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"The Tugboat"
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/0504bickley0504.html
Negative Valley fans have ideal target in Cards
Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
May. 4, 2003 12:00 AM
There are basic phrases every sports fan can grasp.
More beer. Kill the ump. He makes how much?
And, of course, the two words that serve as the lowest common denominator for even the most concussed or irrational observers:
You suck!
The Cardinals don't know this, but they have more fans at their disposal than any other team in the Valley. If they had any clue, they'd be suing someone for lost revenue.
It's true. If you know nothing else about our sporting landscape, you know about the Cardinals' ineptitude. You're in on the joke. Even if you've spent the past six years in a cave, you can confidently state an opinion about their current state of affairs.
It will sound very much like those two aforementioned words.
Arizonans have long been castigated for a general lack of passion toward their athletic teams, but this is not entirely true. There is great negative energy within our midst. Even Arizona State basketball coach Rob Evans pointed this out during the NCAA Tournament, how quick we are to jump on the ugly.
It's who we are, and no team fills this need like the Cardinals. They're one of our great common denominators as a populace.
On Saturday, a horde of curious people showed up for the Cardinals' annual fan fest. They flocked to Emmitt Smith, who really does appear out of place. It's as if Keith Richards showed up and decided to play with a Tempe garage band.
Still, there is an increased buzz about this team, if only because it looks so different. There are a multitude of new faces and a slate wiped clean. There are very few grudges stretching into another season.
But with this team, we can turn quicker than a Ferrari, and for proof, see the tire tracks on the back of Rod Graves, vice president of football operations.
By not selecting ASU's Terrell Suggs, by authoring a draft from Who-ville, he muted all the excitement that accompanied a very good class of free-agent acquisitions. Even the normally unflappable Graves, who has honed a cool image while working for two of the worst family businesses in the NFL, seemed shaken by the instant mob.
Granted, the civic reaction was absurd. The NFL draft is the biggest shell game in sports. Busts run rampant and the best players are often plucked in lower rounds. While I believe the Cardinals were silly to pass on Suggs and that Graves gave up too much to trade down, there are countless history lessons that caution against premature judgment.
Of all people, Cardinals fans should know all that glitters is often nothing more than Andre Wadsworth. Yet when the draft picks were announced, fans left the team's draft party in droves and filled talk shows with rage.
Those two words all over again.
It is interesting that ASU Athletic Director Gene Smith, stuck with a $21 million lawsuit from the Cardinals over lost signage revenue, has conveniently tapped into this phenomenon. In a gratuitous swipe at the organization, he said he felt sorry for coach Dave McGinnis and happy that Suggs and Jake Plummer won't have to deal with such a franchise.
Right or wrong, Smith knows that the Cardinals never win in the court of public opinion.
So a quick reminder to Graves and all these fresh faces in camp: When the mood turns ugly, try not to take it personally.
It's simply the bill for a sad history coming due. Until that history changes, the angst is always lurking around the corner. Getting worse with each passing year.
Negative Valley fans have ideal target in Cards
Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
May. 4, 2003 12:00 AM
There are basic phrases every sports fan can grasp.
More beer. Kill the ump. He makes how much?
And, of course, the two words that serve as the lowest common denominator for even the most concussed or irrational observers:
You suck!
The Cardinals don't know this, but they have more fans at their disposal than any other team in the Valley. If they had any clue, they'd be suing someone for lost revenue.
It's true. If you know nothing else about our sporting landscape, you know about the Cardinals' ineptitude. You're in on the joke. Even if you've spent the past six years in a cave, you can confidently state an opinion about their current state of affairs.
It will sound very much like those two aforementioned words.
Arizonans have long been castigated for a general lack of passion toward their athletic teams, but this is not entirely true. There is great negative energy within our midst. Even Arizona State basketball coach Rob Evans pointed this out during the NCAA Tournament, how quick we are to jump on the ugly.
It's who we are, and no team fills this need like the Cardinals. They're one of our great common denominators as a populace.
On Saturday, a horde of curious people showed up for the Cardinals' annual fan fest. They flocked to Emmitt Smith, who really does appear out of place. It's as if Keith Richards showed up and decided to play with a Tempe garage band.
Still, there is an increased buzz about this team, if only because it looks so different. There are a multitude of new faces and a slate wiped clean. There are very few grudges stretching into another season.
But with this team, we can turn quicker than a Ferrari, and for proof, see the tire tracks on the back of Rod Graves, vice president of football operations.
By not selecting ASU's Terrell Suggs, by authoring a draft from Who-ville, he muted all the excitement that accompanied a very good class of free-agent acquisitions. Even the normally unflappable Graves, who has honed a cool image while working for two of the worst family businesses in the NFL, seemed shaken by the instant mob.
Granted, the civic reaction was absurd. The NFL draft is the biggest shell game in sports. Busts run rampant and the best players are often plucked in lower rounds. While I believe the Cardinals were silly to pass on Suggs and that Graves gave up too much to trade down, there are countless history lessons that caution against premature judgment.
Of all people, Cardinals fans should know all that glitters is often nothing more than Andre Wadsworth. Yet when the draft picks were announced, fans left the team's draft party in droves and filled talk shows with rage.
Those two words all over again.
It is interesting that ASU Athletic Director Gene Smith, stuck with a $21 million lawsuit from the Cardinals over lost signage revenue, has conveniently tapped into this phenomenon. In a gratuitous swipe at the organization, he said he felt sorry for coach Dave McGinnis and happy that Suggs and Jake Plummer won't have to deal with such a franchise.
Right or wrong, Smith knows that the Cardinals never win in the court of public opinion.
So a quick reminder to Graves and all these fresh faces in camp: When the mood turns ugly, try not to take it personally.
It's simply the bill for a sad history coming due. Until that history changes, the angst is always lurking around the corner. Getting worse with each passing year.
