Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

[biological warrior]

The 4th of July brings again one of America's greatest traditions. That's right today marks the annual rite of passage: The annual Hot Dog eating cntest is once again here. A contest of wills and endurance. Kobayashi is once again the favorite but we Americans have a few young prospects which may give him a run for his money. I'll make a bold prediction: Kobayashi will fall and America will once again return to glory and return what is rightfully ours.

[General Mike]

Nothing beats a good freak show.

[CraigSca]

I'm watching it - in HD. Finally, the HD format is truly tested by an event that is worthy.

Bring the title back to the States, Chestnut!

[Cringer]

HD?

That's excellent.

Chestnut, am American? Go man go!

[Schmidty]

Go Chestnut!!

[CraigSca]

28 hot dogs in 4+ mins?! omg!

[CraigSca]

Chestnut 35
Kobayashi 33

at the half

[CraigSca]

The most exciting 12 minutes in sports.

[Cringer]

Chestnut, is a nut compared to Kobayashi, who is just so calm looking all the time.

[hukarez]

Wow! 42 a piece! Wonder what happens if they tie at end of regulation?

[Bearcat729]

Watching this is really disturbing

[CraigSca]

Bah...Chestnut can't keep up

[Cringer]

It's over, I don't think Chestnut can catch him now.

[General Mike]

Chestnut's done.

[hukarez]

Woo! 40 more seconds!

[Schmidty]

Nice try dude.

[General Mike]

New World record.

[Cringer]

"Joey Chestnut is a great American."

Best part of the hole broadcast right there.

[Easy Mac]

once again, the american is overrated and loses to a foreigner

[hukarez]

Wow...

Really thought Chestnut was going to win this, until they tacked on 2 more for Kobayashi. Good grief!

[ISiddiqui]

Kobayashi is freaking beast.

[Cringer]

Originally Posted by Easy Mac

once again, the american is overrated and loses to a foreigner

Better then Kobayashi winning by 15 dogs though.

[biological warrior]

Were closing in on him. Kobayashi's dominance will end next year, we just need to game plan this better and spend more time on the buffet lines in vegas.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by biological warrior

Were closing in on him. Kobayashi's dominance will end next year, we just need to game plan this better and spend more time on the buffet lines in vegas.

so you're part of the challenger's training team, interesting...

FM

[FBPro]

Loved it, only saw the last 15 minutes though...the meat of the show.

[colt45]

Originally Posted by Cringer

"Joey Chestnut is a great American."

Best part of the hole broadcast right there.

I fully agree.
But I could have done without all the gagging shots. Jeez, made me want to hurl. And then have a hot dog.

[CraigSca]

Chestnut would have won if he were not forced to use 5 minute quarters.

[cthomer5000]

Kobayashi can't be stopped. He's like Mike Tyson in his prime.

[FrogMan]

you mean, he's eating ears too???

FM

[stevew]

Originally Posted by cthomer5000

Kobayashi can't be stopped. He's like Mike Tyson in his prime.

Yeah, like Sampras on Centre Court.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by Bearcat729

Watching this is really disturbing

They had it on tv in the restaurant where I was having lunch.

I won't be eating hot dogs any time soon.

[QuikSand]

So, is this reflective of the general sentiment -- that this particular event is a showcase for American patroitism? We watched, and were put off by all the absurd homerism spewed by the ESPN gang... but it looks like many were lapping it up.

I don't see any reason why not to root for Kobayahi. He's tremendous, I don't really care what language he speaks.

[CraigSca]

In some circles, Kobayashi is bigger than Brock Sheriff.

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

So, is this reflective of the general sentiment -- that this particular event is a showcase for American patroitism? We watched, and were put off by all the absurd homerism spewed by the ESPN gang... but it looks like many were lapping it up.

Well, it is on July 4th.

[MizzouRah]

I ate 3 hotdogs yesterday... then I took a nap.

I do not see how those guys can eat all of those.

[Grammaticus]

Did anybody barf?

[st.cronin]

Originally Posted by Grammaticus

Did anybody barf?

Do you mean the contestants? I'm pretty sure they all did.

[rkmsuf]

Originally Posted by st.cronin

Do you mean the contestants? I'm pretty sure they all did.

barfing during the competition is automatic disqualification

if was funny watching the final two guys try and get down the last bites after the gun. they had to for their last couple of dogs to count

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

So, is this reflective of the general sentiment -- that this particular event is a showcase for American patroitism? We watched, and were put off by all the absurd homerism spewed by the ESPN gang... but it looks like many were lapping it up.

I don't see any reason why not to root for Kobayahi. He's tremendous, I don't really care what language he speaks.

I know this is not a show that you probably watch, but the show "True Life" on MTV did an episode sometime in the fall on "extreme eaters". They had Kobayashi, some "masked" american guy who was trying to qualify for Nathan's, and some guy who was trying to compete in his first extreme eating event.

The portion of it about Kobayashi was fascinating. It seems odd because of what his profession is, but I gained a ton of respect for him. This is his life, and I don't know that you can say that about any of the Americans. I mean, before the event yesterday it showed Chestnut works in construction, etc, etc. This is not his life, it's a side game.

Anyway. Anyone who is interested, I would recommend searching for the episode of True Life on your TiVO because it showed what a dedicated machine Kobayashi is.

[KWhit]

Not to be a hater, but I have no idea why there is any kind of fascination with this.

The last thing I want to see is clips of some a-hole stuffing 20 pounds of meat down their throat. And yet the damn clips of it are everywhere.

JUST GO AWAY EATING COMPETITIONS!

I feel a little better now.

[JeeberD]

I'm just amazed that Kobayashi is as freakin' skinny as he is...

[Huckleberry]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

I don't see any reason why not to root for Kobayahi. He's tremendous, I don't really care what language he speaks.

I root for the underdog in everything. Partially because it's boring to cheer for the dominant favorite and partially because when the reigning champion loses it both shows improvement from competitors and spurs further improvement from all parties. Why would this be any different? You know, if I actually took a rooting interest.

I saw the end and Koboyashi looked like he'd been pushed harder than the other couple of times I've seen him. I had never seen him that close to yakking.

[QuikSand]

Along similar lines (re: underdog theory), I thought it pretty interesting that this Chestnut guy is apparently the first to really even approach Kobayashi in this event. Plenty of clowns there who are apparently only capable of 20-25 on their best efforts, while we *know* Kobayashi will be comfortably into the forties unless there's a lightning strike.




"What, you like the odds on lightning?"

[jbmagic]

I like to see him do that many with Dodgers dogs.

[SunDevil]

Originally Posted by wade moore

I know this is not a show that you probably watch, but the show "True Life" on MTV did an episode sometime in the fall on "extreme eaters". They had Kobayashi, some "masked" american guy who was trying to qualify for Nathan's, and some guy who was trying to compete in his first extreme eating event.

The portion of it about Kobayashi was fascinating. It seems odd because of what his profession is, but I gained a ton of respect for him. This is his life, and I don't know that you can say that about any of the Americans. I mean, before the event yesterday it showed Chestnut works in construction, etc, etc. This is not his life, it's a side game.

Anyway. Anyone who is interested, I would recommend searching for the episode of True Life on your TiVO because it showed what a dedicated machine Kobayashi is.

Yep, saw this show as well. I hope they do another one for this year. The american guy with the face paint was at Nathan's this year as well, it doesn't look like he improved all that much from the show they taped of last year's event, but he did qualify again though.

[stevew]

uh oh....

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2919838

NEW YORK -- It's like Tiger Woods tearing his rotator cuff, or LeBron James blowing out his knee. Takeru Kobayashi, the six-time defending Nathan's hot dog eating champion, received a chilling diagnosis: Jaw pain that limits how far he can open his mouth.

The disclosure set stomachs rumbling throughout the dog-eat-dog world of competitive eating in the days before the annual Independence Day chowdown.


AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Takeru Kobayashi, in the days when he was able to open his mouth to max circumference.

On his blog earlier this week, the 29-year-old said a mouthful with the news that he was visiting a specialist and a chiropractor for relief of the bum jaw. "Already I can't open my jaws more than just a little bit," he wrote.

Word of the champ's woes spread quickly from Kyoto to Coney Island.

Some believe it is a ploy to unnerve his bun-swallowing rival, Joey Chestnut, who recently broke Kobayashi's world record by downing 59½ dogs in 12 minutes. Others suggest it's a dodge to avoid Chestnut.

Or maybe it's true: a half-dozen years of inhaling hot dogs at the rate of one every 14 seconds really has hurt Kobayashi's overworked jaw.

Kobayashi was keeping his mouth shut Thursday, although he issued a statement promising to pursue treatment. "I intend to do everything I can to treat this condition in what little time I have," he said.

"I look forward to facing my fellow competitors on July 4," he said Thursday, although there was no guarantee that would happen.

A weak jaw won't cut the mustard in a competition where the winner will likely need to down more than 50 hot dogs and buns. During his six years as champion, the 165-pound Kobayashi has consumed 301¼ hot dogs -- a string of performances that made him the Michael Jordan of mass consumption.

His personal best was 53¾ last year. Chestnut, who smashed that mark June 2 in Phoenix, was among those perplexed by Kobayashi's reported condition.

"I hate to call anybody a coward, and I wouldn't call him that," said Chestnut, 23, from his San Jose, Calif., home. "But I don't know. He's shown up the six previous years. It's a strange coincidence, now that he's the underdog."

No less an expert than Washington Post columnist Tony Kornheiser, on his ESPN show "Pardon The Interruption," suggested Kobayashi was trying to lull Chestnut into lowering his guard.

"I think he's playing possum," Kornheiser said.

Chestnut, despite his skepticism, acknowledged Kobayashi might have strained his jaw while training for the event. "Your jaw and the muscles in your esophagus are the first to get sore," he explained.

The Japanese have recently dominated the annual event, which started on Brooklyn's beachfront in 1916. The only American winner since 1996 was New Jersey's Steve Keiner in 1999. Two years later, Kobayashi -- whose voracious appetite earned him the nickname "Tsunami" -- began his belly busting reign.

Kobayashi plans to appear in Coney Island for Wednesday's event even if he can't compete, said Rich Shea, one of the founders of the International Federation of Competitive Eating.

At the very least, Shea hoped, Kobayashi would present this year's winner with the mustard yellow belt emblematic of eating excellence.

"I think, like all great champions, Kobayashi doesn't want to shy away from competition," Shea said. "But I don't want to put words in his mouth. And if I did, they'd have to be monosyllabic -- not too much for him to swallow."

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

[Passacaglia]

SportsDigs had this story two weeks ago.

[MizzouRah]

... and here we go!

[VPI97]

54-53 Chestnut with 3:00 to go.

[VPI97]

Both are now over 60.