Oregon, North Carolina Governors Make Wager on College World Series Championship

North Carolina barbecue and Cheerwine, Oregon seafood, cheeses, beer and hazelnuts at stake in the three-game series

June 22, 2007 -- Salem – Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski today bet North Carolina Governor Mike Easley that the Oregon State Beavers baseball team will repeat as champions and defeat the University of North Carolina Tar Heels for a second time in the championship of the 2007 NCAA College World Series.

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Governor Easley wagered one pound of barbecue, one bottle of barbecue sauce and one pint of slaw from both Wilber’s Barbecue of Goldsboro and the Barbecue Center Inc. of Lexington and a case of Cheerwine if the Beavers win. Governor Kulongoski wagered a basket of products made in Oregon including a sampling of Pacific seafood, local cheeses, craft beer and hazelnuts – perfect snack foods for an afternoon of baseball.

“If I was from the Tar and Turpentine State, I’d be scared – given the way our Beavers are clear cutting their way through the tournament,” said Kulongoski, noting that the term ‘tar heel’ originated in reference to North Carolina’s tar and turpentine industry. “Pat Casey has done an incredible job keeping this Beaver team at the top of the college game and I’m looking forward to a barnstormer of a rematch this weekend. Timberrrrrrrrrrrrr! Go Beavs!”

“A beaver cannot get past a fox, certainly not twice,” Easley said. “I am confident UNC Coach Mike Fox and his team will make sure the Tar Heels bring the championship to North Carolina.”

On Thursday, the UNC baseball team (57-14) defeated Rice University (56-14) to move into the finals in Omaha, Neb. Wednesday, the Beavers (47-18) beat UC-Irvine (47-17) for the opportunity to defend their national championship. The first game of the best-of- three championship against Oregon State will be on Saturday at 7 p.m. (EDT). It is a repeat of last year’s baseball finals, which the Beavers won in three games, and the first time there have back-to-back repeat teams in the championship since 1973.

Source: Oregon Governor