Barbecue, cigars at stake in mayoral superbet

Friday January 24, 2003

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) On the gridiron, the Raiders and Buccaneers will be playing for fame, fortune and a Super Bowl ring.

In the executive mansions of Oakland and Tampa, however, mayors Jerry Brown and Dick Greco are vying for barbecued ribs, beer and premium cigars.

If the oddsmakers favoring Oakland by four points are correct for Sunday's Super Bowl, Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown will soon be blowing smoke rings from a box of Cuesta Rey Florida cigars.

And after those ashes have fallen, Brown will be enjoying a weekend at Tampa's Marriott Waterside, coupled with a behind-the scenes tour of Busch Gardens. Finally, Greco is offering Guava jelly, sangria and a cookbook featuring Tampa cuisine.

If the Bucs win, Greco will be Brown's guest at his ``executive warehouse'' followed by dinner at the renowned Everett & Jones restaurant for a meal of barbecued ribs in Jack London Square. Two cases of Brothers Brewing Company beer is also on the table.

As if that wasn't enough, Brown offered a boat ride on Oakland's scenic Lake Merritt.

``I'll sweeten the bet with a gondola ride around Lake Merritt,'' Brown said.

In what has now become a sporting tradition, the mayors of the two competing cities made their wagers in the spirit of civic pride as a sidebar to the main event.

Previous playoff game victories have won Brown a box of gourmet mustard from Hempstead, N.Y. Mayor James Garner, whose town is the training base of the Jets, and soon to come is a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey and a Bible from Nashville Mayor Bill Purcell, whose Titans lost last week in Oakland.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)