IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

Fun facts about 'Hardball'

Most prized item Chris guarded as a Capitol Hill cop? How many kings have been on Hardball in 9 years? Click here for some fun facts on 'Hardball.'
  • Number of times SNL has spoofed Hardball: 15
  • Total number of Hardball College Tours: 35
  • Number of Google hits for "Chris Matthews Hardball: approx 1,850,000 (in .46 seconds
  • President who jokingly proposed a "pundits bill of rights" with "the right to shout down Chris Matthews": Bill Clinton at the 1999 Radio and TV Correspondents' Dinner
  • What late-night talk show host gave Chris the title of “middle-aged heartthrob?”
    Jay Leno
  • Number of times actor Clint Eastwood has appeared on Hardball: 2
  • Number of Kings that have been on Hardball in 9 years: One, King Abdullah of Jordan
  • Number of "Hardball" shows in which someone said "let me finish": 132 and counting
  • Most number of "Let me finish" said consecutively: 3  (Frank Luntz, May 23, 2003: "Let me finish. Let me just finish. Let me just finish.")
  • Number of times Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) asked permission to finish a thought or sentence during his Feb. 6, 2003 Hardball college tour: 4
  • Most number of time a guest said "let me finish" in one show: 5 (Pat Caddell, July 31, 2001)
  • How Robert Reich put it on the Feb. 8, 1999 Hardball: "Let me finish this-I had a perfect sentence that I wanted to finish."
  • What did Chris rename his show for the night on St. Patricks's Day? O'Hardball
  • Name Trivial Pursuit used for Chris in a question: "Mighty Mouth"
  • Nickname Chris's friends gave him in college: "Arguing Matthews"
  • Politician who told Chris down in Texas he would win his House race this year: Tom Delay
  • Politician who recently called Chris's cell phone with the scoop that he would be leaving Congress: Tom Delay
  • Senator whom Chris Matthews stopped in a hotel kitchen for an unscheduled interview this year: John McCain
  • Senator whom Chris tracked down at a rib joint for an unscheduled interview this year: Bill Frist
  • Distinction Memphis's Peabody Hotel officially bestowed upon Chris: "Honorary Duckmaster"
  • World leader Chris was tapped to commemorate this year at Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri: Winston Churchill
  • Political drama for which Chris had a cameo this season: The West Wing
  • Movie in which Chris had a cameo: Dave
  • What former GOP Presidential candidate said to Chris, “I’m not certain,” when asked if he believed in the after-life?: Former Sen. Bob Dole, (4/13/2005)
  • Which TV comedy queen told the Valentine’s Day edition of “Marie Claire” in March 2005 that she is a “huge news junkie” and that the person she most wants to meet is Chris? Debra Messing (“Will & Grace”)
  • What did Jon Stewart say about Zell Miller after the infamous debate with Chris Matthews?
    "That's Democratic Georgia Senator Zell Miller, building that bridge to the 18th century."
  • Witness whose "Hardball" appearance was cited during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the impeachment of President Clinton (Dec. 1, 1998): Alan Dershowitz
  • What President Bush and Hillary Clinton have in common: They offered well-wishes to Chris Matthews when he had malaria.
  • Jay Leno's malaria joke: "He was out for a month with malaria. Hard to believe, malaria.  Do you ever see Chris? Rabies maybe, but malaria."
  • Amount Chris Matthews won for charity on "Celebrity Jeopardy" (April 2003): $50,000
  • What did Chris Matthews tell the 88-year-old Billy Graham to do as he walked on the stage at his final crusade in New York on June 26, 2005? “Break a leg, Billy!”
  • What birth control device did Chris Matthews refer to when talking to the wife of a U.S. Soldier duringthe Hardball Church Tour in Nashville? IUD
  • What film and actor did Chris Matthews refer to when introducing Tony Perkins, President of the Family Research Council, causing the guest to do a double-take?
    "Psycho" with Tony Perkins.
  • What did President Bush call Chris’s brother, Jim, in Montgomery, PA in March, 2004? “The smart brother”
  • The country in southern Africa which would host Peace Corps volunteer Chris Matthews: Swaziland
  • Chris Matthews' first job on Capitol Hill: Capitol police officer
  • Type of weapon Chris Matthews carried: .38 caliber gun
  • Year Chris Matthews ran for Congress in Philadelphia: 1974
  • Most prized item Chris guarded as a Capitol Hill cop: The Pentagon Papers (after they were made public)
  • Number of years Hardball was on CNBC before moving to MSNBC: 2
  • Number of politicians Chris has worked for: 4 (Carter, O'Neill, Moss and Muskie)
  • Number of years Chris Matthews served as Bureau Chief for the San Francisco Examiner: 13
  • Number of books by Chris Matthews: Four

“Hardball with Chris Matthews” telecasts Monday through Friday at 5 p.m and 7 p.m. (ET).  Tammy Haddad is the executive producer.