Showing his team spirit, Mayor Richard Daley greeted Mayor Jim Schmitt of Green Bay, Wis., as the politicians joined the rivalry between the Bears and the Packers.
The mayors made their wager official on Saturday morning at the new skating rink on the 94th floor of the John Hancock Observatory.
"This will be a great game. You can't underestimate your opponents, and the Bears have been strong as they have done all year," Daley said.
The two men set up their friendly bet on the eve of when the two teams meet to battle for the NFC Championship, and more importantly, a trip to the Super Bowl.
The wager is pretty standard:
Chicago is offering a sampling of its famous food, including pizzas from Connie's, along with pierogies and corned beef from Manny's Deli -- all cheese-less, of course.
Our neighbors to the north have put up their regional fare with attitude, offering a massive chocolate football and a case of bear steaks.
While donning the jersey of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and cowboy boots, Mayor Schmitt upped the ante.
"We're also going to put up a pound of cheese for every point we beat the Bears by, so he may get his 20 pounds of cheese," Schmitt said.
The mayors weren't the only ones making predictions about the outcome of Sunday's match-up.
During a science and engineering seminar for high school students at the Museum of Science and Industry, nuclear scientist Dr. David Pointer of the Argonne National Laboratory used the Bears-Packers game to illustrate how science can be fun.
"How much are the Green Bay fans going to be crying after Sunday's game? So B minus G, so they are going to be crying for 14 hours," Pointer said.
Meanwhile, groundskeepers at Soldier Field covered the field with a blue tarp as heaters and underground heating coils helped them keep the field warm and dry as they finished last minute preparations.
"Right now, we're just waiting for the game," said Soldier Field spokesman Luca Serra. "It's more maintenance than everything else. We're just ready for the game to start."
