Diamond rivals agree to friendly wager on Patriots-Eagles game
PawSox, Lehigh Valley will have rooting interests with cheesesteaks and stuffed quahogs on the line
PAWTUCKET — Give the Pawtucket Red Sox and their International League North Division rivals, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, a ton of credit. They beat the respective mayors from Boston and Philadelphia to the punch when it comes to making a friendly Super Bowl wager.
The two Triple-A ball clubs put their respective cards on the table Thursday. Or was it their best entrée choice from the chef’s kitchen?
If the New England Patriots capture the franchise’s sixth Lombardi Trophy at the Philadelphia Eagles’ expense this Sunday, the IronPigs will send an order of 52 cheesesteaks to the PawSox. The delivery from Allentown, Pa. will also include a set of Lehigh Valley’s popular Cheesesteak-styled alternate jerseys, which members of the PawSox front office would wear as they consume their winnings.
On the flip side, a Patriots loss would mean the PawSox send the IronPigs a custom-made order of 52 clam cakes and 52 stuffed quahogs, or “stuffies” as they like to say in the Ocean State. Also on the line in the Pawtucket-to-Lehigh-Valley bet is a shipment of “G.O.A.T. #12” bobbleheads, a one-of-a-kind keepsake (pictured above, right) that will be given out to the first 3,000 fans in attendance on Friday, July 13, when the PawSox host Syracuse at McCoy Stadium.
Why 52 of each food item? Super Bowl LII, of course.
Per a PawSox spokesperson, it was General Manager Dan Rea who reached out to Kurt Landes, president and general manager of the IronPigs, to see about making something happen. Both Rea and Landes engaged in some good-natured taunting that speaks volumes to where each side’s allegiances lie as Sunday night’s kickoff from Minnesota draws closer.
“All of New England is looking forward to Sunday’s showdown between the mighty Patriots and the upstart Eagles,” said Rea, “and we’re especially eager to enjoy the fruits of our wager from our good friends in Lehigh Valley.”
“We’re happy to add a little flavor to our offseason as we gear up for spring training,” said Landes. “There will be no better way for our staff to celebrate an Eagles’ victory than with a fine lunch from our friends in New England.”