Sometimes, I Hate Football

At the end of the 2003 season, as any good Cardinals fan (or Vikings fan for that matter) will remember, the final game of the year was at Sun Devil Stadium. Coach Mac was already a lame duck, and this was his final hurrah. So many Cards fans had bailed, and the Vikings had so much to gain that 2/3 of the stadium was filled with people wearing purple. On the second to last play of the game, Josh McCown was sacked leaving the Cardinals with the seemingly impossible task of scoring a touchdown from a quarter field away or losing. Fading back to pass, McCown barely escaped another sack sending the Vikings fans into a frenzy of happiness at their impending success only to see a desperation throw end up in the hands of Nate Poole giving the Cardinals an improbable win. In a matter of seconds, Vikings fans went from elation to disbelief desperately wanting to fix the incongruity of the moment.

I know how they felt. The moment the Cards fumbled the ball with only time to run out before kicking a game winning field goal was the sickly period that meant the difference between my elation of having the game won to the disbelief of a lost cause.

It should never have been that close. Dropped passes, stupid interceptions and a porous secondary all contributed to the game being closer than it deserved to be.

I am so pleased that next week's game takes place in Atlanta where I don't have to show up with the energy necessary to help the team to victory.

My Continuing Bipolar Disorder

From the excessive happiness over last week's win to the anger and frustration attendant with yesterday's loss, keeping track of my emotions can be a challenging task.

For any reader who did not watch the game yesterday, Seattle beat Arizona handily 21-10. My emotions are running the gamut now.

First, there is the realization that when I plotted out the season and predicted 15-1, this was the one game I predicted as a loss (even a rabid fan has to show some restraint). So we're on track, right?

Wrong. Never figured into this one was the Monday night game against what I presumed to be a mediocre Chicago team. They've been anything but mediocre, but even that I have to temper with the knowledge that their impressive wins have come against Detroit and Green Bay, not exactly the cream of the NFL crop.

I also didn't envision an impressive San Diego team in San Diego. But, again, while San Diego has looked very good, they've done so against very bad teams (Oakland and Tennessee).

In other words, I'm still on board with the whole 15-1 thing, but I'd sure like to see the team play better. I'm off to a corner to lay down and mope for an hour about yesterday's game now.

1-0!

First things first: if you're coming here to see pictures, sorry, but I forgot my camera in the excitement of the day.

On the Black Eyed Peas performance, well, they aren't really my speed, but they seemed to do quite well. I could have done without the fire effects as they simply reminded me of how hot Sun Devil Stadium used to be.

What a game! The crowd was pumped, they were loud, they were enthusiastic. The offense responded with a crowd pleasing performance (though the Monday night games have not yet been played, no other team scored 30 points yet this year). But as good as the offense was, the defense was dreadful. You can't base an entire season on a single game, but the 49ers are not exactly the cream of the crop in the NFL. I expected better.

Still, having the lead for virtually the entire game made everything go down better, even when the referee announced that San Francisco was getting a fourth time out in the first half. I wasn't even nervous when San Francisco recovered the onside kick at their own 38 with a half minute left in the game. Getting a touchdown from 62 yards away with no timeouts is not an easy proposition. I had faith, and the Cards rewarded me.

Now for Seattle and a real test.

Five Days and Counting

You know, this is my 19th year of being a fan (I'm quite the homer, and I grew up in Dallas), and I don't think I've ever felt this good going into the season. I expect victory in every home game. I expect victory in most of the road games. This year will be something special.

I recall the Rams of 1999. I remember week after week, Chris Berman asking the question of how many times a player could throw three touchdown passes in a game? I'm ready for the same greatness. It's a more seasoned version of the same quarterback but with better receivers this time.

Let's see, it's 12:05 now, that means I still have 121 hours to go.

Why Do I Do This?

When I started this blog last year, it was meant to chronicle my feelings during the course of the year as they related to my favorite football team, the Arizona Cardinals. While discussion of the games is an aspect of what I write, the reader can get that in much better detail from the likes of the Arizona Republic. And while I take pictures that I share, again, they are not of the quality one can get from the local newspaper.

I wanted to have a reviewable history of the emotions I endured (as in last year) or enjoyed (as in this year) for future review. I'm happy to see that some people have viewed these posts, but I'm also a community minded person. If you are a fan and would like to join in this process, there is a link to the right that reads, "Drop me a line." I would be honored to have a few fans join me in this process. Even if you join, there is no obligation ever to post. If you have something to say, you would add it, if not, well, I've gone entire months without posting anything.

Here's hoping I hear from you.

Preseason Is Done!

I'm so pleased with how the A and B units performed last night. Have I said it before? This year is going to be special.

Sadly, I was unable to attend the game. It was the first game I missed since the season closer in Buddy Ryan's last year (I was sick beyond belief that night). In last night's case, it was important for us to shoot pool on our league night. I was destroyed two matches in a row. Sure wish I'd gone to the game, but in my place, my daughter and her husband were able to attend, so at least it wasn't a total loss.

Just nine more days until the games actually count.

Here's to Good Health!

So the regular season is almost upon us. Unlike previous years, the Cardinals have done what they needed to do to minimize preseason injuries. No team comes out unscathed, and the questions about Karlos Dansby and Oliver Ross will continue, but compared to previous years, this team has reason to be happy.

I spent last week in Las Vegas for a pool tournament (we came in 129th place...woo hoo!), and I put a small amount down on the Cards to beat the Bears. Of course, once the game was over, I wished I had put down more and that I had taken odds to play a straight up win. Well, bets are easier to place once the results are in, and it was a preseason game.

One more week until the regular season begins. The five months of Christmas are only eight days away!

Mike is SO Right

I went to the stadium tour on the 19th as well (have been away from my computer for a week and was unable to post).

After going to some trouble to get tickets, park, walk to the stadium and enter, I come to find out it's no different from being there on game day. I expected a view of the lofts, maybe a guide to tell us what we may not have already known, but no, it was a walk around the stadium. Thanks, guys, but maybe I'll do that while the Black Eyed Peas are busy singing "My Humps."

Game One is in the Books

So, August 12th represented the opening of the stadium. You probably need to be deaf and blind not to know about this, but I don't care. What a great day!

The team warned all of us to arrive early since traffic questions would remain well after the game had ended, so we decided to leave two hours before kickoff. As we headed south on Loop 101, we found traffic backing up just after Cactus. We held out but finally bailed at Olive to attempt a 91st Avenue approach.

It did no good. 91st Avenue was awful as well. With the lot between Glendale and Northern feeding shuttle buses, it remained frustrating, but by 11:45, we were in our parking place. A note to the planners here: if it takes two minutes for the next car to arrive in the lot, you're probably doing something wrong.

The building was amazing, but I suspect any reader has already heard much about that. I've seen some amazing shots of the field sized flag rolled out at the national anthem, but this represents the flag as I saw it. I love the angle I have with the field.

As the game began, the defense did its part and prevented (along with an errant field goal attempt: must have been the wind) any scoring on Pittsburgh's part. That was followed by a drive down the field using the pass (the run game still needs work) culminating in a touchdown catch by former first rounder, Bryant Johnson. That's right, it wasn't Q or Fitz, it was BJ. What a year we're going to have.

Since I wanted to enjoy the game, I didn't have my camera at the ready all game long, but I did get a decent shot of the defense stuffing a run in the second half. Note how far behind the line the runner is as he's being thrown to the ground.

I know it's only preseason, but this season will be special.

I know it's all in my head, but...

Suddenly, I'm worried about the Matt Leinart negotiations. People who may or may not know what they're talking about have started saying that it's going very badly at the moment. But the thing is, if he doesn't sign with Arizona this year, his value next year is likely to be lower than this year (which was lower than the previous year) combined with the fact that he'd have to wait another year for that payday.

It'll be interesting to see who blinks, but I sure would like my anxiety to just end.

Football is Back!

The 2006 season (or at least the camp season) has finally started.

The anxiety level, for me, is still quite small since the only holdout at this point is Matt Leinart. Still, we all heard how big a holdout Reggie Bush would be, and his holdout was rather brief. That said, I suspect we'll have a Philip Rivers type holdout. In 2004, Rivers held out for most of training camp, thereby ceding the job to Drew Brees. It prevented him from starting for two years. There are even higher hopes for Leinart, but even if he doesn't show for training camp, I can rest well in the knowledge that Kurt Warner and John Navarre are there.

This is the year! Twelve days to the opening of the stadium!

Neil Rackers Rules

Okay, so I'm partisan, but the new NFL Network commercial with Neil Rackers is awesome. Speaking of Fantasy Football, he ends the commercial with, "You need a kicker, right? Pick me."

http://www.azcardinals.com/news/detail.php?PRKey=1017

I Gotta Wear Shades

I went to Disneyland (see my main blog for details). While walking through the Downtown Disney area, I saw a guy wearing a Matt Leinart Cardinals jersey. Oh, joy!

Greed Takes a Holiday

The Cardinals have announced their parking prices for the coming season, and wonderfully, the price is $0.00.

Well, sort of.

As part of the paying back for the stadium process, all ticket holders must pay a facility fee of $4.25. I had already chalked that up to stadium construction cost, but as luck would have it, it's also being considered my payment for parking at the facility. Wow. So while I'm paying $79.25 per game for my tickets, my parking has gone from $5 per game to nothing.

Just another in a continuing stream of smiles on the way to shocking the NFL with a Super Bowl win.

Audio Blogging

We've got an ASU student who's decided to start a podcast dedicated to Arizona Cardinals fans. Way to go! If you're interested, it's available on iTunes. Just search for Arizona Cardinals CardCast, and you'll get it. His web site is located at www.cardcast.com. I hope it goes well for him.

Time Marches On

There is an aspect of football that I don't like. To the studious reader, I'm sure you know that this will not be an indication of a real problem so much as a frustration.

The season, while it is the perfect length, is too short.

Basketball starts in November and doesn't finish until June. That's eight months of watching roundball.

Hockey starts in November and doesn't finish until June. In truth, hockey is shorter than basketball, but not much.

Baseball season starts in April and continues through October. That's seven months of good baseball.

Football season begins in September and is done five short months later.

My point is that I grow weary of the very long off season for the NFL. Sure, they give us NFL Europe, but it just isn't the same.

So let's see what we need to keep in mind on the calendar. Payment for season tickets is due on 5/31. That's 19 days away. Training camp opens somewhere around 7/24, so there are about 73 days until then. The first preseason game is 8/12, so there are 91 days until then. Opening day for the team in the regular season is four weeks later, so we have 120 days until opening day.

Sure wish I had more than 20 fingers and toes.

Wow! Wow! Wow!

It's been a while since I last posted, and oh, how much has changed. To build on James, they brought in Matt Leinert, and now the season tickets for 2006 have sold out.

I used to live in Dallas (until 1980). Even during the Cowboys height of fame, they never sold out all of the season tickets (they probably do now). Now, some of that may be due to the fact that, back then, you had to buy a $1,000 bond for your seat in order to buy a season ticket, but still---this is amazing for my Cardinals.

Whew! Now for Google to buy the naming rights and call it the Googleplex.

The bill showed up for season tickets yesterday. Time to pay another $544.50. Section 111, here I come!

Only a Fan Could Appreciate It

As so often happens, I checked out the official site yesterday at about noon. There I found a story about Kurt Warner appearing at an Alltel store 47 miles away in Chandler. Well, that's a short enough distance.

Expecting quite a crowd, I showed up an hour and a half early. Finding no crowd at all, I had a reasonable lunch at Dilly's Deli (I highly recommend it) and went on to the event a little later.

Sponsored by Alltel (my mobile phone provider), the idea was to have him record a voice mail greeting for customers. I loved the idea. And while everyone else now has autographed memorabilia, I've got Kurt Warner encouraging my callers to leave a message.

I'm in Heaven!

Cautiously Optimistic?

I don't know what to think any more. I'm very pleased with the addition of Edgerrin James. I may even buy a #32 jersey (authentic, of course).

But there's this nagging feeling of how sure I was that the team was headed for great things last year, then they just found a way to fall apart in every game. I'm looking forward to the new stadium, I expect improvement, and frankly I find that the talent on the team should be sufficient to win.

I'm just not giddy about the future yet unlike last year at this time.

Geez, We Can't Even Lose Right

ESPN's Page Two did a story on miserable teams in the NFL. Or more specifically, the horribly treated fans. I don't know exactly what's wrong with their index, but any survey that feels the need to console Vikings fans more than Cardinals fans is just plain wrong. Read it for yourself.