French Fry Madness: We Have A Final Four

Things are getting TIGHT in French Fry Madness. We saw blowouts, barnburners and upsets in the elite 8 round. With four teams remaining, its anyones tournament. Lets see how things panned out in yesterdays voting.

(Updated Bracket)

Classic Region

(1) McDonalds v (2) Wendys (McDonalds wins 65% of the vote) Slightly suprised with this turnout, but the tournament favorite, McDonalds, is moving on. I really thought Wendys was going to make a deep run and had the potenial to knock off the #1 seeded powerhouse. Ronald McDonald is going to the final four.

Random Region

(1) Chick-Fil-A Waffle v (3) Arbys Spirals (Chick-Fil-A wins 79% of the vote) Saw this one coming from a mile away. Arbys just doesnt have the man power Chick-Fil-A brings to the table. The final four match up between McDonalds and Chick-Fil-A is going to be the clash of the titans. With the winner going to the championship, im expecting voters from each side of the aisle to come out and make their cases.

Seasoned Region

(1) Checkers v (2) Five Guys (Five Guys wins 55% of the vote) The first upset of the elite 8, 2 seeded Five Guys is heading to the final four. Could Five Guys win this damn thing as a 2 seed? Hell, I think they could. Checkers came into this matchup a little complacent and paid the price. Gonna be a long flight home for the drive thru boys.

Crinkle Cut Region

(1) Nathans v (2) Shake Shack (Shake Shack wins 62% of the vote) Hate to see such a classic fry in Nathans get sent packing, especially by such a favorable margin. Shake Shack came into this tournament as an underdog in my eyes and im definitley suprised they knocked off the mini red nathans pitch fork. Going to need to come out and perform like they did yesterday if they want any chance at beating Five Guys. 

Welp, tomorrow voting begins to move two french fries into the championship round. Voting numbers have been on the rise since round 1 and I hope to see another spike in the numbers tomorrow. May the best fry win. 

Jimbo’s Top 10: Disney Channel Original Movies

Writing this top 10 blog has opened my eyes to two things: Disney channel has released some fire original movies and i’m  getting old very quickly. These movies were top notch. Never in theaters, strictly aired on Disney channel. The nostalgia that this blog is going to produce is going to put your ass all the way back to 2003. Enjoy and comment any Disney channel original movies you think should of made the cut.

10) The Thirteenth Year (1999)The classic story of Cody Griffin turning into a mermaid on his 13th birthday. This movie was usually aired during the Summer months and something about it really sparked my interest. Are mermaids real? Do human/mermaid hybrids exist? Was he conceived on land or in water? So many questions, so little answers. Either way, this feel good movie had the happy ending of Cody swimming off with his mermaid mother. Not a bad deal considering the mermaid to merman ratio is probably heavly favored mermaid. 

9) Miracle in Lane 2 (2000)I bet this one slipped your mind. Lets be honest; has Frankie Muniz ever made a bad kids movie? Nope. Definitley didnt dissapoint in Miracle in Lane 2. The story of a 13 year old boy, suffering from spina bifida, just trying to throw a trophy on a shelf. He gets into soapbox racing to live up to the expectations his jock brother has created. True tale of an underdog.Even better, this movie is based on a true story. 

8) Halloweentown (1998) Alright, here comes the uproar. I know many people are going to complain that this movie should be higher then #8, but lets be honest, its a Halloween movie. Is it a classic? Yep, but it can only be watched during one month of the year. For all you Hocus Pocus fans, dont get your hopes up, there was no way in hell I was putting more than one Halloween movie on this list. Halloweentown takes the Halloween season by default. 

7) Full Court Miracle (2003)Definitely the most unorthodox basketball movie ever made. No pun intended. The IMDB description of this movie reads “African American college basketball star becomes the head coach of a yeshiva’s struggling basketball team”. If that sentence alone doesnt spark your interest, you need to get the hell of this blog. Storylines like this one are what make Disney, Disney.

6) The Even Stevens Movie (2003)The show, “Even Stevens”, is probably the funniest show to ever air on Disney channel. Shia Lebouf really had alot of potential before he started taking the crazy pills. The movie was no different than the show. Comedic gold. Beans is still one of the greatest TV show characters of all time. This movie is on the cusp of my top 5, but didnt make the cut due to the fire im about to drop with these remaining movies.

5) The Luck of The Irish (2001)Everyone has seen it and everyone has loved it. The Luck of The Irish is not only one of the greatest Disney channel original movies, but also one of the greatest St. Patricks Day movies. Sure this movie got a tad creepy at times,with a satanic leprechaun following the main character, Kyle, around to steal his luck. Nothing a little 1 on 1 hoop couldnt solve. The final scene in this movie of Kyle and his friend Bonnie singing “This Land is Your Land” really put the whole film together. Obvious top 5 pick.

4) Smart House (1999) Not until I wrote this blog did I realize the kid from Luck of The Irish is the same kid from Smart House. What a Disney channel legend. I also noticed that the creepier a Disney channel movie is, the higher it ranks on this list. Smart house was more of a thriller than a childrens movie, but still delivered as a good ole Disney channel classic. Really thought a robot controlled house was a great idea until the entire system back fired. Certain scenes of this movie still trigger nightmares. Big Smart House guy.

3) Johnny Tsunami (1999)Johnny Tsunami was the ultimate bro. All dudes wanted to be him and all ladies wanted to be with him. Johnny got the real shit end of the stick when his father moved the family from Hawaii to Vermont. Think how much that would actually suck. Hawaii to Vermont. JT didnt make any excuses to stop shredding. Picked up the snowboard and the kid was a natural. I felt cool just watching this movie as a little kid.

2) Brink (1998) How badass were these guys? Beat out Johnny Tsunami by a hair. “Lets blade, brah” is still one of the most iconic movie lines of all time. Havent seen this movie in a real long time, but the fact that it still ranks #2 on my list is a testament to how good it was. Probably was one of the first Disney channel original movies ever released. Talk about getting off to a hot start.

1) Eddies Million Dollar Cook Off (2003)We all saw this coming. I might be biased because this movie came out at the peak of my childhood, but from what I remember, it was a work of art. Baseball and food. How can you beat it? A cameo from Bobby Flay was really the bow that tied his whole thing together. This movie relayed a great message and was the opitimy of a Disney channel film. Easy pick at the #1 spot.

Honorable Mention: High School Musical , Under Wraps, Phantom of the Megaplex, Zenon

French Fry Madness: Round 1 Recap

Like most first rounds of tournaments, the heavy favorites came out unscaved. Although, we did see a couple of barn burners in yesterdays voting between closely seeded french fries in a couple of regions. With how tight things were at the end of round 1, I expect things to get more and more interesting as the tournament progresses. Heres a recap of yesterdays action:

Updated Bracket

Classic Region:

(1) McDonalds v (4) In-N-Out: (McDonalds wins 81% of vote) Personally, ive never been to In-N-Out and seeing that its a West Coast franchise, I dont know many people that have. McDonalds is obviously a heavy favorite in this tournament; a franchise I expect to go very far. In-N-Out was a true Cinderella and I give them credit for receiving even 19% of the vote. Maybe next year.

(2) Wendys v (3) Burger King: (Wendys wins 73% of the vote) I want to say I’m surprised by this outcome, but I don’t think I am. Burger King and Wendys are two power house fast food franchises and I was sure this was going to be the closest matchup of round 1. Wendys came out firing. Don’t sleep on the Wendys fries making a DEEP run in this tournament. Their round 2 matchup against McDonalds is going to be a heavy weight bout.

Random Region:

(1) Chick-Fil-A Waffle Fries v (4) Friendlys Waffle Fries: (Chick-Fil-A wins 82% of the vote) Talk about a one sided rivalry. Blowout alert. Chick-Fil-A has an extremely loyal customer base and they came out and voted on Tuesday. Another powerful 1 seed winning the games they’re suppose to win. With the Friendlys franchise on the decline, this matchup was pretty much over before it started.

(2) KFC Wedges v (3) Arbys Spirals: (Arbys Spirals wins 56% of the vote) The first upset of the tournament was also the closest matchup of the day. Winning by 12% of the vote, 3 seeded Arbys is a franchise on a mission. We could be seeing a true under-dog story unfold in front of our eyes as Arbys will now take on Chick-Fil-A in tomorrows voting. Going to need all the support they could get in round 2.

Seasoned Region:

(1) Checkers v (4) Popeyes: (Checkers wins 88% of the vote) Ok Checkers, we see you. The one seeds came out and performed like 1 seeds yesterday. Checkers was no exception. Popeyes suffered the largest margin of defeat in their demise to the Checkers fry. The seasoned region is going to be tough to compete in if we continue to see this kind of voting for their 1 seed.

(2) Five Guys v (3) Red Robin: (Five Guys wins 75% of the vote) Going into yesterday, I truly saw every 2 seed v 3 seed matchup as a toss up. Red Robin had a lot of potential to make a deep run in this tournament solely based off of the fact that they give free refills on the fries. 2 seeded Five Guys wasn’t having it. Their round 2 matchup against Checkers will be a true test of determination and grit.

Crinkle Cut Region:

(1)Nathans v (4) Sonic Tots: (Nathans wins 59% of vote) You want to talk about heart and determination? Look no further then the Sonic Tots. Tough to see them go after all they went through to get into the big dance. Left it all on the field. Fell just short, but still received an astounding 41% of votes as a 4 seed. Going to be hard to see Nathans bounce back from a performance like that against a low powered “fry”. Regardless, they’re moving on.

(2) Shake Shack v (3) White Castle: (Shake Shack wins 80% of the vote) Not suppose to happen in a 2 v 3 seed matchup, White Castle. You got straight up embarrassed. Another loyal customer base, people who tend to eat at Shake Shack, also tend to not shut up about how great it is. Nathan’s could be in trouble in their round 2 matchup. Coming off of a dominant victory such as this one, Shake Shack has a ton of momentum going forward in this tournament.

Well folks round 1 is in the books. Voting for round 2 starts tomorrow at 11. Unhappy with the results? To see the polls and get involved in the voting process, follow me on twitter @Jameslettieri44. French Fry Madness is just starting to heat up.

 

French Fry Madness

Alright, folks. One bracket to rule them all. Its time to put an end to an ancient debate. “Which fast food chain has the best french fries?” Pictured below is the official bracket. This tournament is going to take place from Tuesday, March 28th to Monday, April 3rd. Round one starting on Tuesday and the tournament culminates with the championship matchup voting on Monday. 

Like any bracket, French Fry Madness is seperated into four regions. Top left: Classic. Top right: Seasoned. Bottom right: Crinkle Cut. Bottom left: Random. A true Cinderella story line that has quickly developed includes the story of the Sonic tots, who recieved a last minute bid from a tough selection committee. As well as the rivalry waffle fry matchup between Chick-fil-a and Friendlys. The only two waffle fry franchsises in the tournament should give us nothing short of a first round barn burner. All voting will take place on twitter. Round 1 voting on Tuesday, round 2 voting on Thursday, final four voting on Saturday, and championship round voting on Monday. To get involved in the voting follow: @JamesLettieri44 on twitter.

Movie Review: Get Out

What the fuck did I just watch? Hee-bee-gee-bees to the max. Im sure theres a good amount of people that have not seen it yet, so i’m going to keep this review spoiler free. Im all for a movie with a twist, but Get Out might have put me over the edge. I left the theater last night not knowing if I loved the movie or absolutely hated it. 110% a movie you have to watch twice. Jordan Peele’s reputation as a normal human being in society has been tossed out of the window for coming up with this story line. What a sick bastard. I wouldnt say this movie was scary; it was just as weird as a movie could possibly get. Still processing what I watched. Jimbo’s going to be on “rattled alert” for the next couple of days.

A couple of reasons I enjoyed the movie are because, like I said, I enjoy a movie with a twist. You can feel the build up the entire film. Just from seeing the movie trailer you know this movie gets fucked up at one point or another. You just sit there anxiously waiting for shit to hit the fan. I felt uncomfortable from the moment I ordered my popcorn at concessions. Im also a big symbolism/hidden message guy. Another huge aspect of this movie are all the hidden messages that you pick up on as you watch. Things that might get past some people. That shit gets me fired up. Other than that, yea…..this movie kind of weirded me out. The acting was nothing to write home about and some may say the idea of the “sunken place” was slightly far fetched. The actor who plays Chris is actually British in real life, so kudos to him for killing the American accent. Like a said, Get Out is a moviei’m  going to need to watch again. Who knows maybe ill pick up on more things the second time around. Or maybe ill just hate it again. Probably the latter. Movie is CREEPY.

Jimbos Top Ten: Sports Movies

I am just asking for trouble by cooking this blog up. Pretty much any top ten blog I write ends up in debate; but this is a category people tend to get passionate about. Also, probably the most difficult blog ive ever written due to the wide variety of classic sports movies. I could make a top ten for each sport, thats how many movies there are to choose from. But guess what, that would be the easy way out. Im taking the hard road because im not a sell out and I love adversity. So, before I get an earful on how my list sucks, remember, these are my top ten sports movies, if your list is different, comment below with your top ten. Enjoy. 

10) Field of Dreams“If you build it, they will come.” This movie and high school wrestling are pretty much the only two things the state of Iowa can hang its hat on. Absolute classic. Kevin Costner playing a schizo farmer who hears voices telling him to build a baseball field. Thats how I saw it anyway. Ray Liotta as Shoeless Joe Jackson was a nice touch as well. You know how the movie goes, so im not going to sit here and write out the plot summary. All in all a great movie. If you’ve never seen it you’re missing out.

9) Space JamOBVIOUSLY everybody loves Space Jam. Had to keep it up in the 9 spot because I feel like im insulting the integrity of sports cinema if Bugs Bunny is ranked higher than some of the movies that are to follow. Space Jam solidified MJ as the G.O.A.T. Talk about rings, talk about statistics, say whatever you want. But Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes overcame a 66-18 halftime deficit to defeat the Monstars, in what might go down as the best performance in basketball history. Bill Murray should of won 6th man of the year in 94.

8) Slap ShotA movie that I believe does not get the credit it deserves from my generation. Whats the best part of hockey? The fighting, obviously. The Charlestown Chiefs might have not had the most talent, but they did have the three scrapiest bastards to ever touch the ice, the Hanson brothers. Three goons who took the ice looking for a fight with any chance they had. Took the Chiefs from a failing franchise to a championship team. “Listen to the fucking song.” One of the best lines in movie history.

7) RudyThe ultimate under dog story. Ive heard through the grapevine that this movie is EXTREMELY exaggerated from the events that actually occured, but Hollywood got the best of me. Story of a hard working kid who breathes, eats and sleeps Notre Dame football. Undersized, but had the heart of a lion. Eventually got his shot on the field in last home game of the season and made the play of his life. Whether or not thats the way it actually went down, I dont care. I pretend like it is. 

6) Bad News Bears (Original)I only put “(original)” because I heard the remake was brutal. Morris Buttermaker is the coach of all coaches. Nothing like having a team of little league misfits sponsored by “Chicos Bail Bonds.” Another movie that I dont think is as popular to my generation. The Bears had to be the most badass little league baseball team of all time. These kids iced their arms in coolers filled with Budweiser. Have to love how the rest of the teams in the league were a bunch of hardos and when the Bears got good, they just smacked them around.

5) MiracleThis movie had to be made extremely well and it was. The most significant sports victory in American history. The Soviets were “unbeatable” they said. Not against the god damn USA. Kurt Russell absolutely  killed the role of Herb Brooks. Hockey movies are typically hard to watch because of how fast the game moves, but this movie did a great job of making every game followable. Love how they edited in the actual commentary for the game against the Soviets. The 1980 Miracle on ice is the greatest story in sports history. Chills, everytime. 

4) Friday Night LightsI hate how everyone now knows Friday Night Lights as that drama series on Netflix. I refuse to watch. This is the real Friday Night Lights. Watching this movie is like experiencing a 2 hour adrenaline rush. Boobie Miles, Don Billingsley, Mike Winchell and Brian Chaves. Those guys were savages. Not “Tim Riggins”, or whoever I keep seeing pop up in girls snapchat stories, with a heart drawn around his face. With a healthy knee, Boobie Miles jukes Tim Riggins out of his fucking jock strap. You can take that to the bank. 

3) Remember the TitansAgain, a movie that has been accused of being fluffed by Hollywood. Again, im going to pretend it went down the exact way the movie told it. Another film that revolves around an important time in American history. The integration of whites and African Americans in schools, eventually resulting in integrated sports teams. The friendship that becomes of Julius Campbell and Gary Bertier makes this one of my favorite feel-good movies of all time. The championship game at the end wouldn’t of been as close if Coach Yoast would’ve just swallowed his pride and started Petey at corner. Gosling was the weakest link in that secondary and his defensive performance put the entire team in jeopardy. 

2) SandlotWill anything I write under this picture do this movie justice? Probably not. Forget sports movies, this is one of my favorite movies in general. Wendy Peffercorn, big chief at the carnival, smores in the treehouse; too many classic scenes. Soundtrack in this movie is also flames. Wish I grew up in this time period. America was so pure. Benny the Jet should be on some kind of American currency. Kid was a legend. Ive watched Sandlot too many times to count and its never gotten old. Another one of those movies you wish you could watch for the first time again.

1) Rocky You want to talk about underdog stories?Heres the ultimate underdog story. Rocky Balboa, a bum from Philiadelphia, defeating the heavyweight champion of the world, Apollo Creed. Thats a god damn underdog story if ive ever heard one. We all know Rocky 5 sucked, but every other movie in this series was fantastic. “The Italian Stallion”, greatest sports nickname of all time. Apollo Creed was training in world class gyms while Rocky was sneaking into the meat freezer at Paulie’s job and teeing off on a couple of slabs of frozen beef. May I mention, Rocky was the first sports film to win an academy award. 

Honorable Mention: Any Given Sunday, The Natural, Caddyshack, Happy Gilmore, Varsity Blues, Major League, Mighty Ducks

URI Falls to Oregon in Round of 32

Oof. That one hurt. Im no stranger to the sting of defeat, but this one, this one really hurt. I didnt even drink last night and I woke up this morning with a crippling hangover. For anyone who didn’t watch the game, the Rams battled the entire way, leading by 11 at one point. Playing great defense (like they’ve done all year), hitting tough shots and making smart passes. This game really looked like it was going to end in Rhody’s favor. But guess what. Not when Jimbo’s rooting for them. If anyone needs a scapegoat to blame for this loss, put it all on me. Ive been here before, I can handle it. Wherever my fandom goes, heart crushing, earth shattering loses follow. Im like a lingering black cloud. The team played their asses off last night and as Rhode Island Rams basketball fans, we should all be grateful for the run they gave us this season.

I hate Oregon and I hate the guy on their team with that STUPID blonde patch in his hair. They wont go far. The ultimate choke artists of the NCAA. I will forever be anti-Oregon. Stupid school, stupid state. Whatever. To cover some of the positives that came out of last nights game, we should look no further than Stanford Robinson. The performance he put on last night is something he could be capable of doing in every game next season. He was straight up hooping. With Hassan and Kuran graduating, expect Stanford to be a major component of the Rams offense next season. Jeff Dowtin and Cyril Langevine have showed us all year that they are ready to play at the collegiate level and last night was no different. With Martin in early foul trouble, Langevine stepped up and played like an animal. Overall, the effort and heart needed to win the game was there for Rhode Island, the Ducks just hit one more shot then we did and it made all the difference.

With all but two members of the team returning next year, I think the Rams shape up nicely for another run in 2017-2018. Hurley has turned the URI basketball program into a true tournament contender and I look forward to watching for years to come as an alumnus. #RhodyUp

Rhody Rams Defeat Creighton, No Surprises

Yup. Another day, another dollar for URI. Creighton basketball came into this tournament as a six seed and played like a sixteen seed. That team stinks. They are very bad. Creighton is not good at basketball. Not the slightest bit suprised that they were trounced by the Rhody boys. Go back to Nebraska and figure it out, Creighton. The URI offense was like clock work today. Work it inside to Hass and KI; bounce it outside to EC and JT. Now,with our entire roster healthy, Danny Hurley is out here playing chess games with our depth.

Looks like we have Oregon in the round of 32. Would be pretty shitty if you picked Oregon to win that matchup in your bracket. This team is all heart; an asset of the game those in Oregon are not too fond of. Were we a little sloppy today? Of course, first game jitters. But we will be better Sunday. Heres a tip for the Oregon Ducks; don’t leave Kuran Iverson unattended at the 3-point line, hell make you pay, kid. Keep the train rolling boys. If you’re in the Midwest section of the bracket get the fuck off the tracks, here come the Rams. 

Rhode Island Wins A10 Conference, Heading to NCAA Tournament

Greetings from a Cancun, Mexico. Im a couple libations deep so this blog is going to get a little fiery. Rhody, Rhody, mother-fucking Rhody. Heading to the big dance for the first time since 1999. With the A10 tournament being played in Pittsburgh this passed week, URI entered ranked 4th in the conference. Disrespected since the beginning. Dayton favorited to win? Ha. Give me a break. They made it out of the Ryan center by the skin of their teeth. VC-who the hell are we playing in the conference championship?  The Rhody Rams are rolling heading into the tournament; and its due to the unbelievable play of their stars.

EC Matthews, Hassan Martin, Kuran “The Statement” Iverson, Jared Terrell, Stanford Robinson, Jeff “El Jefe” Dowtin, the whole crew now that I think about it. Each and every player on that team has what it takes to succeed at a high level. Everybody plays a role; all the way to my boys Rell and Owen as the team managers. Whose pieced this team together? Danny Hurley. YUP. The house of Hurley baby. He has taken little Rhody and turned us into a contender in the month of March. Going in as an 11 seed, with our first game being played on Friday against Crieghton. For all you bracketologists out there, let me hit you with a pro-tip. Rams aint losing kid. Let the cinderella story continue. These guys could do something special. Rhody! Rhody! Rhody!

The Jets Are Going To Sign Jay Cutler and Im Going To Kill Myself

Here we go. Here we fucking go. You know its going to happen. Jay Cutler is going to get signed by the Jets and there is nothing we can do to stop it. Why, God? Why me? The biggest headcase in the NFL, a man who couldnt handle the “pressure” of Chicago, is going to be at the helm for the New York Jets? I wouldnt pay this guy anymore than $10 to be our QB.

Im going to leave this post short because as im writing this talks of a trade for Trevor Siemian are beginning to surface (would be a big fan of that trade).The ball is in Mike Maccagnan’s court right now. He can make a move that will catapult the Jets back into the golden ages, or make a move that will spiral the franchise into another 40 years of misery. Please Mike, #anyonebutcutler. Stay tuned Jets nation, a move can be made any second.