Crab cake bet settled at Woody’s Dewey Beach

Gov. John Carney made good on his losing bet to Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan by treating him to a crab cake sandwich for lunch at Woody’s Dewey Beach June 12.

The two governors placed the friendly wager before the first round of the 2022 Women’s NCAA Basketball Tournament, when the Maryland Terrapins faced the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens March 18.

Both governors wagered crab cakes from their respective states, with Carney specifically mentioning “the famous crab cakes at Woody’s in Dewey Beach,” and when the No. 4 seed Terps defeated the 13th-seeded Blue Hens, it was Carney’s turn to settle up.

“I’m paying off my bet,” Carney said, smiling as he stood outside the restaurant waiting for Hogan, who arrived late.

Hogan, who drove north from Ocean City, said traffic was fine until he reached Delaware. He teased Dewey Beach Mayor Bill Stevens by blaming his tardiness on the traffic lights in Dewey.

In turn, Carney joked that traffic increased in Delaware because of everyone leaving Maryland.

Former University of Maryland men’s basketball coach Gary Williams joined the two governors, who continued making good-natured jibes about the other’s state throughout the meal.

The table eagerly watched as Woody’s owner Jimmy O’Conor, who is originally from Maryland and whose grandfather Herbert O’Conor served as the state’s 51st governor, placed the heaping sandwiches in front of the governors.

“That’s a darn good crab cake,” Hogan said after a hearty bite.