Stadium lives up to hype despite some glitches
By Bob Romantic, Tribune
August 12, 2006
GLENDALE - Among all the architectural wonders the Cardinals' new stadium in Glendale provides, two things stood out in Saturday's preseason debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
First, and foremost, was cool air. As anyone who has sat on a hot metal bleacher at Sun Devil Stadium will tell you, air conditioning on a hot August afternoon goes a long way as a first impression.
Equally as impressive was another foreign sight in these parts — a sea of red Cardinal jerseys, and the noise emanating from those jerseys. From the pregame warm-ups, when the ever-popular Steelers were actually booed by the home crowd, to a late fourth-quarter drive in which Cards fans drowned out the towel-waving Steeler faithful, the Cardinals enjoyed a home-field advantage that hasn't been seen here since the tail end of the 1998 playoff season.
That, in the end, may be more important than all the impressive amenities the stadium provides.
“It was exciting to go out and feel like you have home-field advantage,” Cards offensive lineman Leonard Davis said after the 21-13 victory over the Steelers. “We were fired up for pregame warmups and then some of the guys went out and we could hear them out there. In the past, we hadn't heard that.”
For the most part, the $455 million retractable-domed stadium lived up to the hype that had touted it as one of the 10 best sporting facilities in the world by BusinessWeek magazine.
- The two main architectural amenities passed with flying colors. The translucent retractable roof provided plenty of natural light. And the retractable field drew rave reviews from players, who called it a fast track.
- A wall of team photos depicting past high school state football champions in Arizona was a nice touch, as was a similar mural showcasing winners in the ASU-UofA rivalry.
- Lines at the 50 restrooms were rare (and, from a guy's perspective, I can tell you anything is better than the trough urinals at Sun Devil Stadium).
- Among the concessions, Touchdown Tortillas (featuring nachos and burritos) and Mr. B's Bowtie Barbecue were popular eateries. Beer, as usual, will cost you. Prices ranged from $5.75 for draft beer to $8.75 for premium draft.
It was enough to ease any butterflies Cards vice president Michael Bidwill had at the beginning of the day.
“I was excited,” said Bidwill, who spearheaded the Cardinals Stadium project. “Not only did the building perform well, the team performed well.
“It was 78 degrees inside, and 100-and-whatever outside. It was our first afternoon preseason game. So we can all go home at 4 o’clock and enjoy Saturday evening and not have to go home afterward and take a shower after attending a football game.”
There were first-game glitches, to be sure.
- Traffic was a problem. Many late-arriving fans said they sat in traffic up to two hours once they were within vicinity of the stadium, and there wasn't a traffic cop in sight to offer assistance.
“It took us 2 1/2 hours just to park in Lot F,” said Bob Arnold of Scottsdale, a season ticket holder who didn't get into the stadium until just before halftime.
- Concession lines stood 30-deep in the second quarter, backing up into beer lines that were equally as long and leaving little walking room along the main concourse. That mass of humanity was more than the air conditioning unit in that area could keep up with.
“I missed the entire quarter,” said one fan wearing a Hines Ward Steeler jersey after securing his cup of beer.
Some concession stands ran out of hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chili and even beer — which is what happens when the home team isn't used to crowds of 63,400.
- The line at the main team shop was 74 deep waiting to gain entrance when I wandered by in the second quarter. I'd like to give you some insight into what's inside, but all my press badge got me from the security officer at the door was directions to the back of the line. Suffice it to say, you're on your own for that information.
- One elevator near the press box didn't work. And water leaked from overhead pipes near the entrance to Gate 2, even dripping onto an electrical light fixture, which was a scary sight.
But aside from the traffic (there are only so many ways to get into the stadium), those are things that can be fixed.
As receiver Anquan Boldin put it, “It actually feels like home now. You go out and see everyone in Cardinals jerseys or Cardinals colors — so it's good.”
