Wait, what?"This guy did great things for our sport," Shea said. "He's a fearsome competitor."
Kobayashi -- who took home the title every year from 2001 to 2006 -- did not compete because of a contract dispute with Major League Eating. He watched from the stands.
His spokeswoman, James, said it appeared that he would spend the night in jail unless he could get a hearing -- unlikely on a Sunday night and also a holiday night.
"It makes you wonder what his thinking was," Shea said.
"Major League Eating made an enormous effort to get him into the contest," he added. "We wanted him there. Nathan's wanted him there. The fans wanted him there."
Perfect.