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Super Bowl Bets Are In -- Mayors' Bets!

It's become something of a tradition for the mayors of cities whose teams take part in major sporting events to place friendly wagers against each other, with signature items from both places up for grabs, and the mayor whose town's team wins grabbing the spoils.

The mayors from the cities whose teams are participating in this year's Super Bowl wasted no time getting down to business -- by getting their respective bets down, on "The Early Show" Monday.

Greg Ballard, the mayor of Indianapolis, whose Colts are trying for their second Super Bowl championship win four years, said he'd send New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin some of the famed shrimp cocktail from St. Elmo Steakhouse, if the Saints grab the crown in their first trip to the big game.

In turn, Nagin said he's ship some classic offerings from the French Quarter's Bourbon Street, such as King cake; Zulu coconut, Mardi Gras beads, gumbo and pralines, if the Colts wind up on top.

Ballard observed that the Colts are "a veteran team. They play well. The organization does things the right way. So I'm pretty confident."

And Nagin told co-anchors Maggie Rodriguez and Harry Smith the victory over the Minnesota Vikings that sent the Saints into their Super Bowl was "an amazing experience. The Superdome was electric. For us, this is really special because, four years ago, when Hurricane Katrina hit that facility, you know, there was rain coming in, and last night, we just celebrated like you wouldn't believe.

"If you saw Bourbon Street last night, it was like a Mardi Gras that you've never seen. Everybody's feeling good, and it's good to see the city excited."

For her part, Rodriquez promised to treat both mayors to Cuban coffee in Miami, site of the Super Bowl and her hometown, when "The Early Show" broadcasts from there around the day of the game.

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