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New York Post Online Edition: gossip: “The big mouths of competitive eating are abuzz with news that ESPN will televise the annual Coney Island hot-dog-eating contest on the Fourth of July â€â€? an honor typically reserved for so-called ‘major’ sports. ‘We have clearly passed the NHL in popularity,’ said Richard Shea, president of the International Federation of Competitive Eating, the governing body of all stomach-centric sports. The ascension to the top ranks of athletic competition hasn’t come without controversy. ESPN demanded that the 12-minute stuff-your-faceoff commence at 12:39 p.m., instead of the stroke of noon, as has been the practice since 1916. ‘What controversy?’ Shea told The Post’s Gersh Kuntzman. ‘Every year, we have delayed the contest by a few seconds to keep it adjusted to how the sun was in 1916.’ Reigning champ Takeru Kobayashi, whose 501/2 hot-dogs record is the sport’s benchmark, will defend his title.”