If you’ve watched a postseason game involving the surprising Tampa Bay Rays, you’ve probably asked yourself why the fans at Tropicana Field ring cowbells the entire game.

After all, the Tampa/St. Pete area isn’t exactly known for its cattle production and none of the Rays players have bovine-related nicknames. What’s more, the team is named after a sea citizen, not a farm animal and it plays baseball, not high school football (the sport where you’re most likely to hear constant clanging).

No, there seems to be no obvious reason for why the cowbells have become synonymous with a team that holds a 3-2 ALCS edge over the Red Sox going into Saturday night’s Game 6.

That is, until you realize the reason is the most obvious of all.

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.

"The clip is drop-dead funny," Sternberg told the paper at the time. "It gets funnier and funnier each time. We’ll bring in other bits, but I’m hoping this one becomes our — and the fans’ — signature."

More than two years later, there’s no doubt it has.  The team’s most famous fan is named The Cowbell Kid (that’s him above), the team hands out cowbells as giveaways on select nights and a special video explaining "Cowbell Etiquette" is played at each Rays’ home game. 

Since the noisemakers are legal under MLB rules, it also gives them a decided homefield advantage when The Trop is full. According to this article, the Chicago White Sox took batting practice with piped-in cowbell noise before they played the Rays in the ALDS earlier this month.

Postseason Puzzler Status — Solved. (Now let’s go ahead and try to set the record for most "More Cowbell" and "I have a fever" comments on one blog post.)

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BONUS: The following are times when it is considered appropriate to ring a cowbell at Tropicana Field (from Cowbell Time):

1. When a Rays batter reaches base or scores a run.

2. When a Rays pitcher has two strikes on a hitter.

3. When the scoreboard asks for "More Cowbell."

Google has announced that it will remove restrictions on gaming ad related content on its search engine in the U.K. As long as the companies are registered with the Gambling Commission or are based within the European Economic Area, Google will now accept to allow text ads to appear against search queries related to gambling in Great Britain.

The move will allow a huge number of non-UK companies like PartyGaming to increase their push into the British market.

James Cashmore, Google spokesman noted:

“Over the last few months we’ve been reviewing our gambling advertising policy in Great Britain to ensure it is as consistent as possible with local business practices. Following [a major internal] review we’ve decided to amend our policy to allow text ads to appear against search queries related to gambling in Great Britain.”

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The new policy is effective immediately.

Brett Favre and Tony Romo aren’t just tops in Tony Kornheiser’s world. According to NFLShop.com (via CNBC’s Darren Rovell), the two quarterbacks have the best selling jerseys in the NFL. Romo was #1 in the last rankings, but Favre’s trade to New York opened a whole new market for his wares, bumping him to the top spot.

Some other interesting notes from the list:

– Romo is one of four Cowboys in the top 10. He’s joined by  Marion Barber (#4), Jason Witten (#8) and Terrell Owens (#10). Dallas jerseys always sell well, but it’s still surprising to see Barber ranked in the top four of anything. Witten probably has to be the highest ranked tight end ever on this list, unless Doug Jolley had a large fan base with which I am unfamiliar.

– Eli Manning (#3) moves ahead of brother Peyton (#7) for the first time. Although, as Rovell pointed out last year, the elder Manning has had the same boring jersey for a decade, so it’s amazing that he’s still ranked this high at all.

– Along with Barber, Adrian Peterson is the only player younger than 25 on the list.

– No defenders crack the top 10. The positional breakdown: QB — 5; RB — 3; WR — 1; TE — 1.

– The key to jersey buying is stability. If you’re going to shuck out $65 for a glorified t-shirt, you want to make sure the person whose name will be on the back is going to be playing for your team in a few years (lest you end up here). Of the 10 players on this list, eight pass the stability test. Barring anything unforseen, those eight players will be on their respective teams for at least the next three-to-four years (and that’s really all you can ask for). The two who don’t: Favre (#1) and T.O. (#10). Why somebody would buy an Owens jersey is beyond me. I can come up with 65 reasons why that’s a bad idea.

The spread is also the Lions over/under: Detroit (+9.5) at Houston

Nine-and-a-half points is a lot for a 1-4 team to be giving, until you consider that the Lions are averaging just ten points per game over the past month. Factor in the inevitable Dan Orlovsky safety and there’s your 9.5.

Romo=Johnson?: Dallas (-7) at St. Louis

With Tony Romo looking a game-time decision due to his bwoken widdle fingey, you’d think that the uncertainty of the Cowboys quarterback situation would have led to this contest being taken off the board in Vegas. When Aaron Rodgers (?!) was questionable for a Packers game, wagering was off. What does this mean? Either Vegas doesn’t hold Tony Romo in high regard or Americans really love betting on Cowboys games. 

Did they not see last week’s games?: Cleveland (+7) at Washington

The Redskins, two touchdown favorites, lost to the Rams. The Browns, touchdown underdogs, beat the Giants.

Beware the big favorites: San Francisco (+10.5) at New York Giants; Seattle (+10.5) at Tampa Bay

The two biggest underdogs each week are a combined 10-2 against the spread so far this season. Of course, the two biggest underdogs have never been helmed by J.T. O’Sullivan and the two-headed Seneca Wallace/Charlie Frye monster, so wager accordingly.

* Every single spread this week is either less than a field goal or greater than a touchdown.  I’m sure this means something, I’m just not sure what.

We go into week 7 off our first losing weekend of the season.  We have a great college A+ rated opinion to get us back on track.  When the NFL Friday injury report rolls in later this afternoon I’ll have an update for our NFL action.

COLLEGE

OKLAHOMA STATE - A+ rated pick - Cowboys have Big 12’s most potent offense, and those stats are not a mirage.  Oklahoma State is doing it both on the ground and over the top, with a well balanced attack.  They’re averaging 56 points a game at home, and should have no trouble reaching that number against an average Bear defense.  Our scorecast models project Baylor to post 24-32 points.  This is the Cowboys homecoming game, and there should be no emotional letdown in this spot.  Oklahoma State by 28.

PENN STATE - Big Al’s “other pounder” on the board.  Nittany Lions operate a precision spread attack that doesn’t know how to slow down.  They have a fundamental match-up advantage with the Big 10’s most potent pass attack, taking on the conferences 3rd worst pass defense.  Wolverine’s look lost running the spread, and they won’t be able to stay with Penn when this becomes a shootout.  Our call is Penn State by 28-35.

DUKE (ML)(+):  The Bule Devils come in off a bye, off a shut-out loss - we like that recipe for team focus with an extra week to prepare.  These days the Hurricane of Miami play more like a tropical breeze from Southern California.  Statistically speaking we project Duke to post between 21 and 31 points; while Miami should post between 21 and 31 points.  Hey - that’s a draw, so we’ll lay our wages on the home team to pull the outright upset - a very nice Money Line value play on the home dog.

Also Likes: BYU, NC State (+)(ML), Navy (ML), Rice, Virginia(+)(ML), Texas A&M (+), No. Illinois

NFL

INDIANAPOLIS :  A rare road favorite we like.  Indy certainly has vulnerabilities up the gut against the run, but Green Bay’s rush attack has gone AWOL.  On the other side of the ball the Pack secondary is banged up. Green Bay plays press coverage, but without cornerback Al Harris (lacerated spleen) they don’t have the personnel to man-up against the Colts 3-wide.   The fundamental match-up advantage for Indy dictate this would normaly be an “A” play, however, the Colts have the Titans on deck….

KANSAS CITY (+):  We like the points in this spot.  Consider Tennessee is the loan unbeaten heading into week 7, AND they have a Monday night match-up with arch-rival Indianapolis on deck.  The Vegas line is set almost exclusively by the numbers (and we don’t pretend to have a superior scorecasting algorithm than Vegas). Still, my theory is sometimes the line itself impacts the psyche, and the outcome, of the game.  The Chiefs are a large home dog on the Vegas board, getting over a TD.  Not withstanding the suspension of RB Larry Johnson, we’ll bet they’ll come to play and keep this one close.

Also Likes:  Houston, Tampa, Cleveland (+)

Peace,

Kurt