When Govs Collide: Mike Pence Bets That Colts Top Pats

Indiana’s governor, Mike Pence, may or may not run for U.S. president in 2016, but for now, he’s got a different bulls-eye in mind. He and the chief executive of the great state of Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker, staged a teasing prod turned friendly wager via Twitter over Sunday’s AFC championship game. Pence’s Indianapolis Colts face off against Baker’s New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough today at 6:40 p.m. If the Pats move on to the Super Bowl, Pence and his team must deliver shredded pork via Frankfort-based Shoup’s Country Foods to Baker and company. But if Andrew Luck and the Colts have their way with the Tom Brady–led Pats, Baker must send his fellow Republican a “Super Bowl–themed cake” and—what else?—Boston cream pie cupcakes. (Accepting those items wouldn’t exactly reflect well on Indiana’s ongoing obesity issues, but we’d gladly take it as a state, right?) Gov. Pence laid down some delicious smack-talk in the high-level Twitter exchange, telling Gov. Baker, “#Colts will shred the Pats, so just for fun we’ll wager some pulled @IndianaPork. #GameOn”

Whoever takes the game, Shoup’s Country Foods is already a big auxiliary winner in this thing. And those less fortunate will also benefit: The governor of the losing team’s state today will see to it that a food pantry local to the winner will enjoy sizable food donations. And that’s something we can all clap for.

There’s precedent for this, of course, as cordial bets between leaders over sporting events are legion. Earlier this month, Indianapolis Monthly staffers enjoyed lip-smacking ribs from the Queen City’s heralded Montgomery Inn eatery after Cincinnati magazine’s publisher, John Lunn, challenged IM‘s own Keith Phillips to a similar wager. The Colts subsequently trampled the Bengals, and the results in our office can be seen below: