Why do the Tampa Bay Ray fans ring cow bells to cheer their team?

During tonight's game, the announcers discussed this. They said that the Ray's owner, a native of the Canarsie section of Brooklyn, NY, watched the famous Saturday Night Live sketch with Christopher Walken about the making of the song "Don't Fear the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult. He was bowled over with laughter at the line---"I gotta have more cowbell!" The rest is history.

The "Cowbell" video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZOHY7Z5eaQ&feature=related

In support of skypilot024's post:

That's right. The entire Tampa Bay cowbell movement was borne out of the famous Saturday Night Live "More Cowbell" skit starring Christopher Walken, which first aired in 2000 but continues to have a cultural impact today.

According to this St. Petersburg Times article, the cowbells debuted at Tropicana Field at the 2006 home opener for no other reason than the team's new owner — Stuart Sternberg — thought the Walken sketch was hilarious. Believing that cowbells could become the Rays' version of the Angels' Rally Monkey, Sternberg asked the team's entertainment director if they could begin playing the claim of Walken's famous character that he had to have "more cowbell." The director did and a Tampa Bay tradition was born.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/blog/big_league_stew/post/Postseason-Puzzler-Why-do-Rays-fans-ring-those-?urn=mlb,115749

Of course, the REAL issue hasn't been addressed here. The number one reason for the cowbells is that management was tired of Yankees and Red Sox fans "taking over the stadium". Outnumbered 2 to 1 or 3 to 1 at most "home" games, Rays fans had to resort to artificial means to drown them out. It's no coincidence that of the first 4 cowbell giveaway promotions, 2 were at Yankee games and 2 were at Red Sox games, and they were ONLY given to fans wearing Rays gear.