Eagles fans shut out of NFC-final tickets

Any Eagles fans who hoped to score tickets to Sunday's NFC championship game from the Arizona Cardinals' ticket office yesterday were shut out.

Last night, Cardinals spokesman Mark Dalton confirmed reports that ticket sales were limited to Arizona residents.

Asked if any of those tickets remained, Dalton replied: "Six minutes."

That's how long it took for the seats to be sold.

"Demand was high even before the Eagles-Giants game started," said Ron Minegar, the Cardinals' executive vice president. "Once it was certain that we were hosting the NFC championship game, the demand grew to enormous proportions."

Dalton, who is a West Chester native, said the tickets were put on sale at approximately 3 p.m. Arizona time.

The Cardinals sold out the 71,000-seat facility through a combination of telephone and online sales, plus in-person purchases at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale.

When the Cardinals hosted the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the playoffs, they needed an extension from the NFL to sell their remaining tickets and ensure the game would be televised locally.