Chris Dodd for President

Earlier today Senator Dodd challenged New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson to a friendly bet about this weekend's Red Sox-Yankees series: Dodd is willing to bet that his Red Sox's will beat the Yankees, the team Governor Richardson had previously said to be a lifelong fan of, wishing to be Mickey Mantle.

But Richardson has refused the friendly wager and now says that he's a Red Sox fan, not a Yankees fan. Say it ain't so, Bill!

But Richardson didn't take the bet -- and denied that he was a Yankees fan. A comment Richardson made about wanting to be Mickey Mantle, the legendary Yankees outfielder, was apparently misconstrued to mean he rooted for the pinstripes.

"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." Shipley said in a statement.

Funny, that's not what the Governor said before on Meet the Press with Tim Russert. Foon Rhee of the Boston Globe reports:

The Dodd campaign points to an appearance that Richardson made on NBC's "Meet the Press" in May in which he says, "I'm a Red Sox fan," then quickly adds, "I'm also a Yankee fan."

"'Devoted' Red Sox fans wouldn't be caught dead saying that they were "also a Yankee's fan,' " said Bryan DeAngelis, a Dodd campaign spokesman.

Richardson went on to tell Russert, "if I weren’t running for president I would like to be number seven, Mickey Mantle, playing center field for the New York Yankees."

I just spoke to my colleague Bryan DeAngelis, the Dodd campaign's New Hampshire Press Secretary and a lifelong Red Sox fan with the wicked Boston accent to prove it. DeAngelis says:

We thought we'd offer Governor Richardson this wager because we took him at his word when he said he was a Yankees fan on "Meet the Press." We, like Tim Russert, assumed he was joking when he said he was both a Yankees fan and a Red Sox fan. His life long admiration of Mickey Mantle closed the deal for us -- a Red Sox fan would surely have spoke of his admiration for Ted Williams long before Mantle.

So the bet is rejected, sadly. Hopefully in the future Governor Richardson will speak with clarity and conviction about which team he's actually "devoted" to. Every Yankee and Red Sox fan I know takes this stuff seriously. Honestly, as a Yankees fan, I'm insulted that Governor Richardson would say on one day that he wishes he was wearing the Mick's retired number seven in center field of Yankee Stadium and the next say he's a "devoted Red Sox fan."

Amidst the political trials and grueling hours on the campaign trail, there are occasionally moments where the pols can kick back and have some fun. This weekend's Red Sox-Yankees series offers one of them. Today Senator Dodd, a lifelong Red Sox fan, challenged New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and his Yankees to a friendly wager on the outcome of the series.

"Nothing is more exciting than a Red Sox-Yankees series in September," said Dodd. "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? I'm willing to wager some authentic New England Clam Chowder against an equitable wager from Governor Richardson, if he's confident enough in his team to accept my challenge."

Dodd and Richardson are both lifelong baseball fans. In a recent interview on Meet the Press, Richardson said, "...if I weren't running for president I would like to be number seven, Mickey Mantle, playing center field for the New York Yankees."

I'm just looking forward to seeing what sort of delicacy Governor Richardson ponies up against Dodd's New England clam chowder. Perhaps some fresh salsa or chiles?

Full Disclosure: I am a life long Yankees fan, a fact that gives Senator Dodd no small amount of discomfort. While I am obligated to advocate for Senator Dodd on this blog, I will be privately hoping for a Richardson win this weekend, via a Yankee sweep of the BoSox. If necessary, I will claim the Governor's chowder winnings in solidarity with him in his absence.

Today's event in Sioux City was great. Senator Dodd offered a great introduction to who he is and what he cares about, before bringing his friend Paul Simon on stage for a few songs. Simon played "Me and Julio Down by the School Yard," "The Boxer," and a special rendition of "Mrs. Robinson" -- changing the lyrics to ask "where have you gone Ted Williams?" (instead of the usual call for Joe DiMaggio). Senator Dodd is a die hard Red Sox fan and though Simon is a huge Yankees fan, he made the change in honor of his friend from Connecticut. As a life-long Yankees fan myself, I have to say I'm impressed by Paul Simon's selfless desire to show his deep friendship for Senator Dodd. Trust me, it doesn't come easy for a real Yankees fan like Paul to do much of anything for Red Sox fans. Beyond any sports allegiance related updates, the event was fantastic. You can see the entire Ustream of the Sioux City talk & concert below. We've been phenomenally lucky with the weather in Iowa throughout the week. It's been warm and beautiful without being too hot or humid -- the perfect climate to tour from river to river across Iowa. Sunny July days make great settings for the serious conversations our nation needs to have. Chris Dodd is having those conversations every day with voters in Iowa. I hope the video and blogging on the site this week have helped give you a better sense of who Senator Dodd is and what his campaign for the presidency is about.