'Rally Bear' banned from Dodger Stadium: 'I got my point across' - Los Angeles Times
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‘Rally Bear’ banned from Dodger Stadium: ‘I got my point across’

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The “Rally Bear” who danced atop the St. Louis Cardinals dugout this week has been banned from Dodger Stadium for six months, he says.

The 50-year-old man who wore the “Rally Bear” costume, Mark Monninger of Rancho Cucamonga, said he pulled the stunt to promote the idea of the Dodgers’ getting a mascot.

As the Dodgers fought their way to a 3-0 win Monday over the St. Louis Cardinals, Monninger jumped out of his seat dressed in a bear costume and rushed on top of the Cardinals’ dugout.

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He then waved his hands wildly, clapping to get the crowd hyped up and tried to do a jump into splits -- twice -- before being pulled away by security personnel.

Monninger called it “a gonzo, guerrilla-thing where you just go for it.”

“Not bad for a white guy.... Trust me, it can get way better,” Monninger said of his late-game performance. “I can tear up a rug if I have to.”

A spokesman for the Dodgers on Tuesday said the ban included six months’ worth of games at Dodger Stadium.

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Monninger, who owns an office furniture store, said he was trying to drive home the point that the Dodgers need a mascot.

“I’m not trying to promote any organization or cause.... I just want to show fans this is what is out there, this is someone that can entertain you,” he said.

He decided on a bear costume because “bears are cuddly, they look good.”

Monninger said that even though he wasn’t arrested, that could change if he violates the ban.

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“It’s in their hands now,” Monninger said. “I got my point across.”

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