Here Come All The Silly World Series Food Wagers Between LA and Boston

Ah, yes. The crack of the bat, the crispness in the air, the annual news flood of brands and politicians competing in “friendly wagers” over food between rival sports cities. It must be World Series time.

This year’s Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox World Series officially kicked last night (spoiler alert: The Dodgers sadly lost) and continues tonight back east before turning the Los Angeles for a three-game weekend home stand. In the meantime, politicians and restaurants on both sides of the country are lining up to lend their name to the baseball news by broadly announcing meaningless competitions between the two cities. Let’s take a look at three big ones so far:

Grand Central Market vs. Faneuil Hall Marketplace

Two of America’s oldest food halls square off to ... do nothing but wait to see who wins the World Series. Should LA prevail, a culinary team from Faneuil Hall will be dispatched to cook a meal of clam chowder and baked beans (?!), whereas Grand Central Market will have to head to Boston to make some tacos if the Dodgers lose. Either way, both sides have kindly agreed to donate $1,000 to a charity of their choice for each home run hit by that town’s team.

Kamala Harris / Dianne Feinstein vs. Elizabeth Warren / Ed Markey

Every year a slew of politicians line up to make friendly wagers on which hometown team will prevail, and this year’s Dodgers-Red Sox series is no different. Should LA win, Senators Kamala Harris and Dianne Feinstein will be rewarded with, yep, more clam chowder. But if the Red Sox win, Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren will be rewarded with some Dodger Dogs and “LA’s world famous guacamole.” Two other things are worth noting here, as well. First: Mayor Eric Garcetti and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh did not place any bets together, as is customary, with Walsh claiming that he is bad luck for his own teams. Second: Senator Dianne Feinstein is getting dragged in her mentions for being from the Bay Area and rooting for the Dodgers at all.

Sidecar Doughnuts vs. Kane’s Donuts

This one is just straight-up sweet. In a world where the Dodgers win, Orange County-based Sidecar Doughnuts (they have locations in greater Los Angeles, don’t worry) receives a dozen Boston cream doughnuts from Kane’s, but if they lose then they must send a dozen of their own over to the East Coast. What’s more, Sidecar says that — if the Dodgers lose — they’ll give one free doughnut at the Santa Monica location only to any Red Sox fan who shows up following the final game of the World Series wearing their team’s gear.

And, buried at the bottom of a press release on the doughnut wager, is one last pertinent line: “Friendly trash-talking will take place between the two doughnut shops over their social media channels, and fans of both shops are encouraged to weigh in as well.” Because remember folks, it’s not really about who wins or loses, it’s all about #engagement.

• Inside Philippe the Original, LA’s 110-Year-Old French Dip Creator [ELA]