Joey Chestnut ISO an entourage

J

OEY CHESTNUT wants you!

The reigning champion has a handful of tickets left for 610 WIP's Wing Bowl on Friday morning and is quickly searching for a dependable entourage.

Chestnut, 23, who set a record last year with 173 wings, is coming in from San Jose, Calif., for the sold-out circus at Wachovia Center and needs a few people "to be part of Team Chestnut." E-mail your name, contact info and why you deserve a slot on his entourage to VallejoJoey@aol.com.

Bet on Berloletti, Al says

Wing Bowl co-creator Al Morganti has revealed his odds for the contest, which features Chicago's Patrick Berloletti, a professional eater, at 2 to 1 to win, with Chestnut and former winner Sonya "Black Widow" Thomas at 3 to 1 and Royersford's "Humble" Bob Shoudt at 5 to 1.

The best Philly eater and the best professional eater will each win a Suzuki from Matt Blatt.

Doc dismisses Shoudt's theory

Pro-eater Shoudt, 40, says his performance has improved since recently losing weight. "Heavier people have a belt of fat around the stomach, so the skinnier you are, the more room your stomach has to grow," Shoudt says.

Not true, says David Zisa, M.D., a gastroenterologist at the Willingboro, N.J., campus of Cooper University Hospital. "Anatomically, a heavier person's stomach may be a little larger, but the stomach can stretch to accommodate large amounts."

Asked about the medical risks of competitive eating, Zisa says "the biggest thing is enlarging and stretching the stomach. You could have a gastric rupture." Of course, choking, vomiting and nausea could occur, Zisa says.

Medically, Zisa says, he frowns upon the Wing Bowl, but "for entertainment's sake, that's another story."

Is Doug overfed on confidence?

"Damaging" Doug Canavin has been starting each morning off with two gallons of water, five pounds of pasta with butter and two heads of lettuce, for practice.

Canavin, of Collingdale, Delaware County, has competed in seven Wing Bowls and came in second on more than one occasion.

He claims to have eaten a hard-to-swallow 237 wings in Wing Bowl IX, but he says judges reduced his tally by 77 in order to let the Big Rig win. Doug says he pleaded his case to Wing Bowl Commissioner Eric Gregg, to no avail. "I'll be at 120 after the first 14 minutes," Doug said Monday. We told him that was an awfully bold statement, but he stands by the claim. We'll see . . .

Virtual Wing Bowl

Daily News online guru Vance Lehmkuhl, a vegan who wouldn't eat a chicken wing on a bet, has updated his Wing Bowl video game. It's at go.philly.com/

wings.

For those who are going

The parking lots open at 4 a.m. and Wachovia Center doors open at 5. Only ticketed patrons will be admitted to the venue, where cans and bottles are not permitted. So finish your beers outside. *

If you have something you'd like to share with Dan, call 215-854-5963, or send e-mail to grossd@phillynews.com.