Phoenix Tickets Finder

This is the year! This is the year the Cards won’t suck! (Or maybe not…)

Ok, now that we have that established the next trick is getting your hands on tickets to see the Arizona Cardinals in their shiny new stadium. Tickets sell out fast but the ticket brokers almost always seem to have seats anyway. I like We Have Seats for the best prices; TicketsNow for solid inventory; and StubHub for unique seats and the ability to buy and sell.

Anyway, feast on these Cardinal trivia points while you hunt for seats (from the wiki):

New stadium, new attitude (2006)

In 2000, Maricopa County voters passed a ballot initiative by a margin of 51% to 49%, providing funding for a new Cardinals stadium (as well as for improvements to Major League Baseball spring training facilities in the greater Phoenix region; and youth recreation). After some legal obstacles, the Cardinals began construction of their new facility in April 2003, in Glendale, one of the northwest suburbs of Phoenix. Cardinals Stadium features a retractable roof and a slide-out grass surface, which is good for the hot desert weather; the new stadium has a state-of-the-art air conditioning system and high-back seats.

Although no one in the organization admits it publicly, Sun Devil Stadium has widely been blamed for the Cardinals’ woes in their 18-year stay in Arizona. The Cardinals had no control of parking revenue or other streams of income available to most teams.

The 63,500-seat stadium (expandable to 72,800) opened on August 12, 2006 when the Cardinals defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers, 21-13, in a preseason game. The first regular season game is set for September 10 against the San Francisco 49ers, the first time the Cardinals will play on the opening weekend of the NFL season at home since moving to Arizona in 1988. In 2008, the stadium will host Super Bowl XLII.

It does appear that the future may turn brighter for the team. On Sunday, March 12, 2006, the Cardinals acquired former Colts RB Edgerrin James through free agency, by signing him to a four-year, $30 million contract.

Additionally, on Saturday, April 30, 2006, the Cardinals drafted the 2004 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Matt Leinart with the 10th pick of the NFL Draft. Leinart played for the University of Southern California and won 1 1/2 national championships with the team in 2004.

Leinart missed the first two weeks of the 2006 Cardinals training camp (and the opening game of the preseason) due to prolonged contract negotiations, but on August 15, the Arizona Republic, KTAR radio and ESPN reported that Leinart agreed to a six-year contract that could earn him a maximum of $51 million, according to his agent, Tom Condon. The contract reportedly contains $14 million in guaranteed money, and likely involves “escalator” clauses that could increase Leinart’s salary in the later years of the deal should he meet certain playing-time incentives.

Also in the 2006 draft, the Cardinals would select another USC alum, Guard Taitusi “Deuce” Latui in the 3rd round, followed by Georgia TE Leonard Pope, Michigan DT Gabriel Watson, Louisville LB Brandon Johnson, Virginia Tech DT Jonathan Lewis, and Brigham Young WR Todd Watkins. This as well as the dynamic duo that is Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald at WR could make the Cardinals a serious threat in the NFC West.

Let’s hope that the new players, new stadium, and new season make for a big season!