Back Porch FanHouse

Exemption for Katie Holmes Causes Anger, But Is New York Marathon a Sporting Event?

Michael David Smith — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 06:43:00 EST

Katie Holmes ran in the New York Marathon last weekend, finishing in 5 hours, 29 minutes and 58 seconds. With all due respect to anyone who can finish a marathon at all, that's not a particularly good time.

And that has some people asking questions about why she was allowed to run, because not just anyone is allowed to enter the race. The New York Marathon has different categories of runners, including those who qualify for the race (the qualifying time for women this year was 3 hours and 23 minutes, a time Katie Holmes wouldn't be able to touch), those who get in via a lottery, and those who run to raise money for charity.

Holmes was none of those things. So how did she get in? Because she's famous.

"Celebrities and people with name recognition are important to every sport, it adds glitz and glamour," Richard Finn, director of media relations for the New York Road Runners Club told "Access." "Does Billy Crystal have trouble getting tickets to the Yankees World Series? No. Do celebrities have trouble getting reservations in hot restaurants? No. In fact, they probably don't even pay for the meals much of the time."

I think what it breaks down to is this: Is the New York Marathon a sporting event? If so, celebrities shouldn't get in ahead of anyone else, as sports need to be played on a level field. But I don't really think it is a sporting event. I think it's more a social event, and in that respect, it's a somewhat unfortunate fact of life that at social events, the Katie Holmeses of the world get treated better than you and me.

Exemption for Katie Holmes Causes Anger, But Is New York Marathon a Sporting Event? originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Sat, 10 Nov 2007 06:43:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ten Months After Giving Birth, Paula Radcliffe Wins New York City Marathon

Michael David Smith — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 19:47:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Women's Sports, Track and Field

Last year, when Paula Radcliffe announced that she was pregnant, it seemed like that it could have been the end of her career as a world-class athlete. She was already 33 years old and struggling with foot and back injuries, and pregnancy and motherhood tend to make training difficult.

But today Radcliffe, who gave birth to Isla on Jan. 17, won the New York Marathon.

"I've really, really missed it," Radcliffe said. "It's way more fun than cross training in a pool or cross training in a gym, and that's what it's all about. That's what keeps me motivated to work hard and to cross train hard is just getting out there and enjoying the atmosphere."

Although the British Radcliffe finished well short of the world record of 2:15:25 that she set in London in 2003, her time of 2 hours, 23 minutes, 9 seconds beat the Ethiopian Gete Wami by 23 seconds. The bridges and hills of the New York course, which spans all five boroughs, makes New York more difficult than London, but it seems that no obstacle can slow Radcliffe.

Ten Months After Giving Birth, Paula Radcliffe Wins New York City Marathon originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Sun, 04 Nov 2007 19:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Coors Does the Un-American Thing, Signs Kobayashi to Endorsement Deal

Michael David Smith — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 06:35:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Action Sports, The Word

Did any major American corporations have sponsorship contracts with the 1980 Soviet hockey team? No? Well then why is Coors running this commercial?

Look, I have the utmost respect for Kobayashi as an athlete. He's one of the greatest pound-for-pound athletes in history. But when he's in a bitter rivalry with an American, in a sport as American as hot dog eating, and their big competition is on the Fourth of July, shouldn't American corporations unite behind that American? I'll start drinking the beer that has a commercial with Joey Chestnut.

Hat tip: SimonOnSports.

Coors Does the Un-American Thing, Signs Kobayashi to Endorsement Deal originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Wed, 11 Jul 2007 06:35:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Why Wasn't Kobayashi Disqualified? Judges Ruled Puke After the Buzzer, in the Hands

Michael David Smith — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:06:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Action Sports

Does competitive eating have a scandal on its hands that could call into question the integrity and credibility of the sport?

I thought so after watching several replays of the end of yesterday's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, when six-time defending champion Takeru Kobayashi puked in the final seconds. International Federation of Competitive Eating rules are clear about reversals: Vomiting equals disqualification. Kobayashi's official total should have been zero.

But it wasn't. It was 63. Why? I put that question to Major League Eating President Richard Shea in a telephone interview this morning, and he told me this:

"The judges' ruling was that the reversal occurred after the buzzer. They also didn't characterize it as a full reversal because it didn't hit the table."

I believe the judges are incorrect: It appears to me that a few seconds remained on the clock when Kobayashi puked, and although I initially thought Kobayashi caught all of his vomit, I've looked at the replay yet again and I don't think that's right, either. However, I have the benefit of instant replay, and the judges didn't. Maybe they'll implement it at next year's competition.

Why Wasn't Kobayashi Disqualified? Judges Ruled Puke After the Buzzer, in the Hands originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Thu, 05 Jul 2007 12:06:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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ESPN Bans Kobayashi Puke

Michael David Smith — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 09:12:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Action Sports, The Word

If you want to watch Takeru Kobayashi regurgitate at yesterday's Hot Dog Eating Contest, you'd better watch it here:

Because you won't see it on ESPN.

On ESPN Radio this morning, Doug Gottlieb said management at the Worldwide Leader has ordered the staff not to show replays of Kobayashi throwing up at the end of the competition.

"There was an edict last night to stop showing the regurgitation," said Gottlieb, filling in for Mike Greenberg on Mike and Mike in the Morning.

Co-host Mike Golic asked, "We can't show that?" and Gottlieb replied, "We can't show the puke."

Golic said, "I've got an issue with that." So do I. Vomiting is a part of competitive eating just as concussions are a part of football, and ESPN shouldn't sugarcoat the truth.

ESPN Bans Kobayashi Puke originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Thu, 05 Jul 2007 09:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I Just Watched Two Men Eat 129 Hot Dogs

Nathan Fowler — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 17:16:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Action Sports, The Word

I've been to a lot sporting events in my life, but I've certainly never seen anything even remotely like the scene today at Nathan's 4th of July hot dog eating contest. Of course, a good portion of that might have to do with the fact that it's held in a dirty old hot dog stand at the corner of Surf and Stillwell Avenues on Coney Island, with an old hotel with boarded up windows right on the other side of the street from the competitors. Coney is every awful stereotype of northeastern boardwalks come true; throwing in 50,000 people and an atmosphere that resembled a heavyweight fight was just icing on the cake.

I got there about an hour and a half before the contest started, to see a monster crowd already on hand. And oh, what a crowd it was. Sadly not all of my pictures turned out as well as I would have hoped, but there was PETA out in force with signs informing me that pigs are as smart as dogs (I guess they missed the memo that Nathan's hot dogs are all beef), two girls wearing "Marry Me Joey" t-shirts, a large contingent of Japanese tourists and your normal collection of Coney Island's finest residents.

The signs were great (though they effectively blocked the view of the stage for probably 25% of the crowd), and I tried to capture a few of them for you here on The Fanhouse. They ranged from the ones egging on 60 HDB's -- which turned out to be far less optimistic than they sounded at the start -- to ones cheering on the female competitors. All of this just added to the circus-like atmosphere that was in full effect long before the gluttony began.

What did you do if you were 5'4" and totally unable to see the stage? Well, you either got on your friends shoulders ... or you used the periscope you brought (show at right) from home. Because everyone owns a periscope just for situations like this. Right? Who knew that the hot dog contest brings out the best in American ingenuity!

The actual competition itself was riveting, as Kobayashi and Chestnut matched each other dog for dog through the entire duration -- and then we were left hanging for an extended period of time while the judges determined the winner (Kobayashi's "reversal" was thankfully not clearly viewable for most of the crowd).

After Chestnut was announced as the champion and received his mustard yellow belt to a wild ovation, the rest of us got to stand in line for over an hour to pay $2.75 apiece for the exact same dogs that he plowed through in about 10 seconds each (for the record, Chestnut and Kobayashi consumed a combined $354.75 worth of hot dogs at the retail price).

Jay Mariotti said today on Around The Horn that if aliens came to earth and saw this today, they would have turned around and flown straight home. Maybe they would have, but they would have missed a lot of fun too. As I was putting away my 2 HDB's and wondering how on earth I could possibly fit 64 more of them in my stomach, I realized the whole event is so much fun because we all got to cut loose and revel in the trashy side of life for a few hours.

I Just Watched Two Men Eat 129 Hot Dogs originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Wed, 04 Jul 2007 17:16:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot Dog Video: Kobayashi Vomits

Michael David Smith — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 15:22:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Action Sports

Takeru Kobayashi is the greatest athlete in the history of competitive eating, but today he couldn't hold it all in:

Kobayashi was not disqualified, but he lost to Joey Chestnut anyway, as Chestnut managed 66 hot dogs to Kobayashi's 63. Both marks eclipsed the previous world record of 59.5.

Previously at FanHouse:
Kobayashi Will Eat on Fourth of July
Hot Dog King Kobayashi has Jaw Arthritis
Kobayashi Might Skip Hot Dog Eating Contest
Joey Chestnut Shatters Kobayashi's Hot Dog Eating Record
Kobayashi vs. Bear: 'He Doesn't Know It's a Competition'

Thanks to Blog of Hiliarity for the video.

Hot Dog Video: Kobayashi Vomits originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Wed, 04 Jul 2007 15:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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66 Dogs! Joey Chestnut Wins 2007 Hot Dog Eating Contest

Michael David Smith — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:56:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Action Sports

The Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest championship belt is back on American soil. In a Fourth of July performance for the ages, Joey Chestnut has defeated six-time defending champion Takeru Kobayashi.

Kobayashi took second place with 63 dogs, which shattered the previous world record ... except that Chestnut, eating right next to him, ate 66 dogs.

Kobayashi appeared to vomit at the very end of the competition, which would have been a disqualification, but the judges apparently allowed his total of 63 to stand.

The story of the contest beforehand was Kobayashi's arthritic jaw, but that was a non-factor. Kobayashi had the best performance of his career, but Chestnut was just a little bit better.

66 Dogs! Joey Chestnut Wins 2007 Hot Dog Eating Contest originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:56:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kobayashi-Chestnut Hot Dog Live Blog

Michael David Smith — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:37:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Action Sports

This is the live blog for today's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, which features a matchup between Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi that has to be considered the greatest showdown in the history of competitive eating. We'll give you minute-by-minute updates when the contest begins, around 12:45 p.m. local time on Coney Island in New York.

Kobayashi's arthritic jaw is the talk of the hour, and ESPN has reported that it's the equivalent of a groin injury for an NFL player. He got acupuncture this morning and says he'll give it a go, but he might not be at 100 percent.

We are underway! In the early going, Kobayashi is showing no ill-effects of his jaw injury. He's got five dogs down in less than 40 seconds. Still, Chestnut has opened an early lead.

It's important to note that competitive eaters don't pace themselves the way marathon runners do. They'll eat a lot faster in the early going, and Chestnut has 20 dogs down through two minutes, giving him a two-dog lead over Kobayashi.

Three minutes in, Chestnut has a five-dog lead. Kobayashi is in serious trouble.

Chestnut has 35 dogs just after the four-minute mark. At the five-minute mark, Kobayashi is getting into his rhythm and has made up some ground. He's only about three and a half dogs behind. The ESPN announcers are saying Kobayashi has no gag reflex.

We're halfway done and it's Chestnut 43, Kobayashi 40. No one else is close. Chestnut is slowing down and Kobayashi is only one dog down. Chestnut looks like he's in pain with four and a half minutes left. Both eaters are slowing down considerably.

Still, Chestnut has reached 50 dogs and he still has four minutes to go. He'll break the Nathan's record of 53, that's for sure.

Chestnut has the new Nathan's record! But Kobayashi is right on his tail! This is like Mark McGwire breaking Roger Maris's record with Sammy Sosa right behind.

With two minutes to go, it's Chestnut 57, Kobayashi 56. Barring a regurgitation, this is the greatest contest in competitive eating history.

We've got one minute to go, and they've both eclipsed the world record. They're both over 60.

KOBAYASHI REVERSES!! With five seconds to go, Kobayashi lost his hot dogs, which, if the judges rule it vomit rather than drool, will be an automatic disqualification. Either way, Chestnut appeared to have won by about half a dog.

On replay, it's clear that Kobayashi vomited.

Joey Chestnut is the 2007 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating champion.

Kobayashi-Chestnut Hot Dog Live Blog originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Wed, 04 Jul 2007 12:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joey Chestnut Favored to Beat Kobayashi, Over-Under Set at 58 Hot Dogs

Michael David Smith — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 10:02:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Action Sports

There's still time to place your bets on today's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest, with the Joey Chestnut-Takeru Kobayashi battle shaping up to be the biggest event in the history of competitive eating.

And if you place bets at Bodog.com, Chestnut is the heavy favorite. Chestnut is listed at 1-2 odds, with Kobayashi set at 9-5. The rest of the competitors are so far behind the top two that the odds against the field are 9-1. Bodog sets the over-under for the number of hot dogs the winner will eat at 58, which is one and a half short of Chestnut's world record.

Kobayashi's jaw injury makes this a particularly difficult event to predict, and TMZ notes that most online sports books aren't even taking bets on the event.

Joey Chestnut Favored to Beat Kobayashi, Over-Under Set at 58 Hot Dogs originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Wed, 04 Jul 2007 10:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mayor Bloomberg Compares Kobayashi vs. Chestnut to Ali vs. Frazier

Michael David Smith — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 18:44:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Action Sports

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg may be our nation's next president. If he is, the sport of competitive eating will have a major booster in the Oval Office.

At a news conference today to promote tomorrow's Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island, Bloomberg said of the rivalry between Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi, "What comes to mind is Ali and Frazier," and he added:

"Independence Day is a wonderful time to celebrate our freedoms. Now I don't know what the founding fathers ever thought about this, but the right to eat as many hot dogs as possible - although not expressly named in the Bill of Rights - was no doubt on the minds of the framers."

Kudos to you, Mr. Mayor. You have the vote of gluttons everywhere, and in this country, that should be enough to get you elected.

Mayor Bloomberg Compares Kobayashi vs. Chestnut to Ali vs. Frazier originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Tue, 03 Jul 2007 18:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joey Chestnut Has Eyes Set on 60 Hot Dogs

Michael David Smith — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:54:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Action Sports

We're just 24 hours away from the 2007 Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest at Coney Island, and American Joey Chestnut is setting his sights high.

In an appearance on ESPN2's First Take today, Chestnut said he thinks 60 hot dogs is a realistic goal. That's five a minute, each minute, for the entire 12-minute competition. And it would break Chestnut's own world record of 59.5 hot dogs in 12 minutes -- and that last half a hot dog is always the hardest.

The real intrigue of tomorrow's showdown, though, isn't about whether Chestnut can break the record. It's about whether six-time defending champion Takeru Kobayashi, the best athlete in the history of the sport, can get over his jaw ailment well enough to compete. Even if Chestnut breaks the record, a Nathan's title in a year when Kobayashi isn't at 100 percent will always carry an asterisk in the minds of most competitive eating fans.

Previously at FanHouse:
Kobayashi Will Eat on Fourth of July
Hot Dog King Kobayashi has Jaw Arthritis
Kobayashi Might Skip Hot Dog Eating Contest
Joey Chestnut Shatters Kobayashi's Hot Dog Eating Record
Kobayashi vs. Bear: 'He Doesn't Know It's a Competition'

Joey Chestnut Has Eyes Set on 60 Hot Dogs originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:54:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kobayashi Will Eat on Fourth of July

Michael David Smith — Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:19:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Action Sports

Oh, happy day. Takeru Kobayashi, the greatest athlete in the history of competitive eating, says he will fight through the pain in his arthritic jaw and participate in Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4.

Speaking through a translator in an exclusive interview with the Times Free Press, Mr. Kobayashi said this afternoon from his New York hotel that wisdom teeth that grew improperly, coupled with years of intensive training for competitive eating, have caused jaw arthritis.
The 27-year-old said he could open his mouth the width of two fingers and faced pain when both opening and closing it, but he was intent on gobbling down a couple dozen hot dogs next week at the Nathan's event.

If Kobayashi can only get a couple dozen, he has no chance of winning his seventh consecutive title, as American Joey Chestnut will have no trouble getting up to 50 or so. My money is on Chestnut winning, but the mere presence of a heroic champion like Kobayashi has to keep Chestnut up at night.

Hat tip: Deadspin.

Previously at FanHouse:
Hot Dog King Kobayashi has Jaw Arthritis
Kobayashi Might Skip Hot Dog Eating Contest
Joey Chestnut Shatters Kobayashi's Hot Dog Eating Record
Kobayashi vs. Bear: 'He Doesn't Know It's a Competition'

Kobayashi Will Eat on Fourth of July originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Sat, 30 Jun 2007 13:19:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot Dog King Kobayashi Has Jaw Arthritis

Michael David Smith — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:22:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Action Sports

The greatest athlete in the history of competitive eating has been diagnosed with jaw arthritis and may be unable to defend his Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4.

Kobayashi made the disclosure on his blog, which is written in Japanese but has been translated:

"I feel ashamed that I couldn't notice the alarm bells set off by my own body," he said. "But with the goal to win another title with a new record, I couldn't stop my training so close to the competition.

"I was continuing my training and bearing with the pain but finally I destroyed my jaw."

If this were any other athlete I would wonder if maybe he was just scared (since there's a good chance Joey Chestnut would beat him head-to-head), but with a great competitor like Kobayashi I have to take him at his word. What a shame.

More at Gheorge: The Blog and Deadspin.

Previously at FanHouse:
Kobayashi Might Skip Hot Dog Eating Contest
Joey Chestnut Shatters Kobayashi's Hot Dog Eating Record
Kobayashi vs. Bear: 'He Doesn't Know It's a Competition'

Hot Dog King Kobayashi Has Jaw Arthritis originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Mon, 25 Jun 2007 13:22:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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City's Best: New York's Top Five Athletes

Jamie Mottram — Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:10:00 EST

Filed under: New York

FanHouse is posting the top five current athletes for America's top 25 cities with the following criteria: 1) Who would a New York sports fan say is his/her favorite athlete? 2) Would the player's name (or face) be familiar to locals who don't follow sports?

Find your city's top five: ATL | BOS | CHA | CHI | CIN | CLE | DAL | DC | DEN | DET | HOU | IND | LA | MIA | MIL | MIN | NO | NY | SF | PHI | PHX | PIT | SD | SEA | STL

5. Eli Manning: Eli's "Manning Face" might not be as nationally known as his brother, but Eli's sheepish look and pre-eminent position as the city's most recognizable pro-football player makes him a lock for this list. Now, if he could only translate that into performance... (Desperate to avoid seeing Manning on this list? Your other choices are Jeremy Shockey and Chad Pennington. Meh.)

4. David Wright: Look around the city and all you see is signs, billboards, posters, ads -- ad nauseum -- for the city's poster-child for clean-cut baseball goodness. For all of his on-field stats, Wright's most significant achievement so far is building momentum to replace our No. 1 guy (after the jump...no spoilers here!) as the city's most talented and beloved pro athlete. Wright still needs a few rings, but he's on his way.
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3. Stephon Marbury: In a basketball-crazy town, the hometown hero isn't just the face of the Knicks (for better or worse), but he's the face of Coney Island, the soul of New York City basketball's "Give Up Your Girl Before You Give Up Your Dribble" mentality. Recently elevated his "Man of the People" status by launching his admirable $15 sneaker line.

2. Alex Rodriguez: Only in New York City could a player of A-Rod's best-ever(?) talent and instantly recognizable face NOT make the No. 1 spot. That may change if/when A-Rod opts out of his contract for the $30 million deal to play in another city, where his ability and celebrity will have no peer. Unfortunately, playing in NYC means competing with...

1. Derek Jeter: He is not just captain of the Yankees. He is arguably New York City's biggest rock star: A Stadium-swooning, club-spotting, starlet-wooing, Page Six-driving rock star. He may never win another World Series ring and he may drive fans in other cities crazy with envy, but in New York City, there is no one who out-Jeters Jeter.

Honorable Mention: Vince Carter, Jason Kidd, Jose Reyes, Roger Clemens, Mariano Rivera, Eddy Curry, Chad Pennington and Jeremy Shockey. I don't follow hockey and thus have no Rangers/Islanders/Devils names to offer. Whoops.

Editor's Note: Dan Shanoff, formerly of ESPN.com, writes at DanShanoff.com and recently launched Varsity Dad. He also lives in Brooklyn, which, for the purposes of this post, gives him "cred." We thank him for his contribution to FanHouse.

City's Best: New York's Top Five Athletes originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Mon, 25 Jun 2007 12:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Triumph the Insult Comic Dog Gives Arena Football Some Much-Needed Attention

Michael David Smith — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:29:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Arena Football

You'd think if anyone around here was going to write about Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, it would be Ryan Wilson. But I can't pass up the opportunity to share this video, in which Triumph uses New York Dragons quarterback Aaron Garcia as comedic fodder on the red carpet at the Tony Awards:

I don't know if that really was Aaron Garcia of the New York Dragons, although Garcia does have the time to visit the Tonys, as he's currently out with a severe ankle sprain. Garcia's claim to fame, incidentally, is that he was the starting quarterback at Washington State as a freshman, only to lose his job to Drew Bledsoe.

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog Gives Arena Football Some Much-Needed Attention originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Thu, 14 Jun 2007 18:29:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kobayashi Might Skip Hot Dog Eating Contest

Michael David Smith — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:08:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Action Sports

In the competitive eating equivalent of Peyton Manning saying he'd skip the Super Bowl or Tim Duncan saying he might not show up to the NBA Finals, a report today suggests that six-time defending champion Takeru Kobayashi might not participate in this year's Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest in New York City.

He's due to go for his seventh Nathan's crown next month, but his manager Kumi Ozeki suggests that Kobayashi's title defense might be in danger.

"Kobayashi's mother died in March and he's currently taking a sabbatical. He's not even in training," the hot dog eating champion's manager tells Shukan Gendai. "I haven't heard a word from him about whether he's going to take part in the July contest and there's no way that I know to get in touch with him."

I sympathize with what Kobayashi is going through, but it would be tragic to have the contest without him. He's the best athlete in the history of his sport, and this year he faces the stiffest challenge of his career from American Joey Chestnut. This is a competition we need to see.

Hat tip: Deadspin.

Previously at FanHouse:
Joey Chestnut Shatters Kobayashi's Hot Dog Eating Record
Kobayashi vs. Bear: 'He Doesn't Know It's a Competition'

Kobayashi Might Skip Hot Dog Eating Contest originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:08:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toxic Dose of BenGay Killed High School Track Star

Michael David Smith — Sat, 09 Jun 2007 11:59:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Track and Field, High School

In a horrifying story out of New York, the state medical examiner has ruled that a high school track star who died in April was killed by a toxic dose of methyl salicylate, the active ingredient in common muscle rubs such as BenGay and Icy Hot.

Arielle Newman was a track star at Notre Dame Academy on Staten Island who was found dead on April 3. An initial autopsy was inconclusive, and her death has been a mystery. But yesterday Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the state medical examiner's office, said Newman accidentally used "topical medication to an excess," causing poisons to accumulate in her body and eventually lead to her death.

Alice Newman said her daughter had been using a teammate's Ultra Strength BenGay and possibly other topical analgesics on her legs this year to help her recover between track meets.
"She told me her legs felt like cement," her mother said. "She was working so hard to turn her season around."

Even with repeated use, however, it is unclear how the extremely high levels of the substance remained in her body.

Dr. Kristen Roman of the medical examiner's office told Alice Newman the toxicology report revealed more than six times the safe amount of methyl salicylate in her daughter's blood.

Such poisoning is extremely rare. Multiple experts said they have never heard of a fatal overdose of muscle creams before.

Toxic Dose of BenGay Killed High School Track Star originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Sat, 09 Jun 2007 11:59:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Joey Chestnut Shatters Kobayashi's Hot Dog Eating Record

Michael David Smith — Sun, 03 Jun 2007 16:23:00 EST

Filed under: New York, Action Sports

How did competitive eating become a well-known sport? We've actually reached the point in America where a Japanese hot dog eater is a household name, and an American breaking his hot dog eating record is big news. I just told my wife that Joey Chestnut broke Takero Kobayashi's hot dog eating record, and without missing a beat she said, "We'll see what happens on the Fourth of July."

Yes, my wife knows that the Fourth of July is the biggest day of the hot dog eating year, and so do millions of Americans. And after Chestnut ate 59.5 dogs in 12 minutes yesterday at the Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe, Kobayashi had better be ready to face his stiffest competition yet at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest.

One thing I'm not entirely clear on: How standardized are the hot dogs in these contests? Are the hot dogs Chestnut consumed yesterday the same size as the ones he'll eat on Independence Day? If so, I guess you'd have to say Chestnut is the favorite, and that's a good thing for patriotic Americans: As much as I respect Kobayashi as a competitor, I've always felt that there's nothing more American than eating hot dogs on the Fourth of July, and it would be nice to see an American win the title.

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Joey Chestnut Shatters Kobayashi's Hot Dog Eating Record originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Sun, 03 Jun 2007 16:23:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Metal Bats Banned in New York City High School Games

Michael David Smith — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 07:01:00 EST

Filed under: New York, High School

By a 41-4 vote, the New York City Council has banned metal bats in all high school baseball games, overriding Mayor Michael Bloomberg's veto and ushering in a new wood bat era.

Bloomberg (who's playing stickball in the picture) vetoed it the first time the City Council banned metal bats because he said he hadn't seen any evidence that wood bats are any safer than metal bats. The sponsor of the bill disagreed:

"This is not about whether baseball should be the crack of the bat or the ping of the bat,'' Lewis Fidler, a sponsor of the bill, said in a statement. "It's about eliminating unnecessary risk from high school competition before one of our kids gets hurt or killed for no reason.''

With all due respect to Fidler's safety concerns, I disagree: I'm glad New York took this step (and hope other cities follow suit) more for aesthetic reasons than safety reasons: Baseball is just a better sport when you hear a "crack" than it is when you hear a "ping." Like Bloomberg, I'm not entirely convinced that high school baseball in New York got any safer. But I do think it got better.

Metal Bats Banned in New York City High School Games originally appeared on Back Porch FanHouse on Tue, 24 Apr 2007 07:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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