The man motioned us over. "I've got Rolex ... whatever you need. Top of the line, 100 percent." We were skeptical. "Yeah, but you're selling these for like 5 percent of actual cost. Do they even tell time?" The man looked hurt. "Do they tell time? Come on, what do I look like? These are the genuine article." But just as he said that, one of the watches ceased to tick. The rest looked to be off -- three minutes here, five minutes there. We kept on walking. "Your loss!" the man shouted. "These things might not have perfect timing, but they have better timing than the Minnesota Vikings!" ----------------

That exaggerated windup was just another way of saying this: When your team is 4-7, when pretty much everything imaginable has gone wrong, is it really a good idea to trot out the Los Angeles threat yet again? Seriously? Yeah, we know the stadium issue is coming to a head. Yeah, we know the Vikings missed their golden opportunity last year when the team was riding the highest of highs. But Lester Bagley really said this yesterday during a chat on the team's web site:

"We have been approached by two different groups in Los Angeles - the Ed Roski group and more recently by former Timberwolves CEO Tim Leiweke and AEG. In 2009 when the NFL had an owners' meeting in southern California, Mr. Wilf and Vikings management toured LA Live to try to get ideas on building a similar sports/entertainment district in Minnesota. ... Clearly, the Vikings stadium issue is being followed nationally and it's no secret that we're down to the last year on our lease. We've told those groups that we are focused on resolving the issue in Minnesota. We feel solid momentum and feel we're well-positioned with the new legislature and governor. Instead of spending energy speculating on other markets, let's keep the focus on building a world-class facility for the community and the State of Minnesota."

Yes, that was the same message we've been hearing for years: The Vikings really want to build a stadium here and are committed to making it work. But ... hey, look at those guys in Los Angeles!

While we enjoyed the transparency from Bagley, we would also love to hear someone like him take it a step further and say this because we believe it's true: Los Angeles is just a hollow threat and an awful NFL market. There is no way the Vikings will ever move there. Fans are stuck with and/or lucky to have this franchise in Minnesota. It's part of who we are. The Metrodome was an awful baseball stadium. It's an OK football stadium, but the rich want to get richer. So won't you please build a new stadium here so everyone can shut up and not talk about this for three more decades?

Your thoughts on the L.A. banter, whether you think there's a chance the Vikings would ever move and the likelihood of a new stadium getting done here in the comments, please.