The Bet

If not for bad luck, I usually have no luck at all. It's why I don't gamble. Well, that and I work too damn hard for my money to piss it away...

A few years back, I made a bet with my future brother in law on the baseball post-season. Mike is a huge Red Sox fan and I was confident my Yankees would take them down once again. So we bet. WHEN I won, Mike would have to prance around all day in a Mariano Rivera jersey. It would kill him because of all the Yanks Mike dislikes, Mo is the one he hates most. IF I lost, I had to buy him the Sox hat of his choosing.

The Red Sox NEVER win the Series. They lose, year after year. And they don't just lose. They rip their fans' hearts out doing it. So I felt this "bet" was really a "sure thing." Except that year, as the Yanks were poised to trounce the Sox, the Red Sox made an unbelievable comeback. They swept the rest of the games against the Yankees and then quickly won the World Series for the first time in almost a century.

Though it pained me, I am a woman of my word... I bought Mike his hat. I can't even put into words how DIRTY it made me feel. I put the hat on my credit card, went home and shredded the damn card. Every time I see Mike wearing that stupid hat, it gets me all over again. I lost. The Yanks lost. And he'll NEVER let me forget it.

When hubby and I got married, Mike and his hat made an appearance during the toast. I was pissed and chucked the thing across the dance floor. I wanted to aim for a candle and torch his hat, but that was a little too Bridezilla for my tastes. Hubby knew it was coming and I'm still pissed he didn't tell me. Because at the last second, I decided to be nice and not play any pranks on Mikey at the wedding. I was going to have him walk in to Mo's entrance music. (For the non-baseball folks, Mariano Rivera runs out to the pitcher's mound to "Enter Sandman.")

Anyway...my bet with Mike was the last real bet I made. Until this year. I was having some fun with Matty, who loves the Phillies almost as much as I love the Yanks. We spent weeks sparring over email. I forget what he said that really got me going, but I threw down the gauntlet and proposed a bet. He took the bait and, just in case you hear him complaining, let's not forget that HE was the one who set the terms.

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that my boys in pinstripes won the Series at game 6 on Wednesday. Matty's a good guy and a man of his word. So he didn't hassle me at all when I told him to pay up. Check out this post on his blog and his guest post below.

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As the 2009 major league baseball playoffs were winding down, and it was becoming evident that the Phillies and Yankees would be squaring off in the fall classic, Jaime and I decided to square off. In support of our teams, we placed a bet with the baseball gods. She laid down her pride on the Yankees while I put mine down on the Phillies. It seemed like a sure thing. Phillies won it all last year, and were back to defend their title. I'm all good with that. What could go wrong?

So, in support of our teams, we agreed that the loser had to write a post on their blog acknowledging the winner. Additionally, the loser had to make a guest post on the winner's blog admitting that they were wrong and the winner was right.......and........say that the winner was a "baseball guru".

So, here is where I swallow my pride and pay up. Why? Because I'm a man, and a fan, of my word. I step up to the plate ( yes.....pun intended) and do the right thing.

Jaime, you were right and I was wrong. You are a (cough cough) baseball guru.

Until we meet again.....this time next year.

Matty