A friendly wager...

[matt_s]

Often Mayors/Governors of cities and states involved in the Super Bowl will have a "Friendly Wager" with their counterpart in the opposing city/state. If you were Governor Daniels or Mayor Petterson in Indianapolis, what would you offer up in a friendly wager to Mayor Daley or Governor Blagojevich?

[james_t]

For some idea of what the stakes are, here's an excerpt from a Chicago Sun-Times article about a bet Daley made on the Saints game with New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin:

"If the Bears win, Nagin owes Daley a spread surprisingly devoid of Cajun gumbo. Nagin offered beignets, pralines, root beer, Zulu coconut, gift baskets and tickets to watch the Mardi Gras Parade from the official viewing stand.

If the Saints win, a smorgasbord of beer, wine, chips, pizza, ribs, coffee, cinnamon rolls, peanuts, burgers, sausage, cheesecake and candy are headed to New Orleans, along with a Weber grill and a Fender guitar autographed by blues legend Buddy Guy."

Having lived in the area, I'm guessing it was Chicago-style pizza from Giordano's and Eli's cheesecake. But I think the Indy folks should hold out for Italian beef from Portillo's and some Frango mints.

[Eric_H]

This actually has already happened once in the playoffs. Bart Peterson wagered with the Baltimore mayor (who is now the governor of Maryland) on the outcome of the divisional game.

Peterson offered up steaks and the famous shrimp cocktail from St. Elmo. I believe Baltimore delivered some sort of crab or seafood dish which was enjoyed by the mayor's staff and some lucky members of the Blue Crew fan club.