RT Rybak wagers local music scene in a football bet

​I'd be lying if I pretended to have the slightest clue about football. I don't even really know where we are in the season, though I seem to remember Bruce Springsteen doing his knee slide into the camera during the Super Bowl halftime show around this time last year. But judging from how riled up Mayor RT Rybak is about this Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints, I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess it's a big deal for the Vikings to win. Something about an "NFC championship game."

(Please don't explain it to me in the comments. I honestly don't care.)

What I do find interesting, however, is that the mayors from the teams' respective cities -- RT Rybak from Minneapolis and C. Ray Nagin from New Orleans -- have started placing friendly bets on the game, and RT's first wager was a selection of three local CDs.

In an article on the WCCO site yesterday, the AP is reporting (yes, the AP is actually reporting on this) that Rybak started the bet with the three CDs, and Nagin upped the ante by throwing in authentic New Orleans food (pralines, king cake, and beignets) and Mardi Gras beads. What the article doesn't indicate, however, is which three bands Rybak chose to feature with his bet.

Which local albums would be worth this kind of wager? Well, judging from RT's speedy reply to my inquiry on Facebook, our Minneapolis mayor is up on his local music trends. "The Minnesota Beatles Project, Mason Jennings and Brother Ali!" he replied.

​While it may seem odd to make a correlation between local music and a football game, RT says that he feels that the Twin Cities and New Orleans have a lot in common, including vibrant music scenes. From the AP article: "Ryback says that a river and great music run through both cities -- Minneapolis at the headwaters of the Mississippi River, and New Orleans at its mouth."

Go, Vikings! Yay, sports!