Sid Hartman: Wilf knows governor has other priorities

While questioning whether the Vikings will be able to compete with other NFL teams if they don't get a new stadium, Vikings owner Zygi Wilf realizes Gov. Tim Pawlenty has more important problems with the state facing a projected budget deficit of some $7 billion.

Wilf said he believes, when the time is right, the governor will do everything he can to make sure the Vikings get a new stadium and are a permanent fixture here.

"I would like to say that I think discussions with the governor and many people [in the Legislature] are good to have, to try to find solutions," Wilf said. "If we do that, and we have a mindset to try to accomplish that, I think it can get done. We just have to have a constant dialogue between the Vikings and the [Legislature] and the governor's office."

The Vikings' Metrodome lease expires at the end of the 2011 season. In a conversation Thursday, Wilf at no time threatened to move the team and repeated that he realizes the state's deficit is a bigger problem for Pawlenty.

Wilf said he was convinced the governor will do everything possible to solve the stadium problem in a tough economic environment.

Wilf was not critical of the governor, unlike Vikings vice president of public affairs and stadium development Lester Bagley, who blasted Pawlenty in Thursday's Star Tribune for not helping solve the Vikings' stadium problem.

Goodell optimistic NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell also is optimistic the stadium problem will be solved, just as it was for the Twins and the Gophers.

"Zygi and Mark Wilf want the Vikings to continue in Minnesota in a new stadium. Now all of us, including the public officials and business community, need to focus on the difficult challenge of figuring out how to do it."

What is sad is that had the Wilfs bought the team a couple of years earlier than they did in 2005, maybe a plan could have been developed for the Gophers and Vikings to share a stadium and the problem would have been solved by now. Former Vikings owner Red McCombs prevented that from happening by dropping negotiations with the university.

"I have a lot of ideas of how we can solve the stadium problem," Wilf said. "I am sure the governor has heard some of those ideas. I just think there has to be an engagement. You can't tackle problems as big as the economy, or even as little as, relatively speaking, the stadium, without having a discussion and throwing ideas out."

Revenue sharing in the NFL keeps the Vikings from being in the red. But unfortunately, some of the big-market teams want to eliminate revenue sharing -- all the more reason small-market cities need a profitable stadium to help keep them in the black. The Vikings might have received as much as $25 million last year from revenue sharing.

Maybe the Vikings stadium problem would have been solved by now if the team had been allowed to be included in the organizations that will receive funds from money raised by the Clean Water, Land and Legacy constitutional amendment. The amendment is intended to raise money for environmental issues and the arts through a three-eighths of 1 percent sales tax.

Jottings Fritz Rock, a receiver from Wayzata, was one of the top recruited players in the state early in the recruiting period, receiving an offer from the Gophers after playing in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio following his junior year. He was hailed for his great performance in the bowl, but then the Gophers withdrew their offer for some reason. Rock, now a senior, hasn't signed with any college and is being looked at by Wyoming, Central Michigan, Western Michigan, Indiana and Cincinnati.

The Gophers lost an outstanding wide receivers coach in George McDonald, who played a big part in making Eric Decker a remarkable player. McDonald is joining the Cleveland Browns as a quality control assistant.

The Gophers men's swimming and diving team recently ranked 13th nationally among all Division I teams with a 3.17 GPA for the fall semester. Eden Prairie's Phil Greenberg recorded a perfect 4.0 last semester as an electrical engineering major. ... Brittany Viola, daughter of former Twins pitcher Frank Viola, was chosen to compete for the U.S. diving team July 18-25 in Rome in the world championships. Frank will be working with the Cleveland pitching staff in spring training.

Wild forward Antti Miettinen scored the game-winning goal in the 3-2 victory over Colorado on Wednesday, giving him a new career high in points with 35. He added two more assists Thursday against Detroit. Miettinen had 34 points (15-19-34) with Dallas last season. ... Pierre-Marc Bouchard scored his 12th goal of the season against Colorado. Minnesota is 30-3-1 when Bouchard scores a goal, dating back to Dec. 23, 2006. ... The Wild plays host to Ottawa on Saturday. Minnesota is 11-2-1 against the Eastern Conference this season and has outscored its opponents 42-26 in the 14 games. Against the East this season, Mikko Koivu has 16 points (4-12-16), Miettinen has 12 points (5-7-12) and Wild goalie Niklas Backstrom is 11-1-1 with a 1.83 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage. ... Ottawa defenseman Brian Lee is a native of Moorhead, Minn. He has six points (1-5-6) in 27 games this season for the Senators.

Former Gopher John Pohl has four goals and one assist in five games for the Frolunda Hockey Club in Gothenburg in the Swedish SEL league. His head coach is former North Stars forward Ulf Dahlen. Prior to signing the contract with Frolunda, Pohl had three goals and 20 assists in 22 games for the Lugano Swiss A team. ... Former Gopher Kris Chucko is the third-leading scorer for Quad City of the AHL with 16 goals and 17 assists in 46 games.