User:AlazneB/sandbox/Edited Article

The article I will be diting is the Phoenix Suns. This article will be edited byt hree of us, Goizane Peña, Iñigo de Olabarria and me. Each of us will edit its part in our sandboxes. I will start with the Suns mascot: The Suns Gorilla

For the first eleven seasons of their existence in the NBA, the Suns had no official mascot, but some years later this mascot was born byaccident. A messenger for Eastern Onion, a singing telegram service, came to the Coliseum during a home game dressed as a gorilla. As he left, Coliseum security suggested he do a few dances underneath the basket during a timeout and the fans loved it. So did the messenger, who kept coming to games until he was officially invited to be part of the team. And this is how this mascot was accidentally born. The messenger, a quiet young man named Henry Rojas, was anything but quiet in his costume. An early attempt was made involving a sunflower costume, but it never caught on. Given a Suns warm-up jacket, Rojas shed his shyness, and turned into an entertainment beast, dancing, joking with fans and, in general, enjoying himself to the fullest. Nowadays, the Suns Gorilla is one of the most famous mascots in the NBA.

Affectionately nicknamed “Go” and towering at a whopping five-foot “ape,” the Gorilla is the Phoenix Suns favorite primate. Most notably, fans are familiar with the Gorilla for his on the court antics where he raises the Phoenix Suns flag in the name of team-pride, performs notorious slam dunk routines and fires up the crowd. From his early days in the Banana Republic to his education at Fur-man University, the Gorilla has always had a passion for basketball. Before his debut with the Phoenix Suns, the Gorilla delivered singing telegrams. However, in 1980 the Gorilla’s fate changed when he stepped onto the court during a game and surprised unsuspecting players and fans. His antics became an instant hit and the Gorilla has been a member of the Phoenix Suns ever since. . Since then, the gorilla, has been known for his slapstick humor during the games such as his stadium stairs all to the sound of the Rocky Theme, and the fantastic dunks that are performed before each 4th quarter. The Gorilla would do a few push-ups on the court, then head off in a quest to climb the stairs of both the lower and upper level of the Coliseum to get to the top. When he reached the base of the upper level, he’d stop for a second to soak up the applause, then head to the top of the building. When he got there, the crowd would explode. It never failed. Also, one of his more beloved skits was at a Knicks home game where he came out to Frank Sinatra's Theme from New York, New York, wearing a hat, with several pieces of garbage stuck to his leg. Halfway through the song, a group of “muggers” attacked him, and he staggered off the court afterwards. Give him credit, The Gorilla has always been more then a slapstick comedian. In a way, though, that’s what makes The Gorilla so much fun. He’s not really there just to cheer on the Suns - although he does so with great enthusiasm. The Gorilla just wants to have fun, and wants the rest of us to have fun with him.

Though Rojas has gone on to a life without a costume, The Gorilla continues to entertain fans, not only at Suns games, but around the country as well. He has gotten involved over the years in numerous charity projects. Any time people see him, however, two things come to mind - Suns basketball and fun! It’s hard to imagine a Suns game without The Gorilla, but for 11-plus seasons, the team had no official mascot. There was one attempt to create a Suns-related mascot, with a sunflower costume. The idea, however, never really caught on. It appears we’re stuck, happily, with this furry goodwill ambassador. These days, the king of the jungle now rules as the dean of NBA mascots after his 2005 induction into the Mascot Hall of Fame. The Gorilla makes over 350 appearances a year with charities, schools, hospitals and local businesses. In addition to attending Phoenix Suns home games, Go has also become a world-traveler making appearances in Argentina, Australia, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. He can also be found around the United States at various sporting events. When the Gorilla is not working he enjoys long walks on the court, high flying slam dunks and eating bananas.

Go has been played by three different men since his inception as their mascot. Henry Rojas performed for the Suns from the Gorilla's inception in 1980 until the end of the 1987-88 NBA season. Bob Woolf took over the role afterwards, and he helped introduce some of the biggest staples Go holds. He performed as the Gorilla from the 1988-89 NBA season until the 2005-06 NBA season|2005-06 season. The most recent Suns' Gorilla was Devin Nelson, who performed from the 2006-07 NBA season until the end of the 2011-12 NBA season|2011-12 season. A new Gorilla is slated for reveal before the 2012-13 NBA season|2012-13 season commences. The new Gorilla is from Grand Rapids, Michigan and is hailed as one of the best professional mascots in the world.