Two winters ago when I visited New York, I went to Coney Island. It took forever to get there from Queens. I did not see Sebastian Telfair. I did not see people on the beach. Everything was closed at Coney Island, but I couldn’t help but smiling … because I ate a hot dog at Nathan’s, and that was pretty clutch.

And, as you better know by now, Nathan’s features the Fourth of July hot dog eating contest, which is essentially a metaphor for America’s battle for world supremacy with the Far East. Joey Chestnut, the American, has beaten out the his Japanese rival Takeru Kobayashi the last two years, after Kobayashi won every summer from 2001 to 2006. America is the fattest country on Earth, and Joey Chestnut is a shining example to us all.

This year, Bodog is giving a slight edge to Chestnut, as he’s a 2-3 favorite, while Kobayashi isn’t far behind at 11-10.

It’s your American duty to root for Chestnut this weekend. Though, I won’t blame you if you’re pulling for Kobayashi. Just look at the man’s abs.

{HT: MDS at FanHouse, who writes this is “one of the great rivalries in the history of sport.”}