PLAY BALL! THE UEPa ATTEMPTS THE "9 INNING CHALLENGE"

On Sunday, August 26 a few of us met at a Reading Phillies game to attempt the "9 Inning Challenge" (one dog in the first inning, two in the second, three in the third and so on).

It was Carey and myself officially attempting the challenge. Pete Miernicki was with us but was taking it easy, mixing beers with about a dozen hot dogs and cheering us on. He competed in the Ash Creek Saloon Rib Contest the day before in Connecticut against Joey Chestnut, Pat Bertoletti and the rest of the IFOCE gang (almost beating the great Crazy Legs Conti in the process), so it was understandable that he didn't have the appetite for another eating challenge.

Above a shot of us after finding our seats behind first base (l-to-r: Carey, me, Pete). As soon as we got to the park, we bought 10 dogs each (enough to get us through the first four innings). One key point about the dogs: The buns were potato buns, a slightly thicker, denser bread known for its signature yellowish tint. Not sure how much this affected our eating, but in the long run, these rolls are definitely harder to eat than the lighter, standard "white bread" kind.

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Obviously, the first few innings were pretty easy. We ate our first, second and third inning dogs in the top of each inning, before the away team even made their second out. We finished all four of our fourth inning dogs at a leisurely pace (never really eating for speed) by the middle of the fourth for a total 10 dogs.

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The fifth inning was a different story, but Carey and I both choked down dog number 15 somewhere in the bottom of the inning. In the sixth, the away team went down quickly and I had only eaten half a dog. Oh yes, I was feeling the pain. I had to eat 5-and-a-half dogs in the bottom of the inning or my attempt was over. Carey ate one dog in the top of the inning. In the bottom of the 6th I'd finish my other half and Carey would eat one more dog before we each threw in the towel. Final tally: Me 16 hot dogs, Carey 17 hot dogs.

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The Reading Phillies mascot, Bucky the Beaver walked by in the 8th inning. By then, the disgusting, bloated feeling of having eating two packs of hot dogs and buns had passed a bit so I handed the camera to Pete, pushed aside a few kids and grabbed a pic with the Beav before letting him get on his way. A full set of pics can be seen here.

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UPDATE (Monday): Last night I slept like crap as my body processed the overdose of sodium and nitrates I had consumed 12 hours earlier. I tossed and turned and woke up feeling like a very thirsty bucket of shit. I skipped breakfast and my morning coffee (that's when you know it's bad). I skipped lunch today too and have been drinking lots of water to detox my body and flush those evil hot dogs out of my system. Things are looking better. A nice, healthy dinner awaits.