Illinois and Kentucky senators made a friendly bet over collegiate basketball’s Final Four match-up Saturday.

No money was involved. Because Illinois won and Kentucky lost Saturday’s game, Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has to give Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama a famous Kentucky delicacy — derby pie (the key ingredients being chocolate and bourbon). If Kentucky had won, the Illinois senators would have had to pony up deep-dish pizza and a University of Illinois T-shirt.

One lawmaker who declined to participate was Sen. Jim Bunning (R-Ky.), who is not into such “playful” things, according to an aide familiar with the third-term lawmaker.

Bunning can be presumed to love sports; he’s the only member of Congress who has been elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame, having pitched for the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates and Los Angeles Dodgers.

But one way or another, the wager was unappealing (it cannot, surely, have been the pizza).

Mike Reynard, Bunning’s spokesman, said, “He just chose to pass on it. He’s just not that into gambling.”

Then he added, somewhat incongruously, “Obviously the Pope is a big deal, and he’s really into that right now.”

The mouse that cheered

For the second year in a row, Liz Santo, who works in the Congressional Federal Credit Union, dressed up like a 6-foot mouse for the Credit Union Cherry Blossom 10-mile run.

The 33rd annual race took place Sunday morning. Sixty-eight teams from Capitol Hill offices participated. The run raises money for Children’s Hospital.

Santos, who did not run, laughed about her getup as a “big old fuzzy mouse.” She explained, “I am the credit-union mascot.”

Rep. Diaz-Balart sees Democrats as “April fools”

April Fool’s Day has come and gone, but there is no end to Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart’s (R-Fla.) jabs at Democrats. They come out about once a week.

In the latest news release, on April 1, titled “Continued Job Growth Turns Democrats into April Fools,” Diaz-Balart praises Bush’s economic policies for helping add 110,000 jobs in March. The congressman makes no mention of Bush’s plummeting approval rating.

“With 22 straight months of job growth,” says Diaz-Balart, “the Democrats are looking more and more like April Fools.”

Site urges people to send Frist photos of ailments

After Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) declared that a video of Terry Schiavo made him doubt that she was in a persistent vegetative state, a website is calling on citizens to take photographs of their medical problems — “tennis elbow, acne, runny nose, or whatever ails you” — and send them to Dr. Frist.

The site (www.boingboing.net) promises to send the photographs to Dean Rosen, Frist’s healthcare-policy adviser.

In a recent speech on the Senate floor, Frist said, “I question [the diagnosis] based on a review of the video footage, which I spent an hour or so looking.”

Frist spokesman Nick Smith did not return calls from The Hill.

Alma Powell wins award from Washington Life magazine

Alma Powell, wife of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, could have won Washington Life magazine’s “substance and style” award last year if she had shown up to the award ceremony. But she was traveling at the time, and no one wins unless they attend.

This year she will attend, and will be among this year’s winners, for her work with the Kennedy Center and America’s Promise, an organization that secures corporate funding for nonprofit organizations that ensure that children have a safe place to go after school.

“To me substance makes style,” said Nancy Bagley, the magazine’s editor-in-chief. “Saks may say something different because Saks [Fifth Avenue] sponsors it.”

In Powell’s photo shoot, which took place at the Kennedy Center, she was dressed head to toe in Saks clothing — a light blue and beige Escada tweed dress with a matching jacket.

Past winners have included Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), Harold Ford Jr. (D-Tenn.) and Debbie Dingell, wife of Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.). Apparently some Hill Democrats were among this year’s nominees, but they didn’t win because, Bagley said, the magazine is hoping for qualified Republicans nominees.

Arab American comedy comes to D.C.

For those of you in the mood for Middle Eastern comedy, the Axis of Evil Comedy Tour hits the DC Improv tonight and tomorrow night. The show features Arab-American comedians Ahmed Ahmed and Aron Kader.

They perform regularly at Los Angeles’s Comedy Store and have toured nationally. Tickets: $20, with a two-drink minimum. For reservations call (202) 296-7008. For more information, visit www.dcimprov.com.

Announcements
Since the “surprise” reception is over, ITK can spill the news that Jack Silzel, legislative director for Rep. Cathy McMorris (R-Wash.), celebrated his 70th birthday at a reception last night in Rayburn B-340.

A former wheat farmer, Silzel first came to Capitol Hill in 1995 to work for then-Rep. Jim Nethercutt (R-Wash.), for whom he was a legislative assistant for nine and a half years.

In other social news, Heather Davis, press secretary for Rep. George Radanovich (R-Calif.), recently celebrated her 30th birthday. The party took place at Lounge 201 in mid-March.

Please send your announcements, which includes births, engagements, anniversaries, deaths or any significant celebration, to Capital Living, This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it , or 202-628-8516.

Edited by Betsy Rothstein
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