Mayor Francis Slay bets against Kwame Kilpatrick

It's the custom of the mayors of the two cities in the championship game of any sport to make a friendly bet.

Detroit's mayor, Kwame Kilpatrick, doesn't believe St. Louis's team can stand up to his. The Tigers won seven straight games leading up to the World Series.

Mayor Francis Slay from St. Louis said his city is in a frenzy. The Cardinals' recent win against the New York Mets has every fan pumped.[...]

Though the Cardinals are coming into the World Series as the underdog, Slay believes they can stay strong.

Kilpatrick sees the Tigers as emblematic of a rejuvenated Detroit: like the city, the team has struggled before but is now succeeding in ways no one could predict.

"It's a serious energy here. We have pent up demand for a champion in baseball," Kilpatrick said. "Everyone in the region can remember their grandfather or grandmother talking them to a game where they were a kid."[...]

Slay offered to send Kilpatrick a case of Budweiser beer, a product of Anheuser-Busch, headquartered in St. Louis, along with Twinkies and other baked goods.

Kilpatrick countered with a case of Vernor's ginger ale, famous to Detroiters. He also threw in local potato chips and Sander's hot fudge ice cream topping.

Both mayors agreed to send a picture of themselves wearing the opposing team's jersey, should their city lose.

Of course, with two cities and teams rearing to go, neither could contemplate anything but victory.