My eyes watered and sweat beaded on my brow while the burning sensation of cayenne pepper seared my stomach.

This wasn't a tale taken from "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." This was simply a case of eating something that was...HOT! HOT! HOT!

I have always envied people with cast iron stomachs. These are people who not only like hot, spicy food, but have developed a strong craving for it.

I once watched a guy in college proceed to cover his bowl of corn flakes in Tabasco Sauce and eat it for breakfast.

Two friends of mine once held a hot sauce contest. They cracked open sauces mixed in various Mexican peppers for the sole purpose of determining who could handle the hottest sauce.

The winner ate a concoction called Dave's Totally Insane Hot Sauce.

It is the spiciest sauce I've ever tried in my life. I didn't feel right for several days afterwards.

The hot sauce contest has one thing in common with the cayenne pepper that caused me to suffer last week. Both were used in the eating of chicken wings, one of my favorite snack foods.

I discovered chicken wings shortly after enrolling at the University of South Carolina.

A place called Stuffy's was advertising a 20 cent special on chicken wings behind the honeycombed Towers where I lived so I stopped by one evening. Many wings from these feathered friends have been consumed by me over the past decade.

One thing I have learned is chicken wings and sauces are not created equal.

There are rules when tackling a plate of chicken wings. If you follow these guidelines, you will not have to worry about choking back tears or guzzling half a gallon of water to calm down a spicy throat.

Rule 1: Always order the "Mild" sauce when you eat in a restaurant for the first time.

Everyone seems to have their own tolerance for spicy food. One place's "Mild" sauce could be considered "Medium" or "Nuclear" in another establishment.

Rule 2: Keep a supply of napkins nearby.

This serves several purposes. First, it allows you to wipe the tears and avoid getting hot pepper in your eyes. Second, you can clean up afterwards and not have to worry about talking to a member of the opposite sex with red hot sauce all over your mouth.

If the wings are too hot, you can always be a gutless coward and remove most of the hot sauce before finishing the meal.

Rule 3: Add variety before going "Nuclear."

Try the garlic, teriyaki or other types of chicken wings. The "Nuclear" sauce is primarily for people who really like hot food and aren't worried about their taste buds.

Rule 4: Eating chicken might make it easier to hit a 90 miles per hour baseball.

I know this last rule appears to have nothing to do with chicken wings, but I think it does have a connection with baseball hitting.

Wade Boggs was one of the best hitters in major league baseball over his 18-year playing career. The third baseman spent most of his career with the Boston Red Sox before he went over to the dark side to win a World Series with the New York Yankees.

Boggs finished seven seasons with at least 200 hits and a .349 career batting average.

Among his many superstitions, Boggs ate chicken before every game. A teammate, Jim Rice, once jokingly called him the "Chicken Man."

Maybe there is some connection between eating chicken and being a successful Major League hitter? Or, maybe I'm just grasping at straws.

I gotta run. There's an order of chicken wings with my name on it. Dave's Totally Insane Hot Sauce isn't invited.

Scott Powell (spowell@gaffneyledger.com) covers education issues for The Gaffney Ledger.