EDIT: Ugh. Serious formatting issues. Something was amiss, but all seems to be well. Having troubles embedding individual tweets, or something weird. Sorry for the confusion. Ted
Remember on Christmas night, Peter King of NBC's Football Night In America and author of SI's Monday Morning Quarterback reported that the Vikings and the state are on the verge of a deal, and it's not a matter of 'if', but 'when'?
Well, I want to believe King, and no one wants the Vikes to stay in Minnesota more than I do, but Republican State representative John Kriesel, who you might remember more for this as opposed to being an 'in the know' guy on the stadium, replied to one of my tweets about the stadium:
@johnkriesel
John Kriesel@purplebuckeye stadium talks have not progressed in my opinion over the past couple of weeks. I'm optimistic but there's a lot of work left.
FavoriteRetweetReply
I'm not sure how to feel about this. I think Peter King is one of the more trustworthy guys when it comes to football reporting--he's a traditional journalist that made a seamless transition to the electronic media, and he's as well connected as anyone in the business.
But I temper that with a guy that is as involved in the stadium stuff as anyone, and he's optimistic but not a lot of progress. It's easy for King to say 'hey, I never said anything specific', because when you read the recap on PFT, he really didn't.
And one thing we haven't really talked about is the resignation of Senate majority leader Amy Koch, who stepped down after it was revealed she had an 'inappropriate relationship' with some guy. A guy who isn't her husband.
//uncomfortable silence
Whoever the next Senate Majority leader is will hold huge sway over the resolution of the Vikings stadium. A pro-stadium guy will work with Governor Dayton and get a deal done. At least one would think that would be the case. I mean this is Minnesota politics, after all.
But a guy that doesn't really seem to fit that bill is the current favorite, David Hann. From the Strib:
Assistant Senate Majority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, is widely seen as a top candidate to replace Koch. Hann has been one of the Senate's most vocal critics of gambling and public financing for a Vikings stadium.
But there is also a feeling that if Hann is elected, he wouldn't block a proposal to add slot machines at horse tracks to help pay for a new stadium, as the senate 'isn't about one person'.
Is it me, or does anyone else find it ironic that a guy from Eden Prarie, where Vikings Team Headquarters is currently located, could potentially be the guy that determines whether or not the Vikings remain in Minnesota?
So, there we have your up to the minute stadium update.
Discuss.