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Mayors, Governors Place Bets In Stanley Cup Finals

By Samantha Abernethy in News on Jun 11, 2013 10:30PM

Mayors Emanuel and Menino, and Governors Quinn and Patrick have placed their bets. Governor Pat Quinn kept it simple in his wager with Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick. Each said they will volunteer at a food bank of the winner's choice. There isn't much bad blood between these two, perhaps because it was just a couple of days ago that Quinn attended the dedication of an honorary street in Chicago native Patrick's name.

Maybe it's because he has been eating all that sriracha he got from LA Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, but Mayor Rahm Emanuel got a bit feisty in his smacktalk. There were reports Emanuel and Boston Mayor Tom Menino wagered Jim Belushi for Matt Damon. That's hardly an equal trade. Emanuel's office posted a long list of the items at stake in his bet with Menino. Maybe that's why Menino hasn't figured out his comeback yet. Here is what Emanuel put on the line:

* Corned beef sandwiches and potato pancakes from Manny's Cafeteria & Delicatessen. Don't worry, it's not Manny Ramirez's deli. We'll have some potato pancakes sent along as well.

* You are from Beantown, so I'll take go and take a special touristy photo of myself at "the Bean" for your wall. Maybe I'll do that funny thing where you pretend it's in the palm of your hand.

* You love culture, right? How about some tickets to Chicago's Tony-award winning Steppenwolf Theatre Company?

* Chicago is a great sports town, and so I think you'll look great in your new "Menino 13" Blackhawks jersey. Who says 13 is unlucky?

* You guys have the Green Monster; we've got the Green Line. We'll send along a couple "original" six-packs of Green Line beer and some Goose Island Beer Co. Root Beer for the Mayor.

* Both our cities take food seriously. So we'll make sure you get an array of Chicago's finest - Vosges Haut-Chocolat, Robinsons BBQ sauce, El Milagro tortillas, and Al's #1 Italian Beef Sandwiches. And you can have a 2013 version of the Boston Tea Party with all the Argo Tea we send your way.

* Boston is the home of the American Revolution, so be on the lookout for the Revolution Brewing Company t-shirt we send your way.

* Special note -- there will be a bottle of Sriracha hot sauce in there. Re-gifted from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa -- he sent us way too much stuff after we beat the Kings the other day.

* Finally, we'll plant a tree in the schoolyard of your choice, to highlight our common commitment to education, parks and the environment.