At 64, Rep. Bob Brady has a pretty good head of hair and a love of the Phillies.

After setting up a customary politico food bet on the World Series, the Philly Democrat decided to canvass the New York-North Jersey House delegation with a high-stakes wager: The rep from the losing state has to shave his head.

Brady says Rep. John Hall, a Democrat from Orange County, N.Y., accepted the challenge.

But Brady - a mountain of a man who at 6-foot-2 knows the heads of state quite literally - is unimpressed with Hall, whose hairline has come and gone. "What's he got to freaking lose?" he asked in a phone chat yesterday. "He's bald! Is this a hair bet or a sideburns bet?"

Brady bet Phillies and Yankees caps with Democratic Rep. Bill Pascrell of Paterson, N.J. He also joined Rep. Tim Holden, a Democrat whose district stretches north and west from Reading, in a bet with Democratic Rep. Jose E. Serrano of the Bronx, N.Y. If the Phillies win, Serrano will send Holden and Brady gift baskets from Mike's Deli in the Bronx. If the Yankees win, Holden will send cheesesteaks to Serrano and Brady will kick in more cheesesteaks, soft pretzels, and Tastykakes.

Food bets do not thrill Brady. "You know what I look like, right?" he said. "Does it look like I need any food?"

No shock I

Nielsen Media Research reports that Fox29 dominated Wednesday night's ratings with Game 1. The telecast averaged a 44.5 rating and a 59.3 share, which translates to about 1,312,848 homes in the Philadelphia market. That was at least 10 times the viewership on a non-American Idol weeknight. Unlike the fair-weather fans in Yankee Stadium who abandoned the home team, the Philly TV audience grew throughout the game. At the final out, 67.7 percent of TVs in use were tuned in. Nationally, Fox pulled 17.7 million viewers. The game also pumped up the press run at The Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News by 46,000 papers.

No shock II

Quinnipiac University in Connecticut, known for political surveys, took valuable time to poll 1,324 New Jerseyans on their preferred team in the Series. Those polled favored the Yankees, 58 percent to 28 percent, except - no, really? - in Philadelphia's South Jersey suburbs, where the Phillies led, 80-10.

Party time

The swankiest World Series party will be the Phillies' ultra-private "welcome to Philadelphia" shindig tonight for 1,500 people at the Comcast Center, where an enormous tent stands in the plaza at 17th Street and JFK Boulevard. They'll gather for cocktails and food on the plaza, in the lobby beneath the signature video wall, and in the subterranean marketplace. The guest list includes bigwigs from Major League Baseball, front-office staffs, politicos, and sponsors - but not the players.

In the middle of Wednesday's Pearl Jam show at the Spectrum, singer Eddie Vedder called out: "I wonder what the score is." On cue, a boxing-style ring-card girl bopped onto the stage with a giant scorecard reading, "Phillies 1, Yankees 0." She kept the crowd updated. Vedder dedicated "Wishlist" to his "close personal friend Raul Ibanez," "Given to Fly" to Shane Victorino, and "Save You" to Brad Lidge. The band will compete with the Phillies again tomorrow when it plays the final show ever at the Spectrum.

Security detail

If the Phillies pull off another Series title, police are gearing for even more craziness than last year. "You're talking about that whole Philly-New York dynamic," Deputy Commissioner Richard Ross told The Inquirer's Allison Steele. "I think the state of euphoria is just going to be huge. People are raring to go." A "significantly" larger number of officers will be on standby to staff the traditional busy spots (Frankford and Cottman in the Northeast, Broad and Shunk in South Philly, and the corners along Broad Street near City Hall). "We're ready for this," Ross said.

Start spreading the cheese

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. sponsored a cheesesteak lunch Wednesday at the Manhattan restaurant Shorty's, and handed out posters proclaiming, "Dear World Champions. Oh, wait, that's us." Shorty's, on Ninth Avenue between 41st and 42d Streets, got the nod because owner Evan Stein is from Philadelphia.

Crab Fries a winner

Aramark, concessionaire at Citizens Bank Park, surveyed fans online about their favorite food there. With 1,300 votes cast, Chickie's & Pete's Crab Fries were tops, but an Aramark spokesman cautioned that the polling was tight among Bull's BBQ ribs, Campo's cheesesteaks, Planet Hoagie's sandwiches, Seasons Pizza's slices, the Schmitter sandwich, and Tony Luke's roast pork sandwich. Numbers were not divulged, and the prize is only bragging rights.

Matters sartorial

The Series has created a dilemma for designer Robert Graham, who makes the casual shirts favored by the Phillies' Jimmy Rollins and Yankees Mariano Rivera, Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, and Jorge Posada. Not wishing to take sides, the New York-based Graham is rooting for both teams, and will name a new line for the winning team. "This is the best World Series ever for me," he told me. "It's a win-win. I've got fans on both benches." Boyds carries the RG shirts from $198 to $300.

Re-Pete

Pete Rose, who fielded calls on sports-talk station 97.5 The Fanatic on Tuesday, will return today from noon to 2 p.m. with Dan Schwartzman. Rose will be patched in from Vegas, where the line on the Series is . . .

Oh, never mind.

Contact columnist Michael Klein at 215-854-5514 or mklein@phillynews.com.