Lisa Denton and Barry Courter
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The Chattahooligans were the winners this year in Mindy B’s on Georgia’s annual Sandwich Throwdown. You can see a video on the amazing traits of the winning sandwich at www.facebook.com/MindyBsDeli/videos/1378232438874314.
BARRY COURTER: Lisa, I know you are a big sports fan well, as long as there are snacks so this is a big week for you, I'm sure.
LISA DENTON: Well, it's not the world championships of badminton, which is my best sport - you should see me flog that birdie. But it's huge for Chattanooga soccer fans - really anybody who wants to see world-class soccer.
BARRY: First, the Chattanooga Football Club will be hosting a friendly (I just love that they call these non-league games "friendlies") between the U.S. Men's National Team and a team from Jamaica on Friday at 7 p.m in Finley Stadium. This is a big deal. Finley hosted the women's national team two years ago, but this is the first-ever visit from the national men's team.
There is an after-party opportunity for about 250 as well. For $50 you can hang out with members of the team. Funds raised will go to the CFC Foundation. Tickets to that event also will get you into the CFC game against Atlanta United FC on Feb. 11. This is a new team in Atlanta, and their first-ever match will be against our guys here in Chattanooga. Pretty good stuff for CFC.
LISA: Tickets are selling well for both matches. In the Sports section the other day, our colleague David Paschall reported that 13,000 had already been claimed for the Jamaica match and 2,000 for the Atlanta match. I imagine both numbers are still rising. The U.S. women's team drew a crowd of 20,535 back in 2015.
BARRY: In a related item, our friend Mindy at Mindy B's Deli on Georgia Avenue has started her annual Sandwich Throwdown. The Chattahooligan, which is named after the fans that cheer on the CFC team, was last year's winner, and its creator, the masked sandwich crusader LuchaNooga, had another in the finals this year. The winner should be announced today on Mindy B's Facebook page.
LISA: That's a weird couple of passions for the Chattahooligans: soccer and sandwiches. But they do have a knack for picking winners.
Don't forget there's another big sporting event, the Super Bowl, coming up Sunday. One of the biggest watch parties will be Wish Bowl XIII at Stratton Hall. Proceeds benefit Make-A-Wish East Tennessee, which grants wishes to area children with life-threatening medical conditions. They're having food and adult beverages and a chance to win trips to Alaska, San Francisco wine country or Bodega Bay on the California coast.
And we totally need to mention that theater troupe Carpe Risus (it means "Seize the Laughter") is presenting skits from "The Carol Burnett Show" this weekend at the Colonnade. Not to overshare, but that sounds like a Depends kind of evening.
BARRY: Not a dry seat in the house. I bet I could do a whole routine of favorite lines from that show myself. The best ever, of course, is from the "Gone With the Wind" skit, which makes everybody's best-moments-in-television-history list. I understand they won't include it, however, because of complicated licensing limitations.
LISA: Still, you can't go wrong with any of those skits. It'll be interesting to see if the Carpe Risus actors can keep a straight face. Even Burnett and her co-stars would get tickled sometimes.
Get event details every Thursday in ChattanoogaNow or online anytime at www.ChattanoogaNow.com.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354. Contact Lisa Denton at ldenton@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6281.