Nixon to pay off bet with Connecticut governor

He might well be Mizzou’s number one fan. Now, he’s paying up.

Governor Nixon will soon be sending a package of Anheuser-Busch beers from St. Louis, Gates Barbeque from Kansas City and "throwed rolls" from Lambert’s Cafe in Sikeston to Connecticut Governor Jodi Rell to pay off his bet that the Missouri Tigers would defeat the Connecticut Huskies for the West Regional of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Rell had offered to send Nixon maple candies from Connecticut if the Huskies lost. The Tigers lost 82-to-75 to the Huskies in Glendale, Arizona.

Nixon spokesman, Scott Holste, says the governor traveled to Glendale to watch the games, pleased with the Tigers’ upset of Memphis, but disappointed that the Tigers failed to reach the Final Four in losing a tough game to Connecticut, the number one seed in the West. The Tigers were the third seed.

Nixon is a University of Missouri graduate and can, at times, be distracted from official business to talk MU sports.

Holste says the governor was upbeat this morning, despite the loss, especially since it appears the Missouri basketball team has such a bright future.

Download/listen Brent Martin interviews Scott Holste (3 min MP3)