The WSOP Main Event Final Table Begins Play Now

The day is finally here! After months off since the tenth place finisher was eliminated, the November Nine have returned to Las Vegas and the Rio to begin play at the 2008 World Series of Poker’s Main Event final table to win the coveted Main Event championship bracelet and the over $9,000,000 first place prize. Play resumes today, Sunday November 9, 2008 at 10 am PST, and you can listen to complete coverage of the Main Event final table with real time stats here thanks to the World Series of Poker and Bluff Magazine.


You know, The Blot was really against this long break when I first heard about it, but I think it’s done wonders for the sport of poker. In fact, the Main Event has gotten more media coverage the past few months than it has the past two years, ESPN’s poker coverage has gotten a significant bump in ratings, and the November Nine (the title ESPN and the WSOP have given the members of the Main Event’s final table) have become household names to poker fans around the world. This last item is the most significant because now fans of poker actually know the participants of the final table, a problem that has plagued the “sport” the past few years.

I’ve been going back and forth on picking a favorite to win the Main Event, and I’m no closer today than I was a few months ago. At first I was for sure going with the ultra aggressive David “Chino” Rheem, the most experienced and well known pro in the group. But, when Russian poker pro Ivan Demidov finished third at the WSOP Europe’s Main Event a few weeks ago I thought I’d be a fool not to choose Demidov. My only concern is that every single hand of the 2008 WSOP Europe Main Event was broadcast on ESPN 360 for the world to see, so now I think he might actually be at a disadvantage for doing so well at the WSOPE.

If I wasn’t so sure being the chip leader going into the final table means you won’t win the Main Event I’d pick the oldest remaining player, Dennis Phillips, who has used his newfound celebrity to become quite the philanthropist. But in the end, I’m sticking with my gut and going with my first choice, LA poker pro Chino Rheem.

If you’d like to find out more about the participants who make up the final table at the World Series of Poker’s 2008 Main Event click here or here.

2008 World Series of Poker
Main Event Chip Count
1. Dennis Phillips - 26,295,000
2. Ivan Demidov - 24,400,000
3. Scott Montgomery - 19,690,000
4. Peter Eastgate - 18,375,000
5. Ylon Schwartz - 12,525,000
6. Darus Suharto - 12,520,000
7. David 'Chino' Rheem - 10,230,000
8. Craig Marquis - 10,210,000
9. Kelly Kim - 2,620,000

Joey Chestnut Wins His Second Consecutive Mustard Yellow Belt

Congratulations to Joey “Jaws” Chestnut for winning the 2008 Nathan’s Famous International Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest and its first place prize of $10,000. It was an incredibly exciting competition with the “sports” two superstars, Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi, going hot dog for hot dog with the lead changing at key moments of the contest until at the end of 10 minutes both stood tied, each having consumed 59 hot dogs and buns. (link) Chestnut then clinched his second consecutive Mustard Yellow Belt in a five hot dog and buns eating over time.


While I would have been very happy to see either Chestnut or Kobayashi win the overtime, I have some lingering questions after watching Friday’s competition. The first of which is what is the official Major League Eating rule for overtime? I ask this because there seems to be some discrepancy, which I feel was unfair to both Chestnut and Kobayashi and may have been the reason Koby fell behind in the five dog eat off.

When the competition ended in a tie, it was announced that the championship would be determined by whoever could finish five hot dogs and buns (HDB) the fastest. Not only is this a completely different type of competition than trying to eat as many HDB in a set amount of time, it is also contradictory to how a tie was handled at the Dallas Nathan’s Qualifier held on June 21st. At that particular qualifier “Nasty” Nate Biller and “Double O” Kevin Ross tied with 20 HDB consumed and the two professional eaters then competed in a 2 minute eat off. (link) I think this is a much more appropriate way to break a tie and I wonder why there is such a discrepancy in the way ties are handled in MLE sanctioned events.

The other really sketchy aspect to this year’s competition is that on May 14th, 2008 MLE posted on their website that because of the expanded amount of qualifying events, 18 in all, that no wildcard seats will be awarded this season (meaning an eater did not have to win a qualifier to be given a spot in the hot dog eating contest). (link) Yet when the list of this year’s contestants was announced, Kobayashi’s name was on the list even though he had not won or even competed in a qualifying event.

While some feel he shouldn’t have been allowed to compete at all, I believe Kobayashi deserved a spot at the table for all he has done for the event and league. But why post the announcement on the website and then contradict yourself a month later. George Shea, chairman of Major League Eating, told The Brooklyn Paper’s Gersh Kuntzman the reason for the backtracking is that “the sponsor wants him…the sponsor believes that it’s not a contest unless Koby is there,” and that is 100% true. (link)

But let’s not kid ourselves, not only is it good for the event and Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs, it is also imperative for MLE and ESPN, who airs the event, that the living legend Kobayashi compete to both give the competition merit as well as real competition. Everyone involved knew this to be the case or they wouldn’t have billed this year’s contest as “The Rematch II” between Chestnut and Kobayashi. Thankfully it worked out for all parties involved and the Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest was as successful and riveting as ever before.

The 2008 Scripps National Spelling Bee Finals Air Tonight On ABC

I think the Scripps National Spelling Bee has officially passed the World Series of Poker as the biggest non-sport sporting event in the United States. It’s amazing how much press and television time The Bee gets. Obviously it’s not given as much screen time as the WSOP, but The Bee finals have graduated from ESPN to primetime on ABC.

The National Spelling Bee “is the nation’s largest and longest-running educational promotion, administered on a not-for-profit basis by The E.W. Scripps Company and 280 sponsors” around the globe. (link) To be honest, what reminded me to write about The Bee is a great article on ESPN.com by Elizabeth Merril about Samir Patel entitled “Spelling Bee Icon Samir Patel Moves On To Next Challenges.” It’s a really interesting article about Samir’s sudden rise to fame as a 9 year old child who placed third at the 2003 National Spelling Bee and his life now as a 14 year old, no longer able to compete after 5 appearances due to the end of his eligibility.


Patel’s best finish in The Bee was in 2005, when at age 11 he finished second. And so, while the world’s best spellers of English spend a week in the nation’s capital, the most famous speller of them all sits at home with his family in their Texas home. It’s a really interesting article on a promising young man who seems to have not let the fact that he never won the National Spelling Bee bother him. It’s also a quick read, which you can find here.

The 81st Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee began on Thursday with 288 champion spellers competing in Washington, D.C. for the title of the nation’s top speller, a monetary prize of $35,000, a $2,500 savings bond and a set of reference works. (link)

Broadcast Times (link)

The Semifinals air live on ESPN from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm EDT tonight, Friday, May 30th.

The Championship Finals air live on ABC from 8:00 to 10:00 pm EDT tonight, Friday, May 30th.

Michael Wilbon - A Life-Changing Turn of Events

Here's a follow up to The Blot's post yesterday on Michael Wilbon and his suffering a heart attack earlier in the week. Today in The Washington Post Michael Wilbon wrote an article about his sudden heart attack and the life altering events that have taken place these past five days. You can read the very interesting and insightful article here. I’m glad to see Wilbon is doing so much better and already back to writing.


Article: A Life-Changing Turn of Events By Michael Wilbon

Get Well Soon Wilbon

Michael Wilbon, columnist for The Washington Post and co-host of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption, was rushed to the hospital early Monday morning after complaining of chest pains. It was determined Wilbon suffered a minor heart attack, and after “doctors found a minor blockage in one of his arteries” they performed angioplasty. (link) Wilbon’s ailment became somewhat public knowledge when he went missing from his PTI desk Monday afternoon and the procedure was then confirmed Tuesday by ESPN.com. According to reports on PTI Tuesday and Wednesday, Wilbon is recovering nicely and already doing much better.

Anytime a person suffers a sudden heart attack it’s upsetting for friends and family. It’s especially shocking for the general public when that person has come into millions of living rooms every day for the past 6 years. What can I say, I’m addicted to PTI and I can’t go more than a day without watching it. Trust me, its one of the few things I watch that Al can’t stand. With that being said, here’s a heartfelt "Feel Better Soon" for Mr. Michael Wilbon. Lord knows the world can only take so much of Dan Le Batard on TV - BAM!

Just kidding Dan!

Clemens Fingered As Steroids User In Mitchell Report

A source close to a former New York Yankees’ strength trainer spoke with ESPN The Magazine’s Shaun Assael and leaked what that strength trainer told the George Mitchell investigation. According to the source the former Yankees’ strength trainer told Mitchell he supplied Roger Clemens with steroids and that claim will be included in the Mitchell report to be released later today. (link)

According to the same ESPN report, Brian McNamee, who served as a personal trainer for Clemens and close friend/teammate Andy Pettitte, “also told investigators that on at least one occasion, Clemens was in possession of steroids from another supplier.” (link) Pettitte, it seems, has not been implicated in any way with steroid use.

It seems like today is going to be a dark day for baseball, especially if early reports hold true and several MVPs, All-Stars and Cy Young award winners are implicated in the Mitchell report. On the bright side, it should be a great day for Barry Bonds as there will finally be other Major League Baseball stars, both active and retired, who will now have to share the brunt of the media’s scrutiny and investigation into the steroid scandal with Bonds.