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left fieldLeft FieldDispatches from the dark corners of sports.7NA=1154&NC=1299&DI=4098&PS=70949&PI=7315leftfieldfalsefalsespacernotembeddedleft fieldFrom Soup to GutsFranz LidzSumo wrestlers fatten up on chankonabe.noFrom Soup to GutsSumo wrestlers fatten up on chankonabe.noNot long ago, while on assignment in Osaka, I had the most exuberantly revolting meal of my life. I was in a Shinto shrine that housed sumo wrestlers and my host was Konishiki (pronounced Ko-NEESH-kee), the Hawaiian-born sumo legend affectionately known as Meat Bomb. When I arrived in late morning, I was ushered up a raised platform at the end of a dim training hall. From this lofty redoubt, Konishiki and I watched a dozen fleshy wrestlers grunting through a training session. Somber and loin-clothed, the rikishi stood around a circle of hard-packed clay, smacking their thighs and stamping their bare feet as if signaling to tenants downstairs. "Sumo wrestlers don't eat until noon," Konishiki said. "They need to work up an appetite."truenotochyperlinkno2004113075927AMTuesdayNovNovember711/30/2004 12:59:27 PM6323739836700000002004113075927AMTuesdayNovNovember711/30/2004 12:59:27 PM632373983670000000left fieldRacing TallFelix GilletteA Paralympian stands accused of getting an illegal leg up.noRacing TallA Paralympian stands accused of getting an illegal leg up.noIn September's Paralympics, a pair of carbon-fiber legs carried 17-year-old Oscar Pistorius to stardom. The unheralded South African won bronze in the 100 meters and set the world record—21.97 seconds—in taking the 200 gold. In the latter event, the teenager walloped Marlon Shirley and Brian Frasure, veteran American sprinters who were wearing the same model of racing leg as Pistorius, the Flex Foot Cheetah. But even as the Americans congratulated their foe, they were looking his legs up and down. Pistorius, they said, had unfairly rigged his Cheetahs—he was "racing tall."truenotochyperlinkno2004111022842PMWednesdayNovNovember1411/10/2004 7:28:42 PM6323569372200000002004111022842PMWednesdayNovNovember1411/10/2004 7:28:42 PM632356937220000000left fieldOne Giant Lift for MankindJosh LevinThe race for the 1,000-pound bench press.noOne Giant Lift for MankindThe 1,000-pound bench press.noGene Rychlak Jr. is the best bench-presser in the world. Powerlifting experts coo over the 6-foot-1-inch, 380-pound behemoth's physical attributes. His short arms bulge with massive triceps that propel eye-popping weights to the ceiling in an instant. The big stomach comes in handy, too—anything that stops the bar a couple of inches closer to lockout position can't be bad. So, what does it all add up to? Rychlak can bench-press 965 pounds.truenotochyperlinkno20048914620PMMondayAugAugust138/9/2004 5:46:20 PM63227655980000000020048914620PMMondayAugAugust138/9/2004 5:46:20 PM632276559800000000left fieldSmall WonderFranz LidzThe littlest town in Britain is home to every sport you've never heard of.noSmall WonderThe tiny town that's home to every sport you've never heard of.noAs is often the case with fairy tales, it all started with a frog. One day in 1732, while strolling through the wilds of Wales, the sickly Vicar of Llanwrtyd stumbled upon a foul-smelling spring. He gazed into the bubbling muck and, to his surprise, a rudely healthy frog popped out. The priest swallowed a mouthful of swamp and was instantly cured of his scurvy.truenotochyperlinkno200472620554PMMondayJulJuly147/26/2004 6:05:54 PM632264475540000000200472620554PMMondayJulJuly147/26/2004 6:05:54 PM632264475540000000left fieldHammers, Sickles, and TurnbucklesDave McKennaSoviet wrestlers mourn Ronald Reagan.noHammers, Sickles, and TurnbucklesSoviet wrestlers mourn Ronald Reagan.no"Business was good with Reagan," recalls a wistful Nikolai Volkoff. "I voted for him twice."truenotochyperlinkno200461131449PMFridayJunJune156/11/2004 7:14:49 PM632225636890000000200461131449PMFridayJunJune156/11/2004 7:14:49 PM632225636890000000200422624845PMThursdayFebFebruary142/26/2004 7:48:45 PM632134037250000000200422624845PMThursdayFebFebruary142/26/2004 7:48:45 PM632134037250000000falsetruetruetruetruetruetrue200412774434PMTuesdayJanJanuary191/28/2004 12:44:34 AM632108294740000000200412774434PMTuesdayJanJanuary191/28/2004 12:44:34 AM632108294740000000