No doubt Baltimore County Executive James Smith and his Howard County counterpart, Ken Ulman, had the best of intentions when they placed a playful wager on the outcome of the Eastern Tech-River Hill 2A state football final, with the loser having to, among other things, serve lunch to the winning team. The idea probably seemed harmless at the time.

Well, beyond the issue of overcrowding at other Baltimore County schools raised by a constituent in my colleague Laura Vozzella's column today, it just seems bad form, from this vantage point, for politicians to make wagers on high school sports, even if it is just in fun.

Also, will Ulman and Smith be obligated to make similar bets when county schools meet for titles in other sports, or is football the only one worth wagering over? And can John Leopold, the Anne Arundel executive, or Harford executive David Craig, or the Carroll County commissioners get in on the action?

Here's a thought: Maybe Smith and Ulman and the other local politicians should bet on their respective community colleges, or better yet, not bet at all.