With the Giants 3-1 win over the Texas Rangers in the World Series come many losses for those who bet against the San Francisco team and will now have to “pony up” and make good on their promises.
In the spirit of pride and competition, city and state government officials and entertainment venues engaged in friendly wagers–most involving food–that would give the winning team’s supporters bragging rights and full bellies.
A beef brisket meal with all the fixings will be on its way from Texas to San Francisco next week in honor of Arlington Mayor Robert Cluck’s wager with Mayor Gavin Newsom.
“The food will be shipped out Monday,” spokeswoman for Cluck’s office Angie Summers said.
Summers said brisket, sausage, pinto beans, potato salad, rolls, cole slaw and pecan pie from Arlington’s Spring Creek Barbeque will be dropped off at 5:30 p.m. Monday and shipped overnight to San Francisco.
The other part of the wager was that the losing team’s mayor would visit the other mayor’s city, wearing the winning team’s jersey, and support youth and community service efforts.
So, Cluck will be on his way to the Bay Area to support the Junior Giants, a youth baseball program of the San Francisco Giants Community Fund.
“It will probably be in the spring,” Summers said of Cluck’s visit.
A brisket meal will also be on the menu for Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, who launched a wager with his Texas counterpart Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst.
“We won and we’re looking forward to brisket,” spokeswoman for Maldonado’s office Amanda Fulkerson said.
Maldonado used Twitter to congratulate the team and acknowledge the wager.
“Congrats to the Giants. It’s time to celebrate and I can’t wait to taste the Texas Brisket from the Texas LG,” he tweeted.
No word yet on whether Spring Creek Barbeque will be whipping up two batches of brisket bound for California. With major races underway in the Texas election as well, both offices have been kept busy.
“We’ll iron out the details once the polls close,” Fulkerson said.
Texas has more to offer than just brisket; thanks to Texas Motor Speedway President Eddie Gossage, 49 pounds of smoked Texas turkey will be headed to San Francisco just in time for Thanksgiving.
Gossage agreed to a wager with Infineon Raceway’s President Steve Page in which he would ship turkeys to the Sonoma-based raceway and Page would deliver the goods to San Francisco’s Glide Memorial Church to help feed families in need.
Even amusement parks are jumping on the wager bandwagon.
The presidents of Vallejo’s Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and Six Flags Over Texas have agreed to modify the parks’ main attractions–the Texas Giant roller coaster versus the Shouka the killer whale.
Had the Rangers won, Vallejo’s Shouka would have been nicknamed “Ranger” for one day and President Dale Kaetzel would have worn a Rangers cap and jersey.
Since the Giants clinched the victory, “they have to pony up,” Six Flags spokeswoman Nancy Chan said of the Texas crew.
“I’m sending over a cap and jersey (for Six Flags Over Texas President) Steve Martindale,” Chan said.
Also, sometime next week, the main attraction at the amusement park located adjacent to the Rangers Ballpark, the 48-foot Texas Giant roller coaster, will be renamed the San Francisco Giant for one day. The roller coaster is closed for renovation until 2011.
Chan said she is expecting video and photographic proof of the honored wager, and said celebrations are taking place all over the Vallejo park.
“Everybody’s excited,” Chan said. “I don’t think that there was anybody here who wasn’t rooting for the hometown team.”
A sign with “go orange and black” was placed in with two 7-month-old tigers and was up for a whole two minutes before the playful cubs took it down, Chan said.
Chan praised both teams for their efforts during the struggle to take the World Series win.
“It was a hard won battle,” Chan said. “Both teams played great, but only one team can win.”
