sherrod brown

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown is certain the Cavs will win the championship, and is betting beer from Akron's Hoppin' Frog Brewery on it.

(Marvin Fong/The Plain Dealer)

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Not only are the Cleveland Cavs better than any possible opponent, including the Golden State Warriors. Small-batch beer from Akron's Hoppin' Frog Brewery -- the city of LeBron James' birth -- is better than any brew from California.

At least, so goes the suggestion at the heart of a bet between Ohio U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and California U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer over the NBA championship title. The series starts at Oakland's Oracle Arena on Thursday night, and the beer wager is one of what could be several bets between politicians from the respective states.

Ohio's U.S. Sen Rob Portman and California's Dianne Feinstein negotiated their own bet: Portman wins California Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon if the Cavs win (he and Feinstein are finalizing exact details). But he has to give Feinstein a six-pack of Sharpshooter Wheat IPA from Cleveland's Great Lakes Brewing Co. if the Warriors win.

Brown's bet with Boxer comes with sartorial strings: If the Cavs lose, he'll have to deliver the Hoppin' Frog while wearing a Golden State jersey.

But Brown feels confident that instead, he'll be enjoying some Peet's "Warrior Grounds" coffee and a case of Linden Street Brewery's "New Oakland Glow" pilsner. Boxer has offered to deliver those -- in a Cavaliers jersey -- if Golden State loses the championship series.

"Like many fans, I go back to the days of the Cavs playing at Richfield and remember watching Bingo Smith, Mel Turpin, and Dick Snyder, World B. Free, and Nate Thurmond," Brown said in a statement announcing the bet. "This year, it's going to be different - we're going to win it all. This Cavaliers team is the pride of Cleveland - showing perseverance through adversity and true grit throughout the season. As the Cavs travel to the West Coast, I'm proud to join my fellow Clevelanders and Cavs fans around Ohio in saying that I'm ALL IN!"

Boxer, too, is impressed with the Cavs.

But they're going to lose, she predicts.

"The Golden State Warriors have been the best team in basketball all season long because of their selfless style of play and some of the best shooting that the NBA has ever seen," her statement said. "LeBron James is a huge talent, but he's no match for Stephen and Riley Curry!"