E.C. EXTRA! ARIZONA GOVERNOR BETS GRAND CANYON ON D-BACKS

PHOENIX--A lighthearted tradition between public officials has taken on a whole new importance this week, as Arizona governor Janet Napolitano (D) has wagered the Grand Canyon on the Arizona Diamondbacks in a friendly wager with Colorado governor Bill Ritter (D).

"We were just sort of chatting on the phone about our good fortune," Napolitano said. "Bill was giving me a hard time about how much better he thought the Rockies were. So I said, 'Care to make it interesting?' Things just sort of escalated from there."

Friendly wagers between public officials from states are not uncommon during major athletic events, often including t-shirts from a local university or maybe a food that is associated with the area and frozen. That is precisely how this wager began, with Ritter offering to wager some University of Colorado giant foam fingers, and a few of the state's popular microbrews.

"I was just trying to have a little fun," Ritter said. "Then she goes and puts up the Grand Canyon. How am I supposed to respond to that?"

Ritter asked Napolitano what he could stake against the canyon; she responded by demanding the entire University of Colorado system; the City of Colorado Springs; and the Winter Park ski resort. After hours of cajoling, Napolitano got Ritter to reluctantly agree to the bet. She immediately notified the press of the wager, to "lock it in," and then allegedly placed a call to Brandon Webb and offered him a bonus of 12 extra inches of fresh powdered snow, whenever he wants it this winter, in exchange for a shutout.

There was some debate as to whether Napolitano, as a state governor, is allowed to trade a national park. However, some research by SSNN confirms that there is a historical background for this sort of thing, from 1957, when then-California governor Richard Nixon used Yellowstone National Park as a buy-in for a $20-$40 stud poker game. Nixon won in that game and was able to hold on to the park, and the rest is history.

Napolitano, for her part, downplayed the intensity of the wager to reporters.

"Look, it's not Breckenridge. It's Winter Park. Let's not get carried away here."

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