Inside joke from mayor

L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, as is the norm in political circles, has offered a wager to his counterpart in Boston, Thomas Menino, on the outcome of the Lakers-Celtics series. Villaraigosa’s imaginative offer, from the mayor’s website:

“So here’s my proposal:

“If the Celtics win, we’ll send you the best professional football team L.A. has to offer: the Arena League’s Los Angeles Avengers.

“If the Lakers win, we get the Patriots.

“I know what you might be thinking: ‘Villaraigosa must be nuts! Bostonians would make out like bandits in that deal! With an indoor arena team, the fans would not have to risk frostbite to see a mid-September game. And with the smaller field, our coaches wouldn’t even need cameras to steal opponents’ signals.’

“I’m sure my constituents might not be happy with this deal, but I am so confident in the Lakers’ victory that I am willing to put it all on the line.”

Villaraigosa, a UCLA alum, also made reference to USC Coach Pete Carroll, who was fired by the Patriots in 1999 after three seasons:

“Oh, and to sweeten the pot, in the event of a Lakers victory you can keep the Patriots’ coach.

“We have a pretty good guy down the street who might be interested in the job -- and who probably still has the gear.”

No response Thursday evening on the Boston mayor’s website.

LAT