Jeremy Schaap, an ESPN stalwart for more than three decades, will be on the network’s broadcast of the Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest on Friday, July 4, with coverage of the women’s contest beginning at 10:45 am ET and the men’s at noon.

Front Office Sports: This is your second year doing the Hot Dog Eating Contest. Have you noticed a palpable change in the buzz with Joey Chestnut returning?

Jeremy Schaap: I think it’s a different kind of buzz. There was a lot of buzz last year because Joey wasn’t going to be present, so a lot of people were talking about that. That was the main storyline going into the event because he’s the greatest eater of all time, so it was going to be a wide-open competition. 

Of course, with the return of Joey, a lot of people are talking about that as well. As someone covering the event, it’s great—there was a clear storyline last year and again this year. 

FOS: If you were going to pick somebody to potentially pull off a huge upset, who would it be?

JS: Let the record show that last year, when we went around the horn and everybody picked the winner before the event, I did pick Pat Bertoletti. I wouldn’t want anyone to get the impression that I have this kind of prognosticative power with everything [laughs]—Pat put on a very strong performance last year, but we all know that Joey’s at a very different level of achievement in terms of beating everyone else in the field.

It would be quite a shock, as you say, but if I had to pick somebody from the field I guess I’d pick Pat. 

FOS: What is the secret to Joey Chestnut’s monstrous dominance? If you look at various athletes, you can tell what physical and mental attributes contribute to their greatness. Have you been able to figure out what it is with Joey?

JS: I’m actually going to be speaking with Joey for the first time ever today [Wednesday]. That will really be my first opportunity to dive deep on the “Joey Difference.”

I’ve done a lot of research on the event, and I certainly watched Joey do his thing on many occasions. I was at the gym the other day, which is a rarity in and of itself, and I saw they were re-running the 2021 event, and I would have to imagine there’s something anatomical going on. And I would think there’s also something psychological, but I just can’t put my finger on it. I’m hoping I get some answers.

For more on Schaap’s history covering “oddball” events and his upcoming documentary about Jim Abbott, read Ryan Glasspiegel’s full story here.

Tributes poured in for Bob McKenzie as the longtime hockey insider announced his retirement after 48 years on the beat. McKenzie broke the news on the Canadian sports network TSN and via social media. 

Nicknamed “The Bobfather,” the 68-year-old legend summed up his career in typically pithy fashion. “The trade is one for none,” McKenzie explained. “Which is to say I’m exchanging my semi-retired TSN life of the last five years — doing the World Junior Championships, NHL Draft Rankings, a handful of Toronto Maple Leaf broadcasts, TradeCentre and Free Agent Frenzy — for a fully-retired life of doing absolutely nothing. Well, nothing work related anyway.”

Tom Mayenknecht, host of The Sports Market, wrote on X/Twitter: “You changed the business. In a big way. Congratulations and thanks Bob! Your legacy — as others have pointed out — is what you largely created: The hockey insider. You were and are the gold standard.”

Michael Russo of The Athletic wrote: “I am sure that I’ve never met a reporter as universally respected by everybody in the business — media colleagues, GMs, owners, players, commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly — as Bob. He’s truly one of a kind — the original Insider, the GOAT, “The Bobfather” — and this sport and all of us hockey fans, and especially those of us who have gotten to know Bob and worked alongside Bob, are eternally grateful.”

Of course, there were numerous references to Dickie Dunn, the fictional hockey writer played by the late M. Emmet Walsh in Slapshot (“I tried to capture the spirit of the thing.”)  As a fan named Crusty tweeted: “Yeah, you captured the spirit of the thing. Now you are Dunn, congratulations!”

• MLB is trying to own sports TV on the 4th of July the way the NFL does Thanksgiving. All 30 clubs will be in action on the holiday, with baseball games airing across networks ranging from YES to Apple TV+. Not to mention, MLB.TV will offer a free preview all weekend long.
• Caitlin Clark’s Fever teammate Sophie Cunningham is cashing in on her position as her bodyguard. Cunningham’s profile has exploded following her fight with Jacy Sheldon of the Sun. She’s picked up an endorsement deal with home security company Ring. “In light of recent events, you guys know how serious I am about protecting my girls on the court,” says Cunningham in the video. “But what’s protecting my home court, AKA my actual home? The obvious choice is Ring.” 
• Fascinating interview of Mike Tyson by Jackson Thompson of Fox News. The ex-champ told Thompson he used marijuana before and after his fight with Jake Paul—and that he was under the influence when he agreed to fight the YouTuber.
• Forbes writer Mark Burns caught up with ex-Barstool CEO Erika Ayers Badan about what she’s cooking up business-wise at Food52.
• On3 made a big addition, hiring respected college football insider Brett McMurphy.
• NESN was lauded for its commemoration of the 1975 Red Sox, who lost that year’s World Series to the Reds.

“100% spot-on. They’re going to face a much more uphill battle to land talent this year.”

—A sports TV executive who wished to remain anonymous, reacting to our scoop that NFL linear TV partners ESPN and Fox will play hardball if Netflix and YouTube try to borrow their TV talent for game telecasts this season.

“I don’t believe that I’ve said enough about the people who talk shit about me–lying all the damn time. That’s going to end.”

—Stephen A. Smith’s parting shot to “haters” before taking his summer vacation from ESPN and his eponymous YouTube show.