I never thought I'd see it in my lifetime...

...but I did. 

Just a few moments ago, I got to see a dog-off.

In an epic battle, Joey Chestnut defeated Kobayashi for the title of Hot Dog Eating Champion.  In OVERTIME! 

It was amazing.  After ten minutes of ramming hot dogs down their throats, Chestnut and Kobayashi were tied at 59 dogs apiece.  The tiny chunks of dog and bun plastered over all over their faces were a testament to their dedication to eating more hot dogs in ten minutes than most of us will eat this year. 

But it went to a dog-off.  Two men.  Five dogs.  First one to shove all of them in their mouth and swallow them, without gagging, would be the 2008 champ.

And amazingly, Joey Chestnut retained the championship he wrested from Kobayashi last year.  Kobayashi had won the previous six years and had taken the sport of competitive eating from little known 4th of July event to a year round industry where people compete to shove all sorts of things down their throats in short spans of time.  Clams, ice cream, hamburgers, entire breakfasts, mini-burgers, you name it.  There's apparently nothing we're unwilling to eat dozens of in less than five minutes. 

Now I have to go throw up.

Have a happy 4th.