Slow goings in the uncommon sports world, the World Cup and Wimbledon are clogging up the news waves. I can't watch either of those events because, no offense to anyone, they're so dull. This is from someone who watches fishing and baseball, but not at the same time because that would be within Taepodong-2 range of entertaining. And not just any baseball, either; Padres baseball. 

That being said, I'm here with the kind of hard-hitting news you expect from Uncommon, and you know I don't mean the kind you just have to get up and tell someone else. I mean the kind you're ashamed to know and even more ashamed to relay; the kind that, when mentioned, gets you uninvited to birthdays and Twilight viewing parties. Major League Eating announced yesterday that they've signed two sponsors for the big event on July 4th.

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Looks like we made it, boys and girls; Major League Eating has hit the big time. How do I know? Because Takeru Kobayashi is holding out over a contract dispute. That's right, there's money to be made, or potential money to be lost, depending on where you set your grubbin' chair, and the sport's arguably biggest name might not be present, which leaves the contest pretty much wide open for defending champion Joey Chestnut. 

What does the MLE lose if Kobayashi doesn't show? Well, they lose the name that everyone knows, but he hasn't even been the best. Hey, if he wants to go out like a loser because of hold outs, that's on him, but he'll be forever known as a loser who lost and didn't win ever again. I guess that's what he wants his legacy to be; the guy who was once freakishly good at eating hot dogs. 

MLE's president has issued a statement available after the jump.

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This just in from International Federation of Competitive Eating Headquarters, vuvuzelas are officially banned from this year's Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Championship.

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picture semi-related, via www.funnyphotos.net.au

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In DC, even the Spelling Bee draws protesters

Do you hate children and reading? You are late for the Spelling Bee protest outside the Grand Hyatt Scripps National Spelling Bee. It's probably too late to get your bee suit, too. 

Four peaceful protesters, some dressed in full-length black and yellow bee costumes, represented the American Literacy Council and the London-based Spelling Society and stood outside the Grand Hyatt on Thursday, where the Scripps National Spelling Bee is being held. Their message was short: Simplify the way we spell words.

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No, really. Major League Eating and 7-Eleven Australia have partnered to form Sports Slurping.

Later this month, Pat Bertoletti will appear at three officially sanctioned Sports Slurping Time Trials. Bertoletti, who is known as "The Ice Man" in Australia, will display his slurping skills in the cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

Why Australia and not the U.S.? Is Australian food so disgusting that you can't eat it fast?

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via www.wcsh6.com

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The woman is a machine; an eating machine. Last week it was catfish, this week it's chicken tenders. I'd run a train on some chicken tenders alright. I'd be the engineer and conductor of that train. The MLE website hasn't been updated with the results yet, they didn't post the prize money, so I'll have to add that once it's posted.

Results after the jump:

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"hang hoof, amigo" via reuters.com

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I'm having trouble keeping up with the IPL T20 tournament. How are my Chargers doing? Someone come by and school me. 

The Paralympics are still going on in Vancouver, but I've turned a blind eye decided I'm not the guy to be covering that, but I will tell you that the U.S. Paralympic curling team is doing well, only they got beat by the Swedes today. 

In this edition: How blind people ski, an old article about the Jamaican musher from this year's Iditarod, a Greatest Moments slideshow from slate.com where most of the sports are uncommon, and a Peruvian man taught an Alpaca to surf. 

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via reuters

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Lance Mackey, the world's fastest dog-sledding pot smoker throat cancer survivor, won his 4th consecutive Iditarod with a total time of 8 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes, and 9 seconds; just a shade under 9 whole days. Just a dude and his dogs for nine whole days. Gosh, when I say it like that, Snow Dogs doesn't sound like such a bad idea.

The next closest guy, Hans Gatt, finished roughly an hour after Mackey, and the third place finisher, Jeff King, finished more than an hour after that. After Mackey finished, I would've gone inside to get warm. 

Listen to Iditablog's Live 2010 Finish podcast to hear it as it happened. Find it here.