Mustard Beats Wasabi

As the ESPN broadcaster said, I just witnessed "The greatest moment in the history of American sports." It might not have actually been the greatest, but it was pretty darn close.

Joey Chestnut won the Nathans Hot Dog Eating Contest., eating a ridiculous 66 hot dogs.

Kobayashi came in second, eating 63 hot dogs in the twelve minutes. If not for his last second "reversal," who knows what could have been.

Here are some thoughts I jotted down while watching the competition:

-ESPN just put up a graphic with the title "Mustard v. Wasabi." Awesome.

-When announcing the competitors, they said that Juliet Lee came to the United States "to start a career in competitive eating." The streets still are paved with gold.

-Another competitor is supposedly a descendant of Daniel Boone. "They are not chanting his name, they are booing him," the ESPN announcer told us.

-When Tim Janus was announced, he has a had sign that read "Hermione Dies." Funny move, but it's actually Ron that's going to die.

-Pat Bertoletti dedicated the competition to Nicky Hilton, since he, like Nicky, always has to live in the shadows of greatness (Kobayshi and Chestnut in his case, Paris in her's).

-A list of the athletes mentioned on this broadcast: Robert Horry, Kenny Lofton, Eddie Curry, Curt Schilling, Willis Reed, Stephon Marbury. Marbury and Curry were used as examples of great athletes who've never won a championship. Apparently Isiah Thomas was in the booth.

-There are two styles of competitive eating: "chipmunking" and "clearing." Kobayashi is a "clearer." This means that puts lots in his mouth at once and then clears it down. Chestnut is a "chipmunker." This means he constantly stuffs things in his mouth while chewing. I'd say that I'm more of a chipmunker, minus the abnormal hip gyrations.

-Go ahead and Google "great Americans." You will get Abe Lincoln, Neal Armstrong, and Joey Chestnut. At least, that's what they told me on ESPN.

-Throw up="reversal"

Wow, that was really awesome.

So many times, I get too pumped-up for marque sporting events. More often than not, the performance on the field does not match the pre-game hype. However, this afternoon I left remarkably satisfied. This was one of the greatest hours of television I've ever watched.

Anyone know where's the nearest Nathans to Amherst, MA?