Sid Hartman: Arizona finds way to build stadiums

Vikings owner Zygi Wilf got a surprise phone call the other day from Gov. Tim Pawlenty, suggesting they have a conversation about the football team's stadium problem. Their Metrodome lease expires after the 2011 season.

Wilf and the governor haven't talked for some time, so maybe they can make some progress and come up with a plan to make sure the Vikings don't move after the 2011 season.

Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher appeared a while back on the WCCO radio show of Michele Tafoya and also said there is a need to get going on the Vikings' stadium issue. "We need to appoint a purple blue-ribbon task force to work on it," Kelliher said.

Meanwhile, Zygi Wilf spent the weekend in Arizona, where the Vikings faced the Cardinals, and no doubt marveled at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, built at a cost of $455.7 million.

In the Phoenix area, they have built a new baseball stadium, a new football stadium, a new hockey arena and remodeled the NBA arena in recent years.

Of course, the cost of the football stadium was a lot less than the $1 billion estimated cost of the Vikings' stadium, because it was built in 2006.

Even if a similar stadium had been built here in 2006, as it was in Glendale, the construction costs would have been 35 percent higher because of climate and labor costs.

Of the total cost, the Cardinals contributed $147 million, the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority more than $298 million and the city of Glendale $9.5 million.

The Cardinals facility didn't get any contribution from the NFL, which has been available to build other stadiums and likely would be for the Vikings.

Hotel taxes (1.0 percent) and car rental taxes (3.25 percent) help pay for the Arizona stadium. The University of Phoenix paid $154 million over 20 years for naming rights.

Then there was the contribution of the sales and income tax paid by players and people associated with the Cardinals.

People associated with the Vikings pay a total of $18 million in taxes plus sales taxes, which is income that wouldn't be available if the Vikings left.

The NCAA loves this area for a site for the Final Four. But it isn't going to bring the basketball tournament to the Metrodome when there are so many newer facilities available.

The Legislature will reconvene for 2010 about a month before Super Bowl XLIV is held in Miami.

Will the Vikings' success this season change the attitude of the many anti-stadium people? The presence and popularity of Brett Favre helped the team have no TV blackouts, but you never know what will convince people the stadium should be built.

No help from Redskins The Redskins could have helped the Vikings' efforts to earn the home-field advantage in the playoffs on Sunday, but they blew it like they have all season.

They led the unbeaten Saints 30-23 with 1 minute, 19 seconds to play, but then Drew Brees threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Robert Meachem to send the game into overtime. The Redskins could have clinched the game earlier, too, but kicker Shaun Suisham missed a 23-yard field goal with 1:52 to play.

Of their remaining four games, the Saints' only tough game is against Dallas in the Superdome, where the Saints are tough to beat.

The other games are at Atlanta, against Tampa Bay at home and at Carolina.

So that means the Vikings probably will have to play at New Orleans in the playoffs unless something unexpected happens.

Jottings Twins General Manager Bill Smith said the club will not bring back free-agent catcher Mike Redmond, who has been with the club since 2005. "I told Mike we are going in a different direction and we will go with one of our young catchers as a backup to Joe Mauer," Smith said. "Redmond wants to stay in baseball, and I'm sure he will hook on with some club." Smith said his prime offseason goal is to find a veteran pitcher, most likely Carl Pavano if he accepts arbitration, and also a good hitter off the bench. Smith also wants to solve the third base problem.

In the 2004 Music City Bowl, the Gophers under then-coach Glen Mason beat Alabama 20-16. Now, five years later, the Gophers finished 6-6 and Alabama is the No. 1 team in the country after walking all over Florida on Saturday.

The Gophers football team opens the 2010 season at Middle Tennessee State, which had a 9-3 record and finished second in the Sun Belt Conference with a 7-1 record. They beat teams such as Memphis, North Texas and Maryland and lost to Troy and Mississippi State.

One of the reasons for the success of Nebraska this season, which lost to Texas on a last-second field goal in the Big 12 Championship on Saturday, is the presence of junior Zac Lee, son of former Vikings quarterback Bobby Lee. For the season Lee was 8-3 as a starter and completed 164 of 279 passes for a 58.8 completion mark, with 13 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 1,970 yards and an impressive 126.3 quarterback rating. Lee was the offensive MVP scout team player as a sophomore and a two-time member (2008 and 2009) of the Big 12 Commissioner's Spring Honor Roll.

Also in that Nebraska-Texas game was Nolan Brewster, son of the Gophers coach, playing quite a bit of safety for Texas. He only had one tackle, but he was in on a lot of defensive plays.