The Man, The Myth, The Legend....RIP Kenny "Lemonade Guy" Geidel

The news spread today that Pirates/Penguins Vendor Kenny Geidel passed away yesterday.  Known for his distinctive cry of "LEMONAAAAAAADDDDDDDDEEEEEEEE" and "Cotton Candy 'ere!", fans were always on the lookout for him whenever they were at a game.

He was a vendor for the Pirates and Penguins since 1985, and hardly ever missed a game.  I know any game I ever went to he was there, focused completely on selling his products.  I loved how he knew to pause and make sure he wasn't blocking someone's view during a play. 

The games just won't be the same without you Kenny! 

Pirates owner Bob Nutting had this to say about Kenny Geidel, "He was part of the fabric of the experience at PNC Park. Our thoughts & prayers go to his family & friends."

Michael McDonald, district manager for Aramark, said “He certainly was one of the ‘characters’ that added to the sporting event experience and had quite a following among the Pittsburgh fan base. He will be missed.”

Kenny was popular and had followings on YouTube and Facebook.

The Pirates will also have a moment of silence before tonight's game against the Dodgers in honor of Geidel.  Where else but Pittsburgh do you honor stadium vendors?  Gotta love that about this town.

Who are we left with for stadium entertainment now?  The singing usher?  It just won't be the same.

Marquee Win For The Power!

As we look back on the season for the Pittsburgh Power, two moments standout for me.  The low point, so far, was when a winless Tulsa Talons squad came into Consol Energy Center and stomped the Power 45-22.  The high point for 2011 came last night as the Power took down the defending Arena Bowl Champs.

Don't get me wrong, there are still some issues to address, but the Power finally have a win they can build some momentum from.  This was an opponent who had just beaten the undefeated Arizona Rattlers and also a very good Orlando Predator squad IN Orlando.

Everything about this matchup screamed mismatch for the Power and yet there they were at the end of the game able to claim victory.

Bernard Morris made the surprise start at quarterback and looked completely awful in the first half.  he was missing wide open receivers, making poor reads, and quite honestly making head coach Chris Siegfried's decision to start him look idiotic.  Luckily for the Power, the defense decided to come and play big today.

Gary Butler has officially been removed from the Missing Persons report, and Lonnell DeWalt's shift to defense paid huge dividends.  Larico Stevenson was flying aorund the whole game making plays and the return of Neil Purvis provided a huge boost to the Power pass rush.  The Front three were relentless the whole game. forcing plenty of early throws from the Shock's Kyle Rowley.

Mike "Joystick" Washington came up huge in this game.  His one handed leaping grab early in the 3rd quarter was not only a game changer, but possibly a season changer as well.

Is it any coincidence that the stars of this game both wore number one for the Power.  Make-A-Wish kid Michael "Mick" Walsh clearly had a positive impact on the Power and one cannot deny what Washington's presence meant for the Power in this one.

If Morris can play like he did in the second half, the Power offense should be able to hang with anyone in the league.  If the defense plays like they did in this one, the sky is the limit. 

At least the Power finally have something to build on.

Spokane Shock @ Pittsburgh Power Preview

Saturday May 7th, 2011

Consol Energy Center

TV: WPCW (Pittsburgh's CW), Niftytv.com

Radio: 93.7 FM (Pittsburgh), 700 AM (Spokane)

Both teams may enter this record with identical 3-4 records, however one is a team on the rise while the other is doing some soul searching on offense.

The Power are coming off a 58-39 drubbing at the hands of the Georgia Force in which starting quarterback Anthony Morelli had easily his worst start, throwing three interceptions.  Xavier Lee was a bright spot catching two touchdowns, running for one, and even adding his first passing touchdown as part of the Power.  Jason Willis had a solid game, but there weren't many gamebreaking plays.

Everywhere you looked for the Power there were breakdowns.  Offensive line, wide receivers, quarterback, defense, and even the kicking game saw mistakes happen.  It was an all around ugly game and things don't get any easier this week with the defending champs in town.

Let's look at some of the positives.   Spokane is nowhere near the "Force" on defense that Georgia is.  In fact they are ranked 17th out of the 18 AFL teams in scoring defense at 58.6 PPG.  They rank 17th in rushing defense, so look for the Power to get Morelli, Lee and Rue going in the running game and perhaps get back to basics.

Spokane is 5th in the league in scoring at 58.3 PPG, and a big part of that is the strong offensive line they have.  Through 7 games, they have only allowed 6 sacks.  That is simply incredible.  The Shock also ranks number one in the league in goal line offense, converting at an absurd 94.6% success rate. 

Kyle Rowley leads a potent Shock passing attack, and he is in the top 5 in most passing categories this year.  He will be the third big time quarterback the Power have faced in the last four weeks.  Hopefully the defense can get going a bit more this week, but injuries/suspensions to Josh Lay, Terrence Carter, Neil Purvis, and Tyrell Herbert have really crippled the team so far. 

The Shock have a very deep and talented receiving corps.  Three Shock wideouts have caught 10 or more touchdowns this year, and that does not bode well for a Power secondary already stretched thin.  Look for Rowley to spread the ball around to Greg Orton (700 yards/18 TD), Raul Vijil (385 yards/12 TD) and Shaun Kauleinamoku (353 yards/10 TD).

The Power should get a nice emotional boost with wide receiver and special teams ace Michael "Mick" Walsh who will suit up this week for the Power as part of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.   They also need to recapture some of the magic the receiving corps had in previous games.  I'm talking to you Lonnell DeWalt.  Bring some of that highlight reel ability home with you!

One of the biggest keys to getting the upset will come down to the Power offensive line's ability to give Morelli time to throw.  Also the Power Defense is really going to have to step up and force some turnovers if the Power are to have any chance in this one.

I'm a diehard Power fan, but in this case....

The Voice Says....Spokane wins 63-49

U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!

I know this is a sports blog, but the news breaking tonight that Osama Bin Laden is dead is simply incredible.

I remember the absolute horror and emptiness I felt on 9-11-01 as I watched the footage of airplanes crashing into the World Trade Center, and the subsequent collapse of the twin towers.

I remember the fear I felt when I heard one of the wayward planes was flying over Pennsylvania.  It was a day no one who lived through it will ever forget.

When they interrupted the TV show my wife and I were watching, we both kind of said, "This better be good...."

Not only is the news good but it is absolutely amazing. 

I am so proud of my country for finally ending this man's reign of terror.  I am so proud of the troops who finally brought justice to all of the innocent lives that were lost on that fateful day as a result of Bin Laden's insidious plot.

The world is a safer place tonight....

Consistently Inconsistent: Power Falls to the Force 58-39

As you look at the way the season has unfolded for the Pittsburgh Power, it's hard not to get frustrated by the way they look so good at times, and then look completely lost at others.

One week after being named the National Guard AFL Player of the Week, Anthony Morelli looked like a different quarterback against the Georgia Force.

The wide receivers and Morelli seemed on different pages all night long. There was definitely a lot of confusion on the routes being run, but give some credit to a tough Georgia secondary for some excellent coverage.

Lonnell DeWalt, who had been making some real highlight catches the past two weeks, was very quiet in this one, not making a catch until the game was out of reach.

One receiver who made the most of the opportunity was Xavier Lee, who continued to improve as a goal line threat by rushing for several touchdowns and adding one more through the air.

Mike Micco and I spent some time on The Power Plant talking about the great job the offensive line has been doing. How do they respond? They give up four sacks on Morelli.

Paul Edinger continued his struggles, missing a 38 yard field goal and two extra points. Even his kickoffs aren't bouncing off the rebound nets the way they had been earlier in the year.

One positive I saw in this game was how much pressure the Power front three were generating. They may have only ended up with one sack, but they forced a lot of errant passes by Brett Elliott. This may have been an uglier final score if not for that.

For all the struggles in the first half, the score was only 20-19 at halftime in favor of Georgia, but a 21-0 run in the 3rd quarter blew the game wide open and Pittsburgh never seriously threatened again.

Maurice Purify lived up to all the hype by hauling in 90 yards and four touchdowns. C.J. Johnson led the Force in receiving yards with 140 and three touchdowns.

The Power will get a boost by returning home and will also have Michael "Mick" Walsh on the sidelines which should provide an inspirational lift as the Power look to beat the defending ArenaBowl champions, the Spokane Shock.