With the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals set to face off Wednesday night in the first game of the World Series, Texas Gov.  Rick Perry placed a friendly wager on the baseball championship with Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon.

Perry wagered barbecue from the Salt Lick in Driftwood, Texas, and Dr. Pepper while Nixon bet an order of St. Louis toasted ravioli, gourmet prosciutto salami and other meats, frozen custard and a six-pack of Budweiser.

“With all due respect to the Cardinals and their legendary fan base, it’s really their bad luck that they’re running up against the Texas Rangers, a team of destiny poised to win the World Series,” Perry said in a statement. “The Cardinals have had a great run, but this is about the here and now, and as Gov. Nixon and his fellow Missourians are about to discover, you simply can’t mess with Texas.”

“It will be a great day for the state of Missouri when the Redbirds wrap up the 11th World Championship in the team’s storied history, the second most world championships of any major league baseball franchise,” Gov. Nixon said. “I appreciate Gov. Perry’s willingness to take on this wager, and I look forward to watching the Show-Me State win another historic series.

The Texas Rangers, who have never won a World Series, are hoping to make a comeback after they made a run for the title last year against the San Francisco Giants but lost in five games. Instead of wagering with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Perry placed a bet with Republican gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman, who won a pair of cowboy boots from the Texas governor.

Earlier this month, Perry declined the opportunity to bet on the Red River Shootout, the annual football game between Oklahoma University and the University of Texas.

In 2005 when the Longhorns played USC in the Rose Bowl championship, Perry and Schwarzenegger signed a pair of boots made in each of their state which were auctioned off with proceeds that went to the Texas Disaster Relief Fund along with several items produced in their state. Perry’s Texas items included one box of Texas Rio Star Grapefruit, a box of Texas Sweet Oranges, 20 smoked BBQ Beef briskets and 100 Blue Bell ice cream coupons. Perry sweetened the deal by offering a 200X Beaver hat.

But in 2009, Perry attempted to place a wager with Alabama Gov. Robert Riley on the Texas-Alabama championship game but Riley declined after receiving heat for a previous bet he made with then Florida Governor Charlie Crist.