How Sweet It Is! Archbishop Dolan Tastes World Series Victory

So not only did Timothy Dolan get named archbishop of New York last spring, the most prestigious post in American Catholicism, but six months later he gets to crow about how the Yankees won the World Series.

And to top it off, he had Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali publicly pay off their World Series wager in front of reporters and photographers during a break in Monday's annual meeting of the U.S. hierarchy in Baltimore. Is that fair?

Rigali and Dolan actually swapped Yankees and Phillies t-shirts (XXL, it appeared) and some friendly banter about the bet--New York bagels or Philly Tastykakes--which we wrote about at the start of the series.

But the piece de resistance was when Dolan's eyes grew wide at the sight of several boxes of Tastykakes that Rigali spread out on a table in the foyer. Dolan has a healthy appetite and the waistline to prove it, and both are frequent fodder for his well-known sense of humor.

Yet the archbishop was quick to offer Tastykakes to the assembled reporters--and the bishops who had gathered around to watch.

In fact, the cardinal and the archbishop--both longtime friends--had settled their bet right after the Yanks beat the Phils, four games to two. But there's nothing like doing it in front of the cameras.