Catholic bishops bet on Heat v. Mavericks NBA Championship

Miami, Fla., Jun 2, 2011 / 17:36 pm

As the Miami Heat and the Dallas Mavericks begin the NBA Championship series, the Catholic bishops of the teams’ hometowns have made a friendly wager on the outcome.

Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami offered Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas three items from three parts of his archdiocese: a collection of Key Lime pies and stone crabs from Monroe County, a box of cigars handmade in Miami, and a fish bowl containing Ft. Lauderdale sand, shells from the beach, and water from the Atlantic Ocean.

He will also include some “ocean breezes and oranges” if the Miami Heat lose, the Archdiocese of Miami reports.

Bishop Farrell has accepted the challenge. He has offered barbeque ribs from Rudy’s Country Store and Bar-B-Q in Frisco, tortillas and salsa from Luna Tortilla Factory in Dallas, and a deep dish pecan pie from Colin Street Bakery in Corsicana. He is also offering a “Don’t Mess with Texas” hat.

If the Heat loses, Bishop Farrell said, he would like to receive a picture of Archbishop Wenski wearing the cap, perhaps while sitting on his Harley motorcycle.

“I want to see Archbishop Wenski wearing a hat that says, 'Don't Mess With Texas,’ because he has got to learn that lesson,” Bishop Farrell told WFAA-TV.

Archbishop Wenski wants the promised ribs to arrive at his home in time for the July 4 weekend.

“My mouth is already beginning to water,” he told the Miami Sun-Sentinel.

The Miami Heat won the first game of the series on May 31 by a score of 92-84. The second game is scheduled for Thursday night at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.