ragtag

In 1985, he commissioned an R. Crumb-illustrated edition of “The Monkey Wrench Gang,” Abbey’s cult novel about a ragtag crew of eco-saboteurs waging war on bulldozers, dams and the American West’s development boom.

“Our audience is ragtag,” says Moninger, who first coined the “People’s Republic” term based on his love of obscure national anthems.

The Irish actor stars as an idealistic editor in chief of a Midwest newspaper that he’s trying to revive with the help of his ragtag staff.

Along the way, he gets help from a ragtag bunch of misfits, including a chatty donkey and, later, a boot-wearing cat.

How many times have we cheered on the ragtag baseball team, the minor league hopeful, the plucky semi-pro squad that emerges from the shadows with a miraculous ascent?