Prediction: Bertoletti Will Take the Coney Island Hot Dog Contest

A new king will be crowned Saturday at Coney Island. Let me go on record as predicting Patrick "Deep Dish" Bertoletti will win the coveted Nathan's mustard yellow belt.

Most of the world sees the annual hot dog eating contest as a two-man race between six-time champ Takeru Kobayashi and Joey Chestnut, who has won the last two contests. But the time for change has come.

I spent four years doing as part of the ABC News radio broadcast team that provided play-by-play coverage of the Augusta of all eating contests. I've been in the "spew zone," that area just in front of the eaters, where, if you're unlucky, you can be sprayed with partially digested food.

I've seen a lot of eaters come and go. I've seen the legend that was Ed "Cookie" Jarvis, and remember the day when Don "Moses" Lerman woofed down seven quarter-pound sticks of salted butter in five minutes.

I have no inside information. But I'm telling you all to watch Bertoletti. The Chicago native, still in his mid 20s, is the future of competitive eating.

And if you want a rundown of the competition, here's a look at Major League Eaters' top ten gurgitators.

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