Scoring Up

While sitting and waiting on Peyton Manning's decision this came across the desk:

Minnesota Vikings Getting New Scoreboards

The Vikings actually needed the new scoreboards after the 2009 season but so few points were put up in the last two seasons that the decision to replace the scoreboards was put on the back burner. The scoring this year will be a whole different story. Get ready for that.

Here's the exciting news.

The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission has approved plans to replace two of the Metrodome's four long auxiliary scoreboards with new LED-display boards. The estimated cost of the scoreboards is $300,000, but they could be moved and used in the new stadium should one be built for the Vikings, stadium commission executive director Bill Lester said. Funds are available in the budget for the boards.

The 23-year-old scoreboards, each measuring 4x51 feet, can't be fixed because the South Dakota-based manufacturer Daktronics no longer stocks spare parts for them. Shocking, since that piece-of-shit stadium was about 10 years outdated when it opened in 1982. The old scoreboards will be used to supply parts for the two remaining scoreboards that still work. The linear scoreboards provide game score information on the faces of the upper deck on each side of the arena. The commission is scheduled to get a bid recommendation at its April 19 meeting. The work would be finished in time for the opening of the Vikings 2012 season.

If anyone's keeping track, it's interesting to note that the Metrodome will have two new scoreboards and a new roof. They replaced the roof last offseason when the old shit-covering roof ripped open and dumped a bunch of snow on the fresh new turf. New scoreboards, new roof, new turf. If the Wilf family is willing to wait another couple decades (it probably won't take that long), more shit will fall apart and need replacing that they might finally have a new stadium. That would be a more efficient route than waiting on the bill currently bouncing around the clowns in the Minnesota legislature.

The 2012 Vikings are going to keep those new scoreboards, and the remaining old ones, buzzing!

Now, back to the Manning wait. Some have compared this process to that of Brett Favre. It's not even close to the same thing. Favre had difficulty deciding whether he even wanted to play. Manning knows that he wants to play. He's just deciding which team and offer is best for him. It's really no different that any other free agent pursuit. It's just under a greater microscope. We rarely here about all the visits and communications between most teams and free agents. With Manning, every person with a microphone or a keyboard is spouting news or whispers.