Return of the Burger (and Hot Dog) King

(Sept. 28) -- Rumors of Takeru Kobayashi's demise have been greatly overstated.

We haven't heard much from the Japanese eating legend since 2007, when Joey Chestnut beat him at the Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Championship, downing an unbelievable 66 franks and buns in 12 minutes.

In the years since, the 31-year-old eating machine didn't exactly throw in the napkin. He's competed at various Major League Eating Events, but he hasn't dominated the sport as he once did.

All that changed over the weekend. The man some call "The Tsunami" came roaring back to beat Chestnut and other top eaters at the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Championship, wolfing down 68 Krystals and five "Big Angus" burgers in 8 minutes for a total of 93 points.

"It is satisfying," Kobayashi said, after pulling up his shirt to show the crowd his chiseled chest and rock-solid abs.

"I have wanted to get back on top and this win makes me feel like a champion again. I will be back next year and hope to beat my own record. It is me against myself."

Chestnut, 25, finished a full 12 points behind behind in second place, handing his Japanese rival his first runaway victory in the two years since he lost his crown.

"This is great for the League," said Rich Shea, Major League Eating's co-commissioner.

"The Chestnut-Kobayashi rivalry eclipses Federer-Nadal as the biggest rivalry in modern sports."

To be sure, Kobayashi's victory wasn't by the same sort of margins he enjoyed early in his career. Let's not forget, when he came to the Coney Island contest in 2001, he inhaled an eye-popping 50 hot dogs in 12 minutes, doubling the world record.

Then again, when Babe Ruth joined the New York Yankees in 1920, he was hitting more home runs in a season than entire teams. It took several years, but eventually the likes of Jimmy Foxx would compete for the league lead.

And like Ruth, or Michael Jordan, Kobayashi revolutionized his chosen sport, pressing rivals to raise their game to new heights.

The new field of competitors includes not just Chestnut, but Patrick Bertoletti, who took third place at Krystal with 76 points, and Bob Shoudt, in fourth with 71.

After the loss, Chestnut was crestfallen but gracious, simply saying, "Kobayashi was the better eater today."

All this just serves as an appetizer, setting up the next big Coney Island chow-down in July, when both gastric gladiators return to the hot dog table.

Shea, however, hinted of a possible "Thanksgiving match" to capitalize on the renewed rivalry.

Certainly, with this victory, Kobayashi has hushed critics. After his shocking 2007 loss, he dropped out of the Krystal tournament, announcing on his blog that he was recovering after the extraction of a wisdom tooth.

The whisper, however, was that the great eater had lost his stomach for competition.

Now we know, the man who once tried to out-eat a Kodiak bear will still go chew-for-chew against anyone. Watch out, Joey.