Jockstrip: The world as we know it

Hot dog eating record set in Arizona

TEMPE, Ariz., June 4 (UPI) -- The world record for the most hot dogs eaten by one person in 12 minutes fell in Arizona this weekend.

U.S. champ Joey Chestnut surpassed the record of 53 3/4 hot dogs -- held for six years by Takeru Kobayashi of Japan -- by wolfing downing 59 1/2 wieners in 12 minutes Saturday, The East Valley Tribune in Tempe reported.

By setting the world record at Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Competition in Tempe, Chestnut officially qualified to face off against Kobayashi at the July 4 championship.

But Chestnut admits he will have to strain his body to win at the New York title event.

"I'm going to keep pushing my body and maybe I can beat him," Chestnut said.

The emcee at Chestnut's record-breaking performance said the competitor even predicted a special performance prior to the event.

"I've been talking to him and he said, 'Unless I have a really bad day I'm gonna break (the record),'" competition official Ryan Nerz told the newspaper.

Look out greyhounds, here come Chihuahuas

SEGUIN, Texas, June 4 (UPI) -- A group of Chihuahuas taking part in a race in Texas this weekend might never be confused with greyhounds, but they reportedly gave it their all.

More than 50 Chihuahuas -- along with their enthusiastic owners -- ran in the Seguin-Guadalupe County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Chihuahua Races, The San Antonio (Texas) Express-News said Sunday.

Not all of the animals made it to the finish line -- some didn't even make it out of the starting gate.

At least one owner said she and her puppy truly take racing to heart.

"We are here because Daisy is going to win," dog owner Rachel Olivares said. "Daisy is just 6 months old but we have been trying to get her in shape by getting her to run about the distance of the race (about a half-block)."

The races are part of the annual Fiesta Juan Seguin festival.

Frog legs really a Czech cuisine

PRAGUE, Czech Republic, June 4 (UPI) -- Archeologists in the Czech Republic have discovered frog legs -- a delicacy commonly associated with the French -- were in fact a Czech dish first.

The evidence comes from excavations of a hill fort east of Prague, where archeologists recently unearthed kitchen remains, The Independent on Sunday reported. The evidence suggests the Czechs were eating frog legs as a delicacy more than 5,000 years ago.

"The discovery indicates the dietary use of frogs in prehistory is not limited to the Western Europe only. It shows that the small vertebrate could have played an important role in human lives in central European agricultural prehistory," said a report by archaeologists at the Institute of Archaeology of the Academy of the Sciences of the Czech Republic.

The Independent reported most of the legs found were the hind legs of male frogs. The hind legs, which contain the most meat, are most commonly eaten.

Kids survive tree's boogeyman impression

TAMPA, Fla., June 4 (UPI) -- Two children in Florida are happy to be alive after a large oak tree came crashing into their bedroom this weekend while they were sleeping.

Ethan Tramel of Carollwood said when the massive tree smashed into the room he was sharing with his sister Grace Saturday, his initial reaction was to hide under his blanket from the bad dream come to life, WFTS-TV of Tampa reported.

"I saw the branch coming through the top, then I just got under my blanket and just sat there," the 13-year-old said, "and I remembered my sister was down there, and I tried to get out and the board was blocking me from trying to get out."

Ethan said his 16-year-old sister Amanda eventually came to rescue Grace, who was trapped under a pile of debris, while he freed himself from the sudden disaster area.

"My sister pulled all the boards off, grabbed her foot and yanked her out there," Ethan told WFTS-TV. "She ran out of the room, so I climbed out of the side of my bunk bed, pushed the ladder over and climbed out."