Gov. Gregoire makes friendly wager with Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue

For Immediate Release: September 11, 2010

OLYMPIA � Gov. Chris Gregoire today made a friendly wager with Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue that the Seattle Storm will beat the Atlanta Dream in the WNBA finals. The Storm host the Dream in the first of the best-of-five-game series this Sunday.

If the Storm bring home the championship, Perdue has promised to send Gregoire a box of Georgia peaches. In return, Gregoire has put up a box of Washington apples.

�I�m convinced that Governor Perdue hasn�t seen the Seattle Storm in action � otherwise he wouldn�t jump at this bet,� Gov. Gregoire said. �The team has truly been an inspiration this season and I�m confident that their drive for success will bring home the WNBA championship. We all know Washington grows the best apples, but our peaches are also first rate. So if Governor Perdue has any ice cream in his freezer I recommend he sends that too, because I like my peach cobbler a la mode.�

"In just their third year of existence, the Atlanta Dream and coach Marynell Meadors have proven during this year�s playoffs that teamwork and desire are more important than team history," Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue said. "As the Dream prepare to take on the Seattle Storm in the WNBA finals, Governor Gregoire has evidently decided that her state has an extra box of apples from this year's harvest. The city of Atlanta is rooting for the Dream to bring home the WNBA title, and I'm counting on them to import that box of Washington apples to Georgia. If Governor Gregoire really wants some delicious, sweet Georgia peaches, she�s going to have to buy them."

In both games played during the regular season, the Storm beat the Dream, handing the team its first loss in June. This season the Storm won 28 games, tying the WNBA record.