This might be a good time to point out what an excellent video scoreboard the Dragons have at Fifth Third Field and that the city and county didn’t have to pay for any of it when the Dragons upgraded it in 2004, their fifth season.

This is so unlike the Bengals, asking Hamilton County for $307,000 for a new video replay system. As if the Bengals are going to score enough to make it useful.

Turns out the Bengals are asking because Hamilton County pledged to take care of the stadium, which was built mostly for — not by — the team.

That’s not the case here. Sure, most of Fifth Third Field was paid for with city and county funds — almost $20 million worth — but the deal included a clause that assured all upkeep and capital improvements would be taken care of by the team, not the public.

Since the Dragons’ approximate original $5 million investment, the team has put in nearly $9 million more in 12 years, including the purchase of that new scoreboard.

A new field is going to be installed for next season, and there will be refurbishing of the luxury suites.

Team president Robert Murphy is also planning on an even newer scoreboard in the next couple of years, and there will be no discount because this is for a minor league team. The cost will be in the $300,000 range, just as it is for the Bengals.

Fans may be asked to pay a little more for tickets, but there’s certainly no shortage of fans.

And the city and county can look elsewhere to spend their limited funds.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2157 or mkatz@DaytonDailyNews.com.