Saturday, December 29, 2007
Editorial: Is he giving points?
From the RoundTable blog
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As if Virginians needed one more reason to cheer for the Hokies on Thursday, there's a ham on the line. In the grand tradition of elected officials wagering on collegiate athletics, Gov. Tim Kaine and Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius are backing their teams in the Orange Bowl with meat.
Oddly, Kaine is only betting on the Hokies. A spokesman from his office assures us that he supports the Cavaliers and is confident they will defeat Texas Tech on Tuesday. The singular wager only reflects that Kaine is friends with Sebelius and not particularly close with Texas' governor.
If Virginia Tech wins Thursday, Sebelius will send an assortment of Kansas beef to Kaine. In the unlikely event the Jayhawks win, Kaine will send a Virginia ham.
It's all in good fun and an amusing diversion, but really, is ham the best Virginia can offer? It screams pork, and that can't help but raise troubling images of the commonwealth's congressmen. Besides, it's not like other states don't have pigs of their own.
How about a bottle of Virginia wine and a cigar? Maybe a tin of Virginia peanuts. Candles hand-made by children at Williamsburg could be nice.
Or as one commenter on The RT blog suggests, Kaine might choose an item that is truly emblematic of the state these days: an orange traffic cone.
