CENTER FIELD :: Are You Ready For Some Cowbell?

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Are You Ready For Some Cowbell?

I hope you have some earplugs handy at the ready, because tonight's matchup against the Rays in Tampa is going to be an aural assault... courtesy of a whole hell of a lot of cowbells.

Tonight is "Cowbell Night" at Tropicana Field (no, seriously) -- and the Rays are giving away 10,000 cowbells at the park gates to fans dressed in Rays gear. That's TEN THOUSAND clanging cowbells, in addition to the normal random sprinkling of cowbells in the Trop crowd. Hooray.

Fans dressed in Rays gear will be given a clanging cowbell to be shaken only when the opposing batter has two strikes or the other team's fans decide to start up a cheer.

The cowbell promotion was the idea of principal owner Stuart Sternberg, who picked it up from a classic Saturday Night Live skit. But its loudest proponent is "The Cowbell Kid" otherwise known as Cary Strukel, 38, a bartender and small-business owner who has become a one-man marching band of Rays fanfare, complete with giant blue afro wig and scuba flippers.

Strukel's proudest achievement is a clip from ESPN where Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay was heard saying about him, "I want to go down and make that guy eat the cowbell!"

Fantastic. Can't wait to hear this one in surround sound!

Comments (13)

[ Liza ] says:
on April 26, 2008 6:23 PM

I want to be the first to say it.

LESS COWBELL!

[ ecl1958 ] says:
on April 26, 2008 6:38 PM

Oh goody...my ears are ringing already.

[ Jennifer ] says:
on April 26, 2008 6:39 PM

I'll be the second. "LESS COWBELL." I feel sorry for the players...they have to listen to it.

[ kristina ] says:
on April 26, 2008 6:47 PM

oh god, not the cowbells, I wonder what don and remy will have to say about this

[ Erin ] says:
on April 26, 2008 6:50 PM

I hate cowbells

[ jules ] says:
on April 26, 2008 7:18 PM

They are annoying. *UNLESS* you're at a Kings game clanging away when the Lakers are in town. Then, it's awesome.

[ Karen ] says:
on April 26, 2008 7:35 PM

They are back tonight. I was there last night, and I'll just say it's loud in person. Although the amount of Red Sox fans outnumbered the Ray fans, so that was good. I was close to the bullpen so I got to see Papelbon, my favorite warm-up. Unfortunately he didn't get to pitch.

[ Amber ] says:
on April 26, 2008 7:47 PM

I never thought I'd see the day when I was glad I didn't attend a baseball game.

[ gretchen0720 ] says:
on April 27, 2008 8:41 AM

If I hear another cowbell.. it might end up where the sun don't shine...

I hatehatehatehatehate cowbells.....

[ Jordan ] says:
on April 27, 2008 4:16 PM

I hate anytime that one of my teams has to play Tampa Bay. I HATE COWBELLS. I thought one would have been bad, 10,000 must have been bad.

[ name ] says:
on May 6, 2008 5:14 PM

These are all great comments and suggestions (and more are welcome). Thanks. I will follow up as soon as I can.,

[ name ] says:
on May 6, 2008 5:14 PM

Some pages can't fit in to a 800x600 screen. I have to scroll left and right to read all the text.,

[ Misty ] says:
on June 20, 2008 1:09 PM

First let me start by saying I am a Rays fan who does not hate The Red Sox. Only The Yankees! lol
I also own several cowbells but I have mixed feelings about them. In the beginning we were given rules to use them by. Thanks to that cowbell kid (who is actually suppose to be a grown man but who craves attention for himself) those rules have gone out the window. Now the fans clang them constantly. I myself find it annoying at times when it is being loudly & constantly clanged in my ear! I feel bad for ALL fan's on both sides. The end result? I now leave it up to the cowbell kid to annoy people and I leave my bells at home. I went back to old fashion applauding.

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