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NFL Star Joey Porter and the Famous Chicken on Saturday

April 30, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Bakersfield Blitz News Release


Bakersfield, CA - The Bakersfield Blitz of the af2 will welcome a sports legend to town, as they host the Arkansas Twisters at Centennial Garden on Saturday night. Kickoff is 7:00pm and the doors open at 6:00pm.

The fun starts before kickoff when Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, and Bakersfield native, Joey Porter will be involved with the ceremonial coin toss. Porter, 27, is a co-captain with the Steelers, where he has played the last six years, and went to the National Football League Pro Bowl last season. The Colorado State grad was moved to the defensive side of the ball in his junior season and excelled, racking up 15 sacks in his senior year. The Steelers drafted him in the third round in 1999. Porter was an All-Section and All-State selection at Foothill High, where he rushed for over 1,000 yards (12.6 yards per carry) during his senior season.

The Famous Chicken makes his return to the Garden to entertain kids of all ages on Saturday night. His hijinx have entertained sporting crowds for nearly 20 years. After the game, the Famous Chicken, also known as the San Diego Chicken, will sign autographs on the field. In addition, everyone in attendance will receive a 2004 Blitz Team Poster, featuring each member of this year's Blitz squad. KRAB Radio and Kern Schools Federal Credit Union sponsor the night. As a part of every Blitz home game, the team will remain on the field after the final buzzer, meeting fans and signing autographs.

After playing three of their first four games on the road, including difficult trips to Tennessee Valley and Hawai'i, the Blitz return home for their next three contests. On May 8th the Blitz have a bye week, but they welcome the San Diego Riptide into town on May 15th and Memphis Xplorers on May 22nd. For the San Diego match, the Blitz will don special Armed Forces Day American-themed jerseys for a "Jersey Off Our Backs" raffle and auction. Five jerseys will be given away throughout the night, and the rest will be auctioned off to raise money for the Boys & Girls Club of Bakersfield.

Blitz Roster Changes

The Bakersfield Blitz will welcome back FB/LB Nick Onaindia to the lineup for the first time since Week 1 in Tennessee Valley. In addition, FB/LB Damian Romero has been placed on the Short-Term IR with an injured hand. He will be eligible to play again on May 15th against Memphis. Also, DS Elton Seals remains on Long-Term IR. Another player has been added to the roster as well, as the Blitz have been assigned OL/DL Tiki Sagapolutele from the Hawai'ian Islanders. A native of Hawai'i, Sagapolutele measures in at 6'4", 275-lbs. He recorded a sack and the game-saving tackle as time expired against Bakersfield last Saturday.

All Blitz games, home and away, can be heard on KGEO AM 1230 with the "Voice of the Blitz" Kevin Bartl. This weekend's game can also be seen live on Bright House Networks Ch. 21. A replay of the match will be shown on Sunday afternoon on Bright House Networks at 1:00pm on the same station.

Pro-rated season tickets and group outings for the Blitz are on sale now by contacting the Blitz office at 716-BLITZ (2548) or by stopping by the Bakersfield Sports Entertainment office located at Centennial Garden. The Garden box office is open Monday through Friday 10:00am – 5:00pm and open at noon on Saturday event days. For up-to-date information on the Blitz, log on to www.bakersfieldblitz.com.



arenafootball2 Stories from April 30, 2004


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