I know what you're thinking: Chestnut is the guy who took down the Japanese dude last year in the July 4th hotdog eating contest on ESPN, right? Why does he have a baseball card? Answer: because he's a world champion.

I bought a few packs when it was released Wednesday, and I did so without looking at the checklist. And looking through the cards, one made me stop dead in my tracks: Joey Chestnut. There he was with that semi-constipated look on his face, almost like he crapped his pants and was facing mommy for the first time since dropping the duece.

By this point I'd already pulled one of the rare Silk/Cloth framed cards (only 10 sets exist), but this is the card that made me stop and actually appreciate this year's product.

Baseball card sets are typically constructed the same way. You get the same 200 stars and then another 50 or so rookies to give collector's some reason to believe that they are actually investing their money wisely. But not this product. Sure it's got it's run of rare cards, autographs and even piece of Abe Lincoln's hair (I'm not kidding), but the base set is so interesting that it's almost worth buying for that reason alone. I mean where else can you pull this type of eight card pack: Carl Crawford, Jay Bruce, Jake Peavy, Robinson Cano, Francisco Cordero, John Bowker, Les Miles and Joey Chestnut?

What I really love about this set is that it makes you stop and think about what you've purchased. Because most sets are so contrived and even predictable, many collectors rip packs and seek out only the shiniest card, the one with a piece of jersey embedded in it, or the one covered in the depicted player's signature. If there are none of those, the rest go right into a box, or worst case scenario into the trash can. People don't actually read their baseball cards anymore. It's kind of sad. Need to know how many home runs Jeff Francouer hit in 2006? No need to go find his 2007 Topps card and read the back to get the answer. All you have to do is go online. It's even easier if you're a fantasy baseball guy.

Anyhow, here's a sneak peek at some of the other odd cards I managed to pull today:

Billy Mitchell, Champion Pac-Man gamer: It's too bad that he wasn't a Nintendo champion. This pose would have been classic for "Nintendo Thumb." Also, he kind of looks like Buddy Christ. Jesus Christ. Now that'd be a hell of an A&G card.

Pete Webber, Champion Professional Bowler: As much as I hate his wannabe Degeneration X crotch chop, it still would look better than this image. He looks like he's at a funeral, or like he's some kind of mobster. I love bowling, but this guy is a real douche bag for trying to turn the sport into professional wrestling.

Bigfoot, monster truck: Sunday, Sunday, Su ... ah screw, it. That joke is old and tired.

Jeanette Lee, Champion Billiards Player: Sure as hell beats a card of Karen Corr.

Kevin Van Dam, champion bass fisherman: Love the idea for the card, but this picture would have been better, especially on a horizontal card. Note to photo editors: Pictures of fisherman should have the angler holding fish, particularly when using such a design as Allen & Ginter.

and perhaps the coolest card not featuring Joey Chestnut:

Andrew "William Ocean" Litz, air guitar champion: This guy is living every man's dream: Gain international notoriety for your savage air guitar skills, AND get a baseball card of you doing said activity. Classic.

The Woman of the Snow was breath-taking: I couldn't believe the skies! The rich ochres, lighter yellows and pinks as they ran through the fields, the many eyes throughout... There were some tense moments too, of course: the way Kobayashi held a shot for such a long time, particularly on the back of the woman's head near the beginning and end of the story: you're certain this mask of terror will greet you when she finally, finally turns around. And the use of lighting throughout the stories was just amazing; I'll talk about the last two in a moment, but in this piece, the transitions from warm colours to white and deep blue complemented the close-ups perfectly: it's all you need to know what's going on.

Hoichi, The Earless was probably the best story of the lot: it had humour, adventure, and a happy ending of sorts. The wards painted all over (well, almost :-) ) Hoichi's body were an impressive sight. Again, the use of lighting, exposing his ears, was excellent; such a simple, yet powerful, technique.

In a Cup of Tea rounded out the collection on a disturbing note: again, the use of lighting made the scene that much more tense, as first the woman, and then the publisher, approached the bucket of water. I also loved the shot as the main character brought the cup of tea up to his face for the third time, the frame off-kilter like we're sure his mind is by then.

Dir: Kobayashi Masaki
Year: 1957
Cast:
Killer Jo: Nakadai Tatsuya
Nishida: Watanabe Fumio
Shizuko: Arima Ineko
Kin: Seiji Miyaguchi
The landlord: Yamada Isuzu

Years before his most celebrated films, namely The Human Condition (「人間の条件」) films, Harakiri (「切腹」) and Kaidan (「怪談」), came Kobayashi's Black River (「黒い川)」. Set in the immediate Japanese post-war milieu of poverty, social inequality, rebuilding and the American occupation, Black River is a film noirish jaunt around the world sitting just outside the American Naval Air Facility at Atsugi in Kanagawa prefecture.

The film revolves around a fresh faced and, in his own words, politically neutral student named Nishida who had come to a shanty town outside of the airbase to go to study. On his first visit to his new lodgings he meets a colorful bunch of neighbors led by, whom the landlord, an unscrupulous woman, calls a "communist," Kin, who is played by Miyaguchi Seiji. Miyaguchi Seiji is probably most well known to Western audiences as the spectular swordsmen Kyuzo in Kurosawa's 七人の侍(Seven Samurai). The place Nishida comes to inhabit is the poster-palace for post-war squalor: holes in the walls, a rusting tin roof, cramped quarters and a merciless landlord who demands payment constantly. He nevertheless takes up his studies in the heap despite his less than fortunate circumstances.

The local thug leader, Killer Joe, played convincingly by Nakadai, hatches a plan as he scopes a priceless beauty, Shizuko, played by the stunning Arima Ineko, whom he has been watching for sometime as goes by everyday walking with her white purse and white umbrella down the main drag towards the train station. She is a waitress at a local restaurant/cafe and much like a lotus flower born out of the mud, the cleanliness of her character is in stark contrast to both Joe and his group of thugs as well as the characters whom live near Nishida; himself an individual that stands out as an odd fit for such a seedy place. Its not long until these two rather unspoiled characters attract each others' attention and seem on the verge of starting a romantic relationship when Nishida invites Shizuko to his hovel after a chance encounter on the street. Which is when, of course, everything begins to go wrong.

The villain, Killer Joe, decides to stage an abduction with the help of his cronies. On her way home his goons capture Shizuko only to be defeated at the hands of Killer Joe, who just happens to be conveniently waiting in the wings to come to her rescue. Soon after, in fact right then and there, he proceeds to complete the victimization of Shizuko by raping her. The next day she shows up at Joe's hangout and asks him to marry him so she can avoid the shame of being set upon by him. He tells her that in essence his crime was one of love and passion for her though he rejects the idea of marriage. In the midst of her grief she doesn't see Joe's duplicity and is taken in by him, mistaking his abusive nature as a sign of his passion for her.

Nishida who after being "stood up" by Shizuko, now sees her around town with quite a different aura surrounding her. Her character now seems to blend in with the seedy scene whereas Nishida still retains some of his "innocent" light. She is becoming a "fallen" women as a result of Joe's actions. Yet she hasn't completely fallen and still holds a candle for Nishida who is somewhat childishly suspicious of her, not seeing that something has happened to her emotionally. Here a love triangle of sorts develops between Joe, Nishida and Shizuko. Nishida and Shizuko are victimized by Joe who is a representative of the hired thugs of the bureaucracy at the time and their struggle against the poor in the name of "progress".

While he and Nishida begin their struggle for Shizuko, Joe goes about the business of readying the shanty in which Nishida and the others live for demolition. Joe has the tenets illegally evicted, forging documents and telling them that they will have running water and other amenities in return for their signatures. All of this is done to make way for new development in the area. For all of his learning, Nishida plays the role of the impotent man being caught in Joe's grip knowing that he can prevent neither the shanty from being destroyed nor Shizuko's fall into the seedy undercurrent of the town. Joe goes so far to have a crony steal Nishida's belongings, even wearing Nishida's watch in his presence.

The reality of being caught on the lower rung of the social ladder in post-war Japan is portrayed by the individuals living alongside Nishida. Kin, the so-called communist, represents the pre-war Japan that revolved around individual sacrifice for the good of the community as well as the post-war radical left in the way he tries to organize the tenants against Joe's plans.  The voice of the masses, he is both the struggling poorer class of Japan in the pre-war and war years as well as the inheritor of post-war Japan's debts wrapped up in one. He is the only character in the film that vocalizes any disillusionment in the occupation and the position of Japan after the war. Ultimately, no one can stop Joe's scheming on behalf of the landlord and a local businessman; the shanty will be torn down setting the stage for a final showdown of sorts between Joe and Nishida.

The night of the demolition, Joe decides to have a little party and invites Nishida over for drinks. Knowing Joe's intentions as well as her own, Shizuko pleads Nishida to not go. She tells Nishida that she has been tricked by Joe. Joe gave her back the purse and umbrella which were "stolen" during her abduction. This explains everything to her. Joe is so confident in his control over her that he doesn't fear reprisal whatsoever. The undertones of her impeding revenge cannot be ignored as she explains, "I have to get rid of the part of Joe that is still inside me." She decides to take things into her own hands and Nishida cannot help; it is her redemption on the line and she needs finish this for herself.

So what does Nishida do? He goes to the party. At this point he starts to exert himself and stand up to Joe, going so far as to accuse him of being corrupt. He also tells Joe to share the money he got from the demoliton sending one of Joe's thug's lunging after him. Nishida scuffles with him for bit and but everything stops when Shizuko enters the room. Things get strange from here. The thugs leave to demolish the slum leaving only four remaining: Joe, Shizuko, Nishida and... Joe's other girlfriend, Sachiko. Apparently, the love triangle is now an impromptu love square. Odd to say the least as Sachiko puts up with his affair with Shizuko and is in turn brutalized in the same fashion.

After a bizarre mock auction in which Shizuko offers herself as well as her "blood stained umbrella" to the highest bidder, much to Joe's chagrin, the four go down to the local bar to have drinks. Shizuko gets Joe inebriated in order to get him ready to make her move. Nishida watches intently for her to act and in the meantime is little more than a wall to lean on for Sachiko. After some quarreling between the two, Shizuko decides to move them outside in order to get Joe away from Nishida. They stumble down the dirt road, Shizuko and Joe ahead with Nishida and the now gibbering and obviously jealous Sachiko, following some length behind.

Now on walking across a bridge Nishida appears stone cold sober; dreadfully awaiting Shizuko's move. A U.S. military truck roars by them. Joe is twirling the umbrella in his hands not even slightly aware of what is about to take place. Another truck speeds past. Shizuko turns back to Nishida, warning him with a pained look in her face to stop following her. Shizuko embraces Joe on the side of the road. Seeing a truck coming fast, Nishida runs for her. Its too late though. She makes her move and releases herself of Joe's taint though it changes nothing. Nishida tries to console her but in seeing Joe on the ground dead she realizes she has completely fallen. She dashes away as fast as she can into the night.

Watching Arima's character devolve throughout the course of the film is sad and yet, strangely seductive. Her character becomes far more sultry than the original Shizuko, which is perhaps a commentary on the reality of Japanese women living in "base towns" at the time; as we find out the reality is much less pretty than it looks. She is stuck where she is and left to her own devices. Nishida can barely stick up for himself, let alone her. Its interesting that the only way for her to break free of the downward spiral is to kill Joe herself and leave Nishida behind; symbolically, a decidedly nihilist view of post-war Japan. Nakadai's character is, as most of Nakadai's villians, evil to the bone. He doesn't care about anything but himself, his wants and his money. Nakadai is on top of his game here; Joe is a sociopathic pawn of anyone who will pay him.

This film is also in part a criticism of post-war Japan as caught up in its own redevelopment to the neglect of its people and its soul. Joe's relationship with business and the government's inaction to stop the tenents being forcefully evicted is direct critique of both the old way of doing things under the Imperial seal as well as the "new" way of doing things under the post-war governments of Kishi and the LDP. The new way which was in many instances, same as the old way; Class A war criminals and all. As mentioned before the distinctly critical voice of Kin in the film serves as a mouthpiece for the director and in a sense the Japanese socialist movement of the '50's, though for that matter Kin's "grassroots activism" and organizing accomplish nothing. This theme of the emasculated post-war Japanese male is not an uncommon one, but what makes Nishida peculiar is that he is a student and in a sense a symbol of the progressive movement along with Kin. It is this failure to successfully fight back against the corruption that makes Black River such a pessimistic view of Japan's future from the '50's onward.

This year, both Chestnut and Kobayashi ate swallowed 59 hot dogs after 10 minutes, which led to a "five-dog eat off". Chestnut eventually prevailed with 66. That's more than I eat in a year, or perhaps in a lifetime. I don't know what pushes them to do this act and even if I know, I will never understand.

Here's a video posted by andrew39611 on Youtube. This is part 1. You can watch part 2 if you are done barfing.

[blip.tv ?posts_id=1065201&dest=-1]

Most of the students went to the spots the night before and waited patiently for more than twelve hours to just have a glance at Olympic torch. Millions of Chinese people along the Olympic torch relay were shouting one slogan: “Go China”.

read more and see the pictures in The Brooklyn Voice

Down Syndrome is a chromosomal disorder that results when a person “inherits all or part of an extra copy of chromosome 21,” according to Encarta. The defect causes mental retardation. For McMahon, it greatly affects his mental capacity and his speech; he has a bad stuttering problem that many times affects his ability to express himself...

Read more at "The Brooklyn Voice"

Read more at The Brooklyn Voice

Since the 1950s, he has galvanized cinema audiences the world over (albeit in this country relegated to art houses and, ironically, grind houses) with his powerful brooding performances – transcending the language barrier with his trademark penetrating glare.  Truth be told, those magnificent eyes can literally stare you to death...

Read more at "The Brooklyn Voice"

The men tied at 59 frankfurters in 10 minutes, before being made to gobble another five dogs in a last-minute tiebreaker. They consumed 64 hot dogs total and were looking quite peaked after the competition.

Kobayashi had hoped to reclaim the throne after a disappointing three-dog loss last year shattered his six-year winning streak.

"He wanted it, but I needed it," Chestnut said of his diminutive Japanese rival.

Thousands gathered at Coney Island on the Fourth of July to watch the gluttonous gladiators compete in the annual event. Chestnut emerged victorious for the second year in a row, beating 20 others who had only 10 minutes to scarf down as many hot dogs as possible, two minutes less than in previous years.

I don't know about you, but I can't think of a better way to celebrate our independence than to watch two guys stuffing water-soaked hot dogs into their mouths.  Go Team!

I'm in love with the announcer. I got to the contest early, so to fill time, they introduced the contestants, had them go back stage again, then made the announcer tell a few jokes and have a really awkward conversation with an old Jewish man on stage while the hot dog suits danced around. At one point he started talking about a black hole. "I'm not afraid of death. I'm afraid of leaving all you guys behind, that's why I want it to take all of us!" that was kind of creepy, but when the contestants started eating: "They are Spartans! Warriors! Their ancestors stand behind them!"

Oh yeah, and Nathan's made a donation to the World Food bank. Said the announcer, "This is a very, very... nice donation that Nathan's is giving. This is not a real check and it's not for $100,000, but for 100,000 hot dogs!"

After Kobayashi and Chestnut tied, they went into sudden death (who could eat 5 hot dogs the fastest), and I had a hankering for beef in tube form. Rather than go to the Nathan's where the contest took place, we jetted for the boardwalk in hopes of a smaller line. Alas, we stood around for another 20 minutes-- long enough to see a hilarious confrontation between beach goers kicking each other's coolers and taking off their shirts to threaten fighting -- we had hot dogs and cheese fries. I can't even tell you the last time I had a REAL hot dog, but it was off my plate and in my stomach (where I can still feel it festering three hours later) in about fifteen seconds.

In the spirit of any American holiday, I'm stuffing myself full of food and drinking today.

"She left China and a career as a scientist to come to this nation to pursue a career in competitive eating. It's everything that's right and wrong with this world." -Hot Dog Eating Contest Announcer

TAKERU KOBAYASHI AND JOEY CHESTNUT GO MOUTH TO MOUTH

In an epic July 4th battle, American competitive eater Joey Chestnut defeated Kobayashi in the Nathan's hot dog eating contest at Coney Island. Chestnut had to go overtime to win the grueling mouth-to-mouth competition.

The two were tied at the end of regulation, both having devoured 59 hot dogs in ten minutes. Kobayashi (a six time winner of the Nathan's event) took the early lead by stuffing down 10 dogs in the first minute but was caught by Chestnut down the stretch. 25,000 people jammed the streets of Brooklyn to watch the event.

Chestnut dominated Kobayashi in the overtime eat-off winning the coveted Yellow Mustard Belt.

I read a lot of ridiculous fantasy baseball notes--most of the time what people say--so I've decided to dedicate a section in my column to Did He Just Say That?

Jun 29 [J.J.] Putz, who suffered a setback earlier this week in his return from an elbow injury, won't necessarily return to the closer role upon his return, the Seattle Times reports. Recommendation: Miscommunication with the training staff gave Putz the idea that he needed to throw with a different motion, which caused more soreness in his arm. He's back to throwing normally, and the pain has stopped. - Rotowire
How do you miscommunicate over something important like that with the people you should be closest to, i.e. the training staff? Well, I guess I experience that as well with my mom from time to time, but Brandon Morrow is looking like a real sweet pickup now.

Chestnut Defends Hot Dog Belt In OT Over Kobayashi

Joey Chestnut staved off Kobayashi in a five-dog eat-off at Coney Island on Friday after the two tied with 59 hot dogs in 10 minutes, two minutes less than in previous years. I think Chestnut's proven himself to be the new king of hot dog eating, which segues into who I believe will be the new king of tennis on Sunday.

Nadal Will Beat Federer in the Wimbledon Finals

The two beat their semifinal opponents in straight sets Friday to set up their third straight Wimbledon finals. Roger Federer, who will be going for his sixth straight Wimbledon, has not dropped a set in the entire tournament. But after coming down to Earth with unfamiliar losses in tournaments earlier this year and Rafael Nadal's proven domination over Federer in the French Open, I see David utilizing that confidence to dethrone Goliath in a stunner this year.

"He wanted it, but I needed  it."

So said American Joey Chestnut today, as he narrowly defeated perennial competitive hot dog eating champion Takeru Kobayashi in the Nathan's world championship on Coney Island. At the end of the ten minutes (a time reduced from the former twelve minute period, to increase the pace) the two were tied at 59 hot dogs each --  ten more dogs than any of the other competitors. Then the regulation tie was resolved in a 5-dog "dog off", a shootout where speed mattered more than ever. Chestnut finished his fifth dog not long after Kobayashi, who "stumbled" early, had just started his.

Chestnut, a Californian, kept the victory in perspective in the postgame interview. He put a nice patriotic spin on his response to "Why do you do this?", responding humbly "I love to eat. I love the competition. We're just having some silly fun, which is in the spirit of Fourth of July." Chestnut was the defending Nathan's champ, but last year Kobayashi reportedly had a jaw injury. Thus the statement above about "needing it". Chestnut had to beat a healthy Kobayashi to secure his legitimacy as a champion.

Meanwhile, the commentators went on about Kobayashi having to win to maintain the image of "his brand". What human being is, in himself, a brand? Is this what we've come to?

The competition itself was as weird, funny, and intense as one would guess... reportedly the best competition ever in the 80-plus years of the contest. And the first commercial after the crowning of a winner was from the main sponsor, Heinz Ketchup.

Ketchup?! On a hotdog?! That's un-American right there. Or at least goes against the traditional hot dog rules here in Chicago, where we take our hot dogs VERY seriously. (Condiments allowed: yellow mustard, sweet relish, tomato wedges, celery salt, onions and hot peppers optional... any questions?!) Get away from me with that sauerkraut. Put the chili in a bowl. Save the ketchup for your burger. This here's a Chacaago dog!

Maybe it's a political thing, and Senator Kerry's ketchup-mogul wife Teresa Heinz Kerry is the perpetrator. They're swift-boating their condiment competition. You think it's an accident that the leading yellow mustard on the market is called French's? What's next, Freedom Dogs?

Don't let them do it, Joey. You're America's best hope to stay on top in the world. Not only did you need it... we needed it, too. And we're right proud of ya.