animal house.

Barbaro remained under observation forcing his handlers to cancel his turn on ESPN's exhilerating 'Budweiser Hot Seat' as well as his exclusive interview with Stephen A Smith.

Additional Reporting by T. Ryan