It's that time of year when my thoughts often turn to the warmer climates. I believe there may be some truth to Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), especially as March approaches and we know there may be six weeks more before we see our first buds and song-birds.

Los Angeles has a nice climate. And as I've been speaking to for years, it may be one day that our beloved football team is relocated to sunny California and I'll have to decide if I am to follow, stay put, or completely cut the cord in disgust.

To tell you the truth, I don't believe that the Vikings will ever move. It will come down to some back-room deal (oh, Hubert H. Humphrey we need you!) or a last minute savior will step in and barter some type of financial deal. Be that as it may, I found myself in this funk over a recent posting by my close, personal friend Sid Hartman who penned this exceptionally annoying diatribe:

"Zygi Wilf made the mistake of saying he would never move the Vikings under any circumstances when he purchased the team.

Well, the NFL representatives who met recently with the staff of Gov. Tim Pawlenty painted a different picture, making it pretty clear the Vikings can't make it financially and would continue to finish last in the league in revenue if a new stadium isn't built before the Vikings' Metrodome lease runs out after the 2011 season.

Unfortunately, the current economic climate makes it tough to build stadiums. Commissioner Roger Goodell said at the Super Bowl that the NFL wants to return to the Los Angeles area but doesn't want to expand, so fans of teams such as the Vikings, Buffalo and Jacksonville need to be concerned about relocation."

I found this annoying because it didn't tell us anything new. It was just more blathering to stir the pot and cause angst amongst the anti-stadium crowd and heartburn amongst the pro-stadium crowd.

Without a doubt, 2011 is quickly approaching but there is still time to get a deal done. But this late in the game means that the Vikes would need to find a temporary home while the Metrodome is razed and the new stadium built....which is Zygi's wish. Where goest though, then?

Pure logic would dictate that the Vikes would play in the new Gopher stadium....and it is a beaut. The new college stadium opens on Sept. 12, 2009. I think I'd get me a sky-box as these look very plush.

The important thing to note is that even with a late deal to agree upon funding for a new Vikings stadium, the team would not be homeless. I think we could all put up with a outdoor stadium in a college atmosphere for a few years until the new Vikings home is completed.

As for L.A., Buffalo is going to end up in Toronto. The Vikes are staying. And I doubt the NFL would let a stadium that is on the menu of Super Bowl rotations move very easily. The NFL is not going to expand at this point. So what happens? Status quo. Los Angeles will continue to hold other teams hostage in stadium plays. But they have their own stadium issues.

In April of 2006, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, center, Councilman Bernard Parks, left, and members of the Coliseum Commission toured the stadium and gave a news conference to discuss a presentation to the National Football League and stadium improvements.

Then came these telling quotes. First, Mayor Villaraigosa released a statement in which he said, "While I remain committed to bringing a professional team to Los Angeles, it is time to read the scoreboard: the Coliseum is no longer a viable option for the NFL."

Coliseum general manager Pat Lynch, a spokesman for the Coliseum Commission, said if the potential of the NFL horning in on USC's place as the stadium's main tenant is the school's major objection, then that obstacle could be overcome.

"We're not holding our breath on the NFL. We're moving on," Lynch said this afternoon. "That's why we're engaged in these negotiations with USC. So nobody's sitting here holding out any kind of place-holder for the NFL."

"Over the last two years, the city has made every effort to bring an NFL team to the L.A. Coliseum . . ." Villaraigosa said in the statement. "The Coliseum is and should remain the home of the USC Trojans. I am committed to seeking a long-term agreement with USC that protects the public interest, preserves jobs and benefits the entire community of South Los Angeles."

Hmmm, doesn't seem like such a slam-dunk to relocate a team only to jump out of the frying pan and into the fire of another stadium debate.

Thoughts?

Real or Staged

Go ahead and take two minutes and view this little video and let me know if you think this is real or staged. If it is real.....I may never drive again.

Eclipse

If you plan to watch the lunar eclipse tonight and don't know what time to beging viewing in your area, this animated site provides you with what you can expect to see by time zone. For us in the CST, the eclipse will begin at 7:43 pm, but gets real neat from 9 pm on as the moon enters the umbra (Earth's shadow) and takes on an orange-red glow.

Posted by briankeithmaas@msn.com at February 20, 2008 01:11 AM