Kobayashi on 2008 Nathan’s finals

Kobayashi has posted an entry about the upcoming Nathan’s finals on his blog. It is not 100% clear from the automatic translation, but he appears to commit to competing in the July 4 contest. (The comments seem to think he will attempt to win his seventh title) From the automatic translation:

NEISANZU 2008 world championships

Play! ! !

I said you left the tournament career makeover?

Where to play sports or another kind of feeling.

So I thought at the goal and still HAKKIRI MITSUKARANAKU I have no choice.

First of all, I aimed to win it from the start,

Thank you cheer! ! !

If Kobayashi does compete, he will most likely receive a bye since it does not appear a Japan Nathan’s qualifier will be held in 2008 even though the qualifier registration form listed the date of the Tokyo qualifier as June 24. Some commenters have speculated that Kobayashi will compete in the San Francisco qualifier on Saturday. The last time Kobayashi was not the defending champion for an IFOCE event which had qualifiers, the 2004 Krystal Square Off finals, he entered the Jacksonville qualifier the week before.

Kobayashi has a blog entry about dining at Nobuyuki Shirota’s restaurant and doing a noodle eating challenge there. Shirota also has a post about the meal on his blog.

update Sponichi.co.jp has an article about Kobayashi which makes it pretty clear he intends to compete

Comments (35)

35 Comments »

  1. North Pole said (Registered April 28, 2008)

    June 25, 2008 @ 11:52 am

    He should have to qualify like everyone else… He could just eat enough to get in, and save himself for the finals where it all counts. He could use his case of hotdogs for last minute practice between the qualifier and the finals. ;D

  2. Anonymous said

    June 25, 2008 @ 12:03 pm

    If the six-time Nathan’s World Champion would have to qualify to compete, not only is there no justice in this world, but Kobayashi should tell CE to kiss his ass!

  3. Truth said

    June 25, 2008 @ 12:27 pm

    in 2007 they let him vomit and re-eat what came up and he even with a dq still came in 2nd. he is their ($hea$) meal ticket..if he asked for a bye he would get it but he might not want a bye.

  4. I said

    June 25, 2008 @ 1:48 pm

    i do not agree, Koby or any non-champion should have to qualify…does pittsburgh or dallas get a bye into the superbowl every year because they have won 4 or 5 rings?!? same thing with the world series, nba finals, etc etc…

  5. Romeo said

    June 25, 2008 @ 3:01 pm

    Koby should have to qualify. I think he would even agree with that. He seems very honorable and competes fairly.

  6. anonymous said

    June 25, 2008 @ 3:29 pm

    I said,
    June 25, 2008 @ 1:48 pm

    i do not agree, Koby or any non-champion should have to qualify…does pittsburgh or dallas get a bye into the superbowl every year because they have won 4 or 5 rings?!? same thing with the world series, nba finals, etc etc…

    ##################################

    Sorry to burst your bubble. This is Competitive Eating. Not Pro Sports. Even the WWE is more fair in their contests than MLE is.

    To I said: I would like to see everyone get a fair shake but with Vince McMahon being fairer in the WWE than the Shea’s in MLE, it will not happen.

    What Koby wants, Koby gets. Until he is used up. Count on it.

    If you think CE is fair or legit than P.T Barnum was right when he said there is a sucker born every minute.

  7. Anonymous said

    June 25, 2008 @ 4:09 pm

    if they let koby into the finals without qualifying, top american eaters will not compete.

  8. Tonto said

    June 25, 2008 @ 7:49 pm

    Kobayashi will have to qualify…Shea is stubborn and won’t have it any other way. But I don’t think he should have to. Takeru Kobayashi turned the sport of eating into what it is today. Without him, very few of the eaters who currently constitute the top 20 would ever have entered their first contest. It was Koby who made eating popular. The way I see it, the Sheas owe him a couple of favors.

  9. North Pole said (Registered April 28, 2008)

    June 25, 2008 @ 7:58 pm

    I don’t think the eaters would boycot if Koby got a bye. That would sure be a great protest though…

  10. chappy said (Registered May 25, 2007)

    June 25, 2008 @ 8:19 pm

    Kobayashi is the man, and yes, he took the sport and stood it on it’s head. He’s gotten more exposure to the game than anyone else, ever. It’d be great to see him at Coney.

    That being said, he didn’t win ’07, he should have to qualify like everyone else.

  11. Mothra said

    June 25, 2008 @ 9:59 pm

    his Sh—t stinks like everyone else we don’t need any privilege characters in this sport, let him qualify or stay home.

  12. William Perry said

    June 25, 2008 @ 11:54 pm

    Only pro football players should be allowed to compete without qualifying. Go west, former champion, and destroy Kevin Ross’s hopes and dreams. Only then should you be allowed on Coney Island.

  13. Godzilla said

    June 26, 2008 @ 12:10 am

    Actually, it smells like burning hot dogs

  14. Mega Munch said

    June 26, 2008 @ 8:41 am

    How he’s supposed to qualify if there are no qualifiers held in his hemisphere of the world? Trust me, as stubborn as the Shea’s are (according to Tonto), if they tried to make Koby qualify and Koby said no thanks, they’d offer him a bye anyhow because the event is infinitely more marketable with Koby in it.

    No one — not the Sheas, not the eaters and not the fans — should complain if Koby competes on July 4 without qualifying. You might agree that he SHOULD HAVE qualified, but you should agree even more that a July 4th without Takeru Kobayashi is like Christmas with Santa Claus.

  15. North Pole said (Registered April 28, 2008)

    June 26, 2008 @ 9:14 am

    Just busting your chops a little here Mega Munch, but wouldn’t it be like Christmas withOUT Santa Claus???

    I think it would be better with Koby in it. It would be pretty boring with Joey about 10 or 15 hot dogs ahead of 2nd place…

  16. Rhonda Evans said

    June 26, 2008 @ 9:38 am

    If they make Koby qualify he should eat the minimum to win that qualifier, perhaps in the low-to-mid 20s, and insist that his placement at the table be consistent with his order of finish in comparison to all other eaters who qualified. Then, regardless of how he finishes, as I said (as anonymous) from another computer earlier this week, he should tell the IFOCE and / or Nathan’s to shove it.

    Each and every eater and organization who has anything to do with CE owes Koby. He is more to CE than Babe Ruth was to baseball, Michael Jordan was to basketball, and Tiger Woods is to golf———combined! All of the eaters of yesterday, today, and tomorrow, should feel luckier than hell just to sit at the same table as Koby. He has no peer——–how soon so many forget.

  17. Gentleman Joe said

    June 26, 2008 @ 11:53 am

    Koby should not need to qualify. He is worthy of a LIFETIME exemption, similar to the Masters or Nascar All-Stars.

    Koby will “qualify” if the Shea’s/Nathan’s pay him to.

    Or they will make up a qualifier like they did w/the Fridge in an attempt to shut their other assets up.

    I’m unsure of the luck to sit at the same table, but when the conversation gets to it, I do mention that I had the honor of getting my butt whipped by Kobe 4 times.

  18. A little birdy told me said

    June 26, 2008 @ 2:56 pm

    Koby will be given an exemption. If he wants to compete, he won’t have to qualify. This is from a Nathan’s official @ QVC.

  19. Anonymous said

    June 26, 2008 @ 3:32 pm

    if that is the case joey and pat will no show

  20. Anonymous said

    June 26, 2008 @ 7:22 pm

    Joey and Pat are not in his class anyway and should not insult koby by showing up.

  21. Anonymous said

    June 26, 2008 @ 7:52 pm

    Its bs, just cause the patriots use to win the super bowl every year doesnt mean they dont have to compete in the regular season…… its bs and its not right he is paid in the first place i believe he is allowed to do all the contests he wants over seas, and andrew lane cannot compete for charity … that is bs koby is washed up he proved that by not doing krystals, oh thats right his “jaw injury” what bs he just knows he is yesterdays news and joey can womp him any day of the week. and pat and eater x are not that far behind… I believe they should start a event with teams, such as top tier guys with a team of table enders… now that would be a great event such as a hot dog relay

  22. Tonto said

    June 26, 2008 @ 10:57 pm

    I don’t see why Kobayashi getting in without winning a qualifier is as much of an outrage as it has become. Even you don’t want to accept the “he deserves it” argument, you still have to admit that if he entered a qualifier he would certainly qualify. By letting him in for free, not only are they allowing him to rest his jaw, but also they’re giving another guy (i.e. Micah Collins or Steakbellie) an extra spot at the final table.

    As for anaymous 3:32’s theory about Joey and Pat boycotting Nathan’s, I think that it would be a completely irrational reaction to the whole mess. I don’t know how they feel about it and don’t want to speak for them, but I’m quite confident that they will be in the middle of the table come July 4th regardless of how the skinny Japanese man next to them got there. They are both pretty reasonable people.

  23. commentator said

    June 27, 2008 @ 3:24 am

    Koby used to be a champion of the sport. But when someone (Joey Chestnut) gave him a real challenge, he acted like a total punk. He lied about his jaw hurting and hid behind the excuse. Then he proceeded to puke in his hands and eat his own vomit on national TV after clearly losing his crown. He made himself a total joke. He will forever be known as the puke eater. I don’t think that even Dale Boone showed less class. What a douche-bag.

  24. North Pole said (Registered April 28, 2008)

    June 27, 2008 @ 7:53 am

    That is a very good point that someone else would win the qualifier and get in if they gave Koby a bye. Either way, we’ll know in a week what the final decision is… Good luck to everyone involved!!!

  25. Rhonda Evans said

    June 27, 2008 @ 8:44 am

    I wish I could be a tenth the “douche-bag” Koby is. I hope he and other decent foreign people never visit this blog. Many of the comments here make me ashamed to call myself a fairly regular visitor. As a matter of fact, I think it’s about time for Rhonda to vacate these premises for awhile.

    See you folks after a week or so.

  26. the boy king said

    June 27, 2008 @ 10:47 am

    http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/weather/06/27/north.pole.melting/index.html

    Mitolo – you’re screwed. ha ha ha!

  27. Bronson Fan said

    June 27, 2008 @ 4:33 pm

    Absolute horseshit if he does not have to qualify!!!!

  28. Steakbellie said (Registered August 11, 2006)

    June 27, 2008 @ 5:12 pm

    I know we take this stuff seriously, but the reality is that if Nathans wants a Joey-Koby showdown, having him Qualify is just a stupid formality. They probably dont see the need to jump through the hoops or even explain it to us. They’re the sponsor, the sponsor is always right.

    I’m not saying I endorse that idea, but I do believe that’s what might happen, so dont be too upset.

  29. Maybe said

    June 27, 2008 @ 6:32 pm

    Maybe Koby is still suffering, won’t show up, and can’t compete. Maybe this is why he hasn’t shown up for a qualifier. Everybody but the champ has to qualify, formality or not. Maybe Koby lost too much face not stuffing his face enough at Las Vegas. I mean, he lost to everyone except El Toro.

    I hope he has enough pride not to show his face unless he has enough pride to qualify like everyone else. Should every former champion be given an automatic berth? That’s just stupid reasoning. Should every World Series Champ be in the next year’s World Series without playing a regular season “qualifying” game? When you think about it that way, the answer has to be, make him qualify.

    The Nathan’s ratings will be fine with or without him. I don’t think it is a stupid formality for him to qualify after what we saw in Vegas. I think Koby can and will be beat, unfortunately, mostly due to his mouth problems. I also think Koby was the greatest, but, if he really wants to be the greatest again, he has to win the heavyweight belt back by “working his way” to the top, not just showing up on the Mount Everest of Eating by being dropped there from a helicopter!!

    It’s the sponsor’s show. They’ll do what they want. If you are a serious eater, then maybe this should be a problem. We love this stuff, have tons of fun doing it, but qualifying is part of the game, and I’m offended when people get automatic gifts like a coveted seat at the Nathan’s table. I hope this doesn’t happen.

    What is this, “The Celebrity Apprentice” of eating? Why not bring in William “The Refrigerator” Perry again, or let El Toro or Hangman or SuperPaul or that Pope guy from years ago compete because they are funny to look at? Why not bring back Don Lerman or Cookie Jarvis or Carlene – they were great, why should they have to qualify….give them an automatic berth. Koby in the finals with out qualifying?!? Bull!

  30. Super Paul said

    June 27, 2008 @ 6:38 pm

    I like that part about the “funny to look at” people, and think that’s a great idea!

    But, I also think you need to qualify to be in the finals. Too many eaters train too much, travel too many miles without any compensation, to give somebody a spot at the table. Koby is a great champion, but so are Pat, Bob, Rich, Tim, Sonya, Joey, et al. No fair giving away spots to the finals.

  31. Anonymous said

    June 27, 2008 @ 6:55 pm

    Formation of a union is the only way to stop being crapped on… the only way… and there is many pros to having a union and zero cons in a limited sport like this every body gets treated the same way and abides by the rules that are written …

  32. US MALE said

    June 27, 2008 @ 7:32 pm

    Super Paul should be allowed into the finals because he has a kick-ass song written about him.

  33. Super Paul said

    June 27, 2008 @ 7:55 pm

    I also agree with U S Male’s powerful statement

  34. North Pole said (Registered April 28, 2008)

    June 27, 2008 @ 8:56 pm

    There are pros to a union. There are cons to a union. I’m not anti-union, just want to point out a potential issue. Lets say you are in a union, we’ll call it the Union For Our Competitive Eaters, UFOCE for short, and someone wants to have a contest. They contact the UFOCE and say they want to have a contest with some of thier people there. The UFOCE says “Great, but all of the eaters have to be part of our Union or else they can’t compete, because it is now a UFOCE event. And if they are part of that other really cool group with the great people, we wont let them in at all.” What have you gained? For the most part, union dues and probably a nifty little card that says you are a member. Your best eaters are always going to make the best money, as it should be. I know its not all about the money, but that’s what covers travel expenses, training, and everything else that goes along with it.

    I think going by the rules that are written is the best thing. Everyone knows before what to expect from the event, and what is expected of them by the event.

  35. Gentleman Joe said

    June 27, 2008 @ 10:27 pm

    I don’t believe Kobe qualified back in 2001. I’m fairly sure he was given a bye.

    I believe the reason for Krystals, was the illness/death of his mother.

    The jaw thing was likely created by the Shea’s. Maybe they can up w/something good for one of the high talent, low charisma eaters they have now.

    Joey may have the record, but he doesn’t have the street cred. If Joey & Pat don’t show, but Kobe does, the Shea’s save $$ & don’t lose much. If Joey & Pat are there & Kobe’s not, the fans will be disappointed.

    A union as stated by some isn’t the best idea, more like an alliance, or association.

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