BradMannTX
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Bickley: Let 'em hear it Cards fans
Cards fans have chance to blow off 20-plus years of anguish on Sunday
by Dan Bickley - Jan. 11, 2009 10:13 PM
The Arizona Republic
The pilot welcomed us to Arizona, stressing it was home of the victorious Cardinals. The plane erupted in applause. There was no lag in ticket sales this time.
The road to a [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Super[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Bowl[/FONT][/FONT] goes through Glendale, where you are free to influence the outcome. You will channel 20-plus years of torture into a single voice, and it will be the most powerful [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]sporting [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]event[/FONT][/FONT] this state has ever seen.
That stadium in Glendale must be charmed. Already, it has staged one of the best finishes in college-football history, one of the best Super Bowls on record, and now it will house the NFC Championship Game. Best tax money I've ever spent.
"I'm in stunned disbelief, sort of like Panthers fans," said Diamondbacks broadcaster Mark Grace, a Cardinals fan since their stay in St. Louis. "We've been the punching bag so long. For once, it's nice to be the one wearing the gloves."
It seems so surreal, this run of good luck. So many pieces had to fall in place for this to happen, allowing a Cardinals team to host this monumental event after allowing more than 40 points on three occasions this season.
Maybe they didn't deserve this much good fortune. But you did. And here's how big one [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]football[/FONT][/FONT] game can be:
Last year, the Super Bowl was watched by nearly 150 million. Tom Petty was the halftime guest, and Rolling Stone reports that when his nano-set was over, 63,000 digital copies of Free Falling were sold in the following week.
The Cardinals are one win away from the biggest stage in the free world. After all the dips in this dysfunctional season, they are playing for a chance at immortality. Can you imagine Old Man Bidwill hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in a stadium where the Buccaneers play, with local television folk doing remotes from the pirate ship at one end of the field? {CAN YOU????????????????????????????}
It's close, so plausible; clearly, the league has gone completely mad. From 1990-2004, a team with a first-round bye prevailed more than 80 percent of the time. Now, it's anarchy.
Wild-card teams win Super Bowls. Momentum and emotion mean everything. Teams can get hot and run the table, going from hapless to juggernaut with one good performance. In today's NFL, you take what you can grab. And for the first time ever, the Cardinals are playing for a berth in the Super Bowl. We have six days to marinate, anticipate, dream.
The Eagles just played a bone-crushing game in the cold against a bitter rival. The Cardinals are markedly better at home. Kurt Warner can be unbeatable in dome conditions. The Cardinals owe the Eagles big time for that Thanksgiving thwacking. And you know how loud it gets in that building?
Of course you do. That's why you're so excited. The playoffs are beginning to feel like the NCAA Tournament, where Cinderella lives and underdog happens.
Welcome to the Final Four.
Cards fans have chance to blow off 20-plus years of anguish on Sunday
by Dan Bickley - Jan. 11, 2009 10:13 PM
The Arizona Republic
The pilot welcomed us to Arizona, stressing it was home of the victorious Cardinals. The plane erupted in applause. There was no lag in ticket sales this time.
The road to a [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Super[/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Bowl[/FONT][/FONT] goes through Glendale, where you are free to influence the outcome. You will channel 20-plus years of torture into a single voice, and it will be the most powerful [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]sporting [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]event[/FONT][/FONT] this state has ever seen.
That stadium in Glendale must be charmed. Already, it has staged one of the best finishes in college-football history, one of the best Super Bowls on record, and now it will house the NFC Championship Game. Best tax money I've ever spent.
"I'm in stunned disbelief, sort of like Panthers fans," said Diamondbacks broadcaster Mark Grace, a Cardinals fan since their stay in St. Louis. "We've been the punching bag so long. For once, it's nice to be the one wearing the gloves."
It seems so surreal, this run of good luck. So many pieces had to fall in place for this to happen, allowing a Cardinals team to host this monumental event after allowing more than 40 points on three occasions this season.
Maybe they didn't deserve this much good fortune. But you did. And here's how big one [FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif][FONT=Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]football[/FONT][/FONT] game can be:
Last year, the Super Bowl was watched by nearly 150 million. Tom Petty was the halftime guest, and Rolling Stone reports that when his nano-set was over, 63,000 digital copies of Free Falling were sold in the following week.
The Cardinals are one win away from the biggest stage in the free world. After all the dips in this dysfunctional season, they are playing for a chance at immortality. Can you imagine Old Man Bidwill hoisting the Lombardi Trophy in a stadium where the Buccaneers play, with local television folk doing remotes from the pirate ship at one end of the field? {CAN YOU????????????????????????????}
It's close, so plausible; clearly, the league has gone completely mad. From 1990-2004, a team with a first-round bye prevailed more than 80 percent of the time. Now, it's anarchy.
Wild-card teams win Super Bowls. Momentum and emotion mean everything. Teams can get hot and run the table, going from hapless to juggernaut with one good performance. In today's NFL, you take what you can grab. And for the first time ever, the Cardinals are playing for a berth in the Super Bowl. We have six days to marinate, anticipate, dream.
The Eagles just played a bone-crushing game in the cold against a bitter rival. The Cardinals are markedly better at home. Kurt Warner can be unbeatable in dome conditions. The Cardinals owe the Eagles big time for that Thanksgiving thwacking. And you know how loud it gets in that building?
Of course you do. That's why you're so excited. The playoffs are beginning to feel like the NCAA Tournament, where Cinderella lives and underdog happens.
Welcome to the Final Four.
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