FRONT ROW: Getting to know the University of Phoenix stadium

SLEEK, SHINY, ANONYMOUS: It’s like a giant spaceship that landed in the desert.

Three days after my first trip to Glendale to check out the University of Phoenix stadium, I still can’t decide if that statement is a compliment or an insult.

My girlfriend and I made our way north to see the Arizona Cardinals battle the Carolina Panthers. Given that neither of us had any attachment to either team (me being a die-hard Denver Broncos fan and her having a passing interest in the woeful Cleveland Browns), the trip was mainly a chance for us to check out this fancy stadium.

I’d only seen professional football played at Mile High Stadium, and later, Invesco Field at Mile High. Some of my best childhood memories came from watching the Broncos dominate opponents in that steel-and-concrete monstrosity that would shake anytime the crowd made enough noise. And, boy, did that place get loud.

When the Broncos tore that place down and replaced it with Invesco, we were all blown away by all the modern amenities. High-definition video screens, bathrooms that were built in this century, plentiful food options -- this place had it all. But it was missing something big.

A soul.

See, these modern stadiums have this cookie-cutter type of presentation. Yes, they’re all fabulous and comfortable and state-of-the-art, but part of what made going to a football game such a memorable, communal experience was the idiosyncrasies each venue used to distinguish itself.

As far as I could tell, the University of Phoenix stadium had little that said it was the definitive home of the Arizona Cardinals.

Part of the problem (OK, a big part) was that this franchise has next to no history. Before last year’s unlikely Super Bowl run, the Cardinals were famous for exactly two things: No. 1, Pat Tillman. No. 2, Rod Tidwell (from “Jerry McGuire”).

When we took a lap around the stadium, we saw luxurious, yet anonymous building. It could’ve belonged to anyone. The only unique aspect of this place is the wonderful Tillman statue on the stadium’s north end.

The Cardinals did little to impress us on Sunday, either. After the team’s impressive win over the New York Giants last week, hopes were high that Arizona would be making a run at another division championship and reclaiming that swagger that propelled it through the NFC playoffs last season.

However, the Cardinals went in the total opposite direction on Sunday. Kurt Warner played one of the worst games in his Cardinal career, throwing five interceptions and looking like he had no business being on the field most of that afternoon. Had anyone offered me a wager to see who’d look worse between Warner and the floundering Jake Delhomme, I would’ve bet on Delhomme in a heartbeat. And I would’ve lost, badly.

Arizona’s defense (which came into the game ranked No. 1 against the run) didn’t do us any favors, either, giving up a ghastly 270 yards of rushing to Carolina’s dynamic duo of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. Even the embattled Steve Smith got in on the act, finally scoring his first touchdown of 2009 by torching Dominique Rogers-Cromartie on a hitch-and-go.

Even though the Cardinals were within striking distance for most of that fourth quarter, the fans continued to file out of the stadium, almost sensing that Warner simply didn’t have it that day. This was a savvy bunch, because he blew it, time and again.

Despite all of this, I’d still recommend taking a trip to Phoenix to check this place out. Those in charge have done a wonderful job building up the area around the stadium, with countless food/fun options to enjoy on your way to or from the game.

But if the Cardinals want to generate a true home-field advantage, the team had best look into some ways to make it feel more like a home.

BOOK OF BASKETBALL: I’m about 230 pages through the 700-page epic known as “The Book of Basketball” by Bill Simmons, and I can already say it’s the strongest sports book I’ve read in a few years.

Even for people who’ve grown disenchanted with the NBA, Simmons’ thorough take on the sport (what it means, where it’s been, where it’s going) is a must-read for anyone who has ever cared, even a little bit, about basketball.

Judging from the book’s astronomical sales thus far (currently in the top-five on Amazon.com), it’s not just die-hard NBA fans reading this book.

Simmons is this era’s most popular (and polarizing) sportswriter. After gaining notoriety as the Boston-loving, backward-cap-wearing “Sports Guy” on ESPN, he’s taken his “voice of the fan” approach farther than anyone could’ve imagined. At his best, Simmons is a witty columnist with a take on sports unlike anyone else’s. At his worst, he can seem like that arrogant know-it-all at the sports bar who won’t stop talking about how he’s so much smarter than the coach.

Last night, my buddy Travis and I made our way to a Barnes and Noble in Phoenix (two trips to Phoenix in one week is way more than I’m accustomed to) in order to meet the man, have our books signed, and try to figure out this Simmons phenomenon, once and for all.

Check Sunday’s edition of “Open Court” for all the details.

nprevenas@gvnews.com | 547-9747