WASHINGTON (CNN) - A friendly wager over a weekend series between one of the greatest rivalries in baseball turned into a sour spat on Friday.
Sen. Chris Dodd, a lifelong Red Sox fan, challenged New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to a friendly bet over the Yankees-Red Sox series this weekend. Of course, Dodd wanted the Sox in the bet. But a Richardson spokesman countered that the governor has always been an avid Red Sox fan.
"Governor Richardson is a devoted Red Sox fan, and has been since his days playing ball in Massachusetts in high school, college, and in the Cape Cod League," Richardson spokesman Pahl Shipley said.
Dodd and Richardson are both seeking the Democratic presidential nomination and New Hampshire is in the heartland of “Red Sox Nation.”
In a press release, Dodd offered to wager a gallon of New England clam chowder on the game in return for an equal bet from Richardson "if he's confident enough in his team to accept my challenge." Dodd quoted Richardson saying that his dream job would be "playing center field for the New York Yankees.”
"Nothing is more exciting than a Red Sox-Yankees series in September," Dodd said in a statement. "The governor and I both dreamed about playing center field for our respective teams as children, and although that didn't happen, I know we will be both be watching this series closely, so why not have a little fun with it?"
Richardson will not participate in the bet.
- CNN Associate Producer Lauren Kornreich