By Merle Exit
Mayor Bill de Blasio and Chicago Mayor Rahm Israel Emanuel are just two top leaders betting on their baseball teams to take the 2015 National League Championship Series.
Emanuel’s request is that if the Cubs beat the Mets, de Blasio must make a contribution to be split between two youth programs, After School Matters and Becoming A Man.
DeBlasio said he will add slices from Grimaldi’s Pizzeria and beer from the Gun Hill Brewery in the Bronx.
Emanuel is offering to contribute to a New York-based organization of De Blasio’s choice as well as sweetening the pot with a case of Lagunitas IPA beer and deep crust pizza from Giordano’s.
The betting continues with Queens state Sens. Joseph P. Addabbo, Leroy Comrie, Michael Gianaris and Jose Peralta reaching out to Illinois State Senate President John Cullerton to extend their challenge to him. Cullerton and his colleagues in state government accepted the bet and negotiated the perfect stakes with Addabbo and Peralta.
The loser of the bet must send their home city’s pizza to the winner and congratulate the winning team on the floor of the Senate Chambers wearing the team’s gear. The senators also agreed to host a clean-up day somewhere in their district wearing the winning team’s apparel.
“I have every bit of confidence in the Mets beating the Cubs and going to the World Series, so it only makes sense to raise the stakes by putting a little something more behind this series,” Addabbo said. “There are two things I know for sure: New York has better baseball and better pizza. I hope that Senator Cullerton looks good in blue and orange, and I wish our counterparts in Chicago the best of luck in coming up with a creative way to keep the deep-dish pizza warm while on its way to Queens.”
Meanwhile, Queens District Attorney Richard Brown has challenged Chicago DA Anita Alvarez. A Chicago win has Marie DeBenedittis, whose family owns the renowned 85-year-old Mama’s of Corona, giving up one of her well-known Italian subs that they have been selling at Citifield. As much as Mama’s likes the publicity, they would rather see the Mets take the winning spot.
