[Speed Gibson,
Thursday May 18, 2006 at 9:03pm]
Zygi Zags
I've been in enough sales pitches and negotiations to really wonder about our new Vikings owner, Zygi Wilf.
I was impressed how he elbowed his way to the front of the line almost. It's all the Legislature talked about until now. At first, he was going to wait a cycle to make his pitch for a new stadium, but apparently thought he would miss out on at least the momentum of the Twins and Gophers if he didn't act.
The DFL Senate thought they in turn would ride that momentum to score a juicy tax increase for their otherwise stalled public transit fantasies. (It's not mass transit!) Like Mr. Wilf, State Senator Larry Pogemiller overreached, confusing his own caucus at times.
When that approach stalled, Wilf began dancing, withdrawing the roof from his proposal, and without checking with his Anoka County supporters. I think this was a huge error, immediately stripping his concept of all its grandeur. He also cast himself as asking for something he didn't need or hadn't thought out. Either way, the sense of urgency was now lost as well, and Ziggy is on the sidelines the rest of this session.
Maybe the deal was never there from the beginning, but Wilf made a really good try for a rookie NFL owner. He should have distanced himself early from the Senate plan, kept the roof, and simply run TV ads showing all those beautiful sketches and computer animations, pressing his advantage.
I can only conclude that he's used to doing business in New Jersey, not Minnesota. Ironically, it may be easier to deal with corrupt politicians than the merely deluded variety that grow here. Ziggy understands this now, and I have a feeling he'll get his stadium bill passed in 2007.
I was impressed how he elbowed his way to the front of the line almost. It's all the Legislature talked about until now. At first, he was going to wait a cycle to make his pitch for a new stadium, but apparently thought he would miss out on at least the momentum of the Twins and Gophers if he didn't act.
The DFL Senate thought they in turn would ride that momentum to score a juicy tax increase for their otherwise stalled public transit fantasies. (It's not mass transit!) Like Mr. Wilf, State Senator Larry Pogemiller overreached, confusing his own caucus at times.
When that approach stalled, Wilf began dancing, withdrawing the roof from his proposal, and without checking with his Anoka County supporters. I think this was a huge error, immediately stripping his concept of all its grandeur. He also cast himself as asking for something he didn't need or hadn't thought out. Either way, the sense of urgency was now lost as well, and Ziggy is on the sidelines the rest of this session.
Maybe the deal was never there from the beginning, but Wilf made a really good try for a rookie NFL owner. He should have distanced himself early from the Senate plan, kept the roof, and simply run TV ads showing all those beautiful sketches and computer animations, pressing his advantage.
I can only conclude that he's used to doing business in New Jersey, not Minnesota. Ironically, it may be easier to deal with corrupt politicians than the merely deluded variety that grow here. Ziggy understands this now, and I have a feeling he'll get his stadium bill passed in 2007.