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Chris Christie On WFAN: I'll Trade The 'Abuse' For Cowboys Playoff Wins

TRENTON, N.J. (WFAN/AP) — Twitter is abuzz again about New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and his beloved Dallas Cowboys.

This time it stems from television footage of Christie celebrating in the box of Cowboys' owner Jerry Jones Sunday after Dallas' 24-20 victory over Detroit in the NFL playoffs. Christie was briefly seen hugging Jones and others after the Cowboys clinched the win.

"It was pandemonium in there," Christie said Monday morning on WFAN's "Boomer & Carton" show. "It's difficult to describe the level of intensity in the Jones box."

Gov. Christie Talks Hug, Cowboys' Win

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Some tweets joked that Jones rejected Christie's attempt at a high-five. Others say Christie has become a good-luck charm for the Cowboys, who next travel to Green Bay.

Christie said his orange sweater actually holds the mojo. He's worn it to five games this season, all Dallas victories.

"Here's the thing, the first Cowboys game I went to this year, I wore the orange sweater," he said. "As it turns out, there are some people in my universe who believe that (the sweater) then becomes a good-luck thing."

Christie has taken considerable ribbing about his allegiance to the Cowboys, who are bitter rivals of the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, teams favored by most from N.J.

"We all know what this is about, and that's fine," said Christie, who hopes to attend Dallas' next game in Green Bay. "Believe me, I would take all the abuse that I'm taking from some of these folks in return for Cowboys playoff wins. As a fan, that's what it's all about. ... Just because I'm Governor of New Jersey doesn't mean that I change who I root for -- that's it."

Christie said he's been a fan since he was a kid and isn't ashamed of it.

Football Fans Sound Off On Christie's Cowboys Celebration

"What makes make me laugh about some of the people who get really upset about this, you know, we haven't a heck of a lot of success for a long time as Cowboys fans," Christie said. "So what be angry at me for? There's nobody yelling at me when we're losing to the Giants on the last game of the season to miss the playoffs. Then losing to the Redskins on the last game of the season. And nobody was yelling at me when Kyle Orton threw that awful interception last year to lose to the Eagles at home on the last game of the year.

"So I'm not listening to any of these people who are giving me a hard time now that we're having a little bit of success."

Then there was this interesting light-hearted exchange about what rooting for the Cowboys could mean should Christie decide to run for president. He has been considered a potential 2016 White House candidate for some time and Texas has 38 electoral votes, second only to California's 55.

Boomer: "Let's look at big-picture here for a second there, Mr. Governor. You think we can carry Texas now if we're running for president?"

Christie: "The thing is, Boomer, I think our chances have improved."

Christie knows the criticism he is receiving comes with the territory. In hockey, he roots for the New York Rangers. While that's more locally acceptable, he still gets his share of grief from fans of the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils.

And if his beloved New York Mets ever make it back to baseball's postseason? Hugs for everyone.

"If I'm on Fred Wilpon's box and the Mets get into the playoffs or win a playoff game, I'm hugging everything in sight," Christie said. "I'm hugging the people serving us the drinks. I'm hugging everybody."
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(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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