Hot-dog king might abdicate
The hot dog champ may not be able to chomp.
Takeru Kobayashi, the six-time champion of the annual Fourth of July hot-dog eating contest in New York, might be out of next week's event because of an arthritic jaw.
Last year, Kobayashi, with a listed weight of 165 pounds, won his sixth consecutive Yellow Mustard Belt on Coney Island by devouring a then-world record 53 3/4 frankfurters in 12 minutes.
Kobayashi is receiving treatment at a hospital and from a chiropractor, but "I can't open my jaws more than just a little bit," he wrote on his Web site.
Soccer
Sunday's CONCACAF Gold Cup final in which the United States defeated Mexico, 2-1, attracted 41 percent more television households in the United States than the Stanley Cup final clincher -- and that was just for the soccer game's Spanish-language telecast. The game earned a 2.5 fast national rating on Univision. That translates to 2.83 million households. Anaheim's series-ending 6-2 victory vs. Ottawa for the Stanley Cup June 6 received a 1.8 rating on NBC.
Two days after winning its second consecutive Gold Cup title, the U.S. soccer team was on a field in Maracaibo, Venezuela, practicing for tomorrow night's matchup with Argentina in the Copa America. Only it wasn't the same U.S. team. Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard were left behind. In fact, among the American players who made the trip for South America's championship, only two started Sunday. The United States is 2-5 all time vs. Argentina.
Jupp Derwall, who coached Germany's soccer team to the European title in 1980 and a runner-up finish at the 1982 World Cup, died yesterday in Frankfurt, Germany. He was 80.
Colleges
Saint Louis University athletic director Cheryl Levick, whose authority was recently bypassed by university president Rev. Lawrence Biondi in the firing of basketball coach Brad Soderberg and the subsequent hiring of Rick Majerus, has accepted the No. 2 post at the University of Maryland. She will be chief of staff for Maryland AD Debbie Yow.
Sailing
The challenger from New Zealand took the lead in the America's Cup, beating Alinghi by 25 seconds in Race 3 of the best-of-nine America's Cup off the coast of Valencia, Spain. Emirates Team New Zealand took a 2-1 series lead after prevailing in a race that featured eight lead changes, bow-to-bow sailing and a victory margin of 25 seconds.
Basketball
Alana Beard scored 20 points to the lead the visiting Washington Mystics (4-10) to a 91-75 win against the Connecticut Sun (5-9) in Uncasville, Conn. Washington took control of the game with a 15-2 run in the second quarter while holding the Sun without a field goal for over six minutes.
Horse racing
Florida Derby winner Scat Daddy retired from racing because of an injured tendon in his right foreleg. Scat Daddy finished 18th in the Kentucky Derby in his last start. He won 5 of 9 career races and earned $1,334,300.
Wrestling
Five wrestlers on the Dominican Republic's national team are believed to have deserted the squad in Spain. Dominican wrestling federation president Antonio Acosta said that the athletes, aged 19 to 24, left a training camp on Sunday, telling teammates that they planned to desert. The wrestlers were among 12 who qualified to represent the Caribbean nation in the upcoming Pan American Games in Brazil.
Swimming
Michael Klim, a six-time Olympic medalist, announced his retirement. The lure of becoming the first Australian swimmer to compete at four Olympics -- assuming he'd qualify for the 2008 Beijing Games -- wasn't enough to an extend a career that spans 13 years and included two Olympic golds.
First Published: June 27, 2007, 3:15 a.m.