The day I’ve waited my whole life for is almost here!
OK, maybe not my whole life, but at least since the Monday night my dad took me and my brother to the Cardinals’ first game against the Dallas Cowboys, September 12th, 1988. I still have the ticket! Nowadays I have a lot of tickets as I am a season ticket holder to the Arizona Cardinals and haven’t missed many games over the last ten years or so. I love this team! This is the one sport that I actually go to on my own dime. I go to many Suns, D-backs, Coyotes and ASU games. I use my press pass to get in and watch the teams do their thing. Now, a few times a year I will buy some tickets to each of these games, but I don’t have season tickets. For the Cardinals, I do, I even have extra tickets to each game that I have never even sat in. I give them to friends and family and only sold them once (Monday night Bears game as I needed some beer money!) I tailgate for hours before each game and have made some very good friends over the years inside and outside of the stadium.
I’ve been in some pretty cool sports moments over the years. I was in the locker room in San Francisco in 1999 when the D-backs clinched their first ever NL West title. Champagne in the eyes does really burn by the way! I was also on the field just seconds after the D-backs won the 2001 World Series and couldn’t believe what my eyes were watching! I’ve been at so many Suns playoff games; it would be hard to list them all. I’ve seen Coyotes Whiteouts, which are awesome and I’ve been with the ASU Sun Devils on the road for some big games including, bowl games.
With all that being said….I have never been more excited to go to a game in my life than I am for this Sunday’s NFC championship game! I can’t wait! The Arizona Cardinals are one home game win away from the Super Bowl. Are you kidding me? I’ve always felt this town would go nuts if the Cardinals ever did something like this and I think I am right and I hope I am proven right this Sunday. I will be there Sunday bright and early to tailgate with my fellow Cardinals fans and hopefully party well into the night after the Cardinals once again shock the world and beat the Eagles and head to their first ever Super Bowl. I can’t wait!
Chirp Chirp
ASH
My sentiments exactly. I was at that same Cardinals/Dallas game with my father in 1988. I am blessed to be part of sports fanatic family born and raised in Arizona. I was at Game 7 of the world series with my family. Football, though, is my PASSION. That is where I have spent my own money on season tickets. Being a fan of the Arizona Cardinals has been trying and heartbreaking. This Sunday is the culmination of all those years supporting a team that gave us little in the past to be proud of and boast about. I will be there on Sunday with my family. I will soak up the electricity in the air, I will be proud and loud and love every single second. Thank you Cardinals for giving us something to cheer and lose our minds over. Unbelievable!
Ash, I know from where you speak. I was born and raised in Philadelphia (no I am not an Eagles fan, I became a Cardinals fan when I moved here 19 years ago, even though as a kid I had Eagles season tickets from 1962 to 1964, yes I will be cheering for Cards on Sunday!) and believe me when I tell you as a Philly sports fan we were treated to incredible futility in most sports. The Phillies were incredibley inept as I was growing up, The Eagles of the 60’s and early 70’s were not much to watch, The 76ers and the Warriors before them had an uncanny knack at trading away some of the sports great players (can you say Wilt Chamberlian?) And the Flyers after their two Stanley Cups have been nothing more than a yo-yo, up and down, up and down over the last 30 years.
So now our beloved Cardinals are on the verge of something we all could only dream of because we all knew some how some way the Bidwills would would screw it up… only fate has stepped in, and allowed all of us long suffering Cardinals fans (including my 13 year old son who I started taking to games when he was 5, and who was always ready to leave prior to kick off, but I forced him to stay so that he could truly appreciate the significance of this Sunday) to dream the big dream and to perhaps finally be rewarded with a Super Bowl Championship. Only the Lord up above can validate the faith we have had over the years in a manner like this.
Long live the Cardinals and better yet, God bless all of us who were stupid enough to believe that this day would come!
Ray
Really? You’ve been waiting for over 20 years for this day? Let’s be honest to all the Cardinal faithful out there. None of you gave a sh!t 2 years ago including BOTH G&A.
“G” especially since he is a Giant fan….and be truthful GambO. You wanted a Carolina v. New York NFC Title game and we all know it. You didn’t want to have to choose between the GMen and the Cards, but still wanted the Giants in over the team you cover. You didn’t want the Cardinals to win, period. And when people call in and call you out on your predictions, stop hiding behind the statement “everyone thought that the cardinals would lose.” Weak excuse….real weak.
The Cardinals are a nice little story and it is amazing what they have been able to accomplish. Nobody can take that away from the TEAM. But let us please still be honest with ourselves, this town likes a winner and always wrote off the Cardinals…hence the sea of RED NOW. Don’t get me wrong…may the best team win. But the so called Cardinal fans are proving how an entire state can fit on a bandwagon inside of 2 weeks.
Eagles fans (Philadelphia Fans) are criticized consistently as being rough to their teams and are horrible fans. They demand their team play well and when they don’t they let the team hear it. And when the team plays well they let them hear that too….and consistently every year the fans come out no matter how bad the team is…. Quote Vince Papale, “They’re still our boys.” Amen to that.
Your 20 year old Arizona Cardinal team has been able to SHOCK the world so far and it is a great story. This town is enjoying something they never thought they would see and that is nice as well. All lovely stories.
My point here is two fold….1) You have NOT been waiting for 20 years. I call BS on that one ash. And 2) Enjoy this week Cardinal fans…but realize the bulk of you have been fans for maybe 3-4 months and you are not the “tortured” faithful you are claiming to be. Waiting since that Monday night game in 1988, huh? Doubt it.
Hey Mike, just reading this makes chills run down my spine, i am in a different mind set, and have been since the cards went 4-2 going into the regular season bye,cant wait for Sunday. Thanks Ruben
p.s. Thanks for telling that caller off when he said you and Gambo were talking trash about the Cards.
i’m with you ash. i can’t wait to get to that parking lot have some fun and watch that game in person yelling at every defensive play.
Ash, I can relate. When I was 7 and living in St. Louis my Dad took me to play flag football, and it was a blast. So he took me to a real football game. That was the Cardinals, 1972. I was hooked. And all through those formative years I remembered watching Air Coryell’s team, led by Jim Hart, win and win and win. But every year we’d travel to the playoffs and lose. Since moving to Phoenix in 2000 I’ve been a season ticket holder, and I’m STILL not sure this is all real. It is great to see them peaking at just the right moment. GO CARDINALS
Ash,
I moved to Portland, Oregon four years ago. I made many new friends all to which could not understand why the hell I was a Cardinals fan. Today I hold my head up high knowing that the team that I watched growing up is finaly in my eyes win or lose a Champion to the state of Arizona. I dont know about you but my stomach has been in constant ache since Sunday. I just wanted to let you know I have a great group of Portlanders ready to route the Cards all the way to the Super Bowl!
Ash, I’m originally from East St. Louis, IL. I grew up watching the Cardinals wearing my helmet and throwing passes to myself. I would dive on my bed as if I were laying out to catch the winning touchdown pass. Back then it was Jim Hart and company. They were ok and would tease you into thinking that they would put it together but of course never did.
I’m 40 now and can honestly say last Sunday was a first for me. After the beginning of the 4th quarter I began to think of how the Arizona Cardinals were one win away from going to the Superbowl. And it was a strange feeling. Big time nerves in my stomach. Hoping that there was now way they would blow the game, but truly realizing that they are that close to the Superbowl. Watching my 2 year old son wearing his Cardinal jersey saying go Cardinals. There are no words to explain that feeling.
I can’t wait for Sunday to get here. I want the Cards to shut everyone up and to shock the world. It’s amazing to me how many excuses can be made for the other teams as to why the got beat by the Cardinals. You know, Ryan played like a rookie, Jake just simply had a bad game. In reality the Cards caused those turnovers. The Cardinals put pressure on the quarterbacks, covered the receivers, made tackles to cause fumbles, made blocks to open holes and to protect Kurt, and caught the balls on defense and offense. Ride this no respect for 2 more games and we can say Superbowl Champions Arizona Cardinals. This is the day that I’ve been waiting for my entire life.
GO CARDS !!!!!
I feel the exact same way. I get goose bumps just thinking how crazy this game is gonna be on Sunday. GO CARDS!!!!!!!!!