The 3400 Club

Anyone see SNL last weekend? They had a really awful skit where Kristen Wiig played a mischievous kid named Gilly. It was so unfunny, but yet I find myself saying "Gilly" the way Will Forte hectored her. Gilly! Gilly? Gilly.... Anyway, I have a feeling I will be using this when Meche pitches.

Back to baseball, Rotoauthority thinks Gil is AT RISK for 2009 due to being part of the 3400 Club, which I imagine is more exclusive than being part of the 700 Club.

Planet Zack is listed as among the most risk averse pitchers next year.

10 months ago RoyalsRetro 41 comments 1 recs |

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Is this the correct usage of "risk averse?"

I guess he’s saying that those pitchers are least likely to be injured…not that they are prone to avoid high risk situations.

We always did feel the same, We just saw it from a different point of view, Tangled up in blue.
-Bob Dylan

by Royal Kingdom on Jan 22, 2009 9:27 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

strike that...I read it again. It'd be cool if you could delete your own comments.

We always did feel the same, We just saw it from a different point of view, Tangled up in blue.
-Bob Dylan

by Royal Kingdom on Jan 22, 2009 9:30 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I shouldn't be surprised...

…to see Sabbathia near the top of that list, but the wow! factor for him and Hamels is incredible. Amazing. – TL

by timlacy on Jan 22, 2009 10:13 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Other than Fey's spot-on Palin impersonation...

when was the last time that ANYTHING SNL did was funny? Is NBC not paying comedians enough money to be on the show? Or are they just terrible at spotting talent? It’s amazing, but skit comedy would appear to be dead these days. Where have you gone, Dave Chappelle?

That’s an interesting concept. It’s become pretty well-recognized in the NFL that a RB getting 300+ carries in a season is destined for injury the following season (along with a guaranteed decline as soon as an RB hits age 30). Part of the reason most teams have gone to a two-RB (at least) timeshare. I’m sure there’s some legitimacy to the 3400 pitch theory, too.

"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it."
I'm puffing away, Hal.

by Sweep_the_Leg on Jan 22, 2009 10:52 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Uh HELLO

Andy Samberg is freakin hilarious. “Dick in a Box”, “Lazy Sunday”, Mark Wahlberg talks to animals. Will Forte and Bill Hader are funny also and the news is good as usual. SNL is pretty decent now if you have time to check it out. Last week stunk but it’s a sketch show and it is hit and miss.

I’m out McGruber

I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.

by kcscoliny on Jan 22, 2009 11:08 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm with you.

SNL is funny. It’s about 70% on, 30% off. But that’s how it’s always been. Even in its best times, like the heydays of the 1970s, there were skits that bombed by Chevy Chase, Steve Martin, Bill Murray, Ackroyd, etc. It’s not perfect but it’s good. – TL

by timlacy on Jan 22, 2009 11:20 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Haven't watched in a while ( go through phases)

I’ve always noticed that people think that “SNL sucks now, it used to be good.” But as time goes on, the “used to be good” era keeps moving up — I’ve even heard the same friends talk about how some skit sucks, then years later use it as an example of how SNL “used” to be good.

I’m with timlacy — (the good/bad ratio cahgnes over the years, although I think the good/bad ration isn’t quite as favorable overall). And I think that the “old” SNLs always seem better because we onlly see the “highlights,” or at least those are the only ones we remember. I like the classic 70s stuff okay, but if you ever watch them re-run a whole show, they had their share of stinkers. And frankly, a lot of the stuff has aged worse than Barry Zito (cf. Chase, Chevy).

Having said that, Lazy Sunday (Chris Parnell — one of the most underrated cast member ever) and D-ck in a Box were funny, but those were years ago now…

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by devil_fingers on Jan 22, 2009 11:27 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

Anytime you have to produce an 1 1/2 hours of material, you’re bound to have some clunkers. Overall, SNL is better than it was a year or two ago IMO. Weekend Update is consistently funny, the Neil Patrick Harris episode recently was good and I seem to recall the Jon Hamm episode last fall being hilarious. Samberg gets some good material in and Wiig is hit and miss, but has some funny characters now and then.

I don’t really get why the 70s era SNL gets so much love. Watching reruns of it, I just don’t see what is funny about it. The bumblebees? Hamburger, hamburger, hamburger? Land shark? I don’t get it.

But I grew up on late 80s Hartman/Carvey/Lovitz/Hooks/Nealon SNL when it was IMO in his prime. They even had a young Mike Myers and Adam Sandler chipping in, and later Chris Farley. What an era that was.

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by RoyalsRetro on Jan 22, 2009 11:37 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't think the 70's era was as good...

as many people profess it to be. I think a lot of it had to do with the novelty of the show (at that time) and the “cutting edge” nature of some of the skits. A lot of their skits (like any other era) had to be viewed in the context of the times. I mean, what percentage of people under 40 would even know who Buckwheat was these days? 10%?

I also grew up on the late 80’s/early 90’s mastery by Hartman/Carvey/Lovitz and then Myers/Farley/Sandler. Clearly, the show peaked at that time, and it’s been struggling to recapture that ever since. That era had so much talent, and those guys (and their writers) actually developed recurring characters that were really funny and more three dimensional than what you see today.

"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it."
I'm puffing away, Hal.

by Sweep_the_Leg on Jan 22, 2009 11:55 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hartman was the master

would still be underrated if he didn’t die

Dana Carvey:1980s SNL::Family Guy:All that is Good and True

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by devil_fingers on Jan 22, 2009 11:59 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think what made Hartman and Carvey so great

Is it didn’t really seem like they were using SNL as a stepping stone for a movie career. I think they considered SNL as the pinnacle of their career (and they were right) and it best suited their unique talents – whereas a movie career would poorly use their talents.

Since then I get the impression too many of the actors are trying to find that recurring character that will catch fire and land them a lame Lorne Michaels movie.

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by RoyalsRetro on Jan 22, 2009 12:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Since then I get the impression too many of the actors are trying to find that recurring character that will catch fire and land them a lame Lorne Michaels movie.

That may be right on the mark. It seems like they come up with a single-joke character, and might actually have some more funny stuff to develop with him/her, but they don’t want to blow it all on SNL. Why waste it on free, broadcast TV when you can squeeze the life out of it, package it as a movie, and sell it to a studio?

Hartman and Carvey had TONS of skits with great characters and impersonations that you knew they had no intention of carrying over to a movie career. Carvey’s Perot and McLaughlin were absolutely hilarious, and pretty much every single fake “commercial” that featured Hartman was awesome.

"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it."
I'm puffing away, Hal.

by Sweep_the_Leg on Jan 22, 2009 12:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Let me be clear: Dana Carvey sucks

I love that era, but Church Lady, the George H. W. Bush, etc. are just painfuil to watch now. Evne Jon Lovitz stuff like “the Liar” aged better.

Kevin Nealon: underrated

Phil Hartman was a God. His whole deliberate overracting, smarmy/cynical/nihillistic kick in different ways led to the guys like Ferrell and Parnell.

Jim Carrey is an example of someone who tries to pull this off, but comes off more as the kid who wants to be the class clown, but just isn’t. At all.

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by devil_fingers on Jan 22, 2009 12:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hartman and Nealon were great.

They were both perfect for the SNL format.

Plus, Hartman helped put The Simpsons over the top in it’s heyday. I miss you Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz.

by RATW on Jan 22, 2009 2:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Goodbye Lionel Hutz

Hello Miguel Sanchez!

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by RoyalsRetro on Jan 22, 2009 2:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The Simpsons really struggled to fill out the show with extra characters after Hartman died.

by Top Ramen on Jan 22, 2009 3:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Then Again

The original cast, the obvious parallels are Chase and Belushi, both of whom basically stopped being funny as soon as they smelled Hollywood, and Bill Murray’s SNL career is highly overrated period.

Aykroyd, on the other hand, was consistently funny, even though he was angling for the movies too.

Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.

by jonfmorse on Jan 22, 2009 8:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Clarification

When I cited the 1970s, that was just an example. Personally, my favorite era is from the late 1980s and early 1990s. I loved Carvey, Meyers, Farley, early Ferrell, Hartman, Lovitz, etc. But I really like the mid-2000s stuff with Amy Pohler and Tina Fey. – TL

by timlacy on Jan 22, 2009 12:10 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Worst era ever

Was probably the Jaenene Garofolo/Michael McKean/Mark McKinney/Chris Elliot era. Dear god they should burn all those episodes. It makes the Charles Rocket era look hilarious.

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by RoyalsRetro on Jan 22, 2009 12:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

although Quentin Tarantino’s “Welcome Back, Kotter” was a gem

they really blew it.

Jaenene Garofolo: actually kinda cute back in the day, but never very funny… beats her current role as Hollywood failure trying to repackage herself as as social commentator, but just to stupid and shrewish to support her pathetic pretentions to insight.

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by devil_fingers on Jan 22, 2009 12:34 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Tina Fey: Careful, This Could Be You

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by devil_fingers on Jan 22, 2009 12:36 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Exactly...

Dick in a Box and Lazy Sunday were both at least 2-3 YEARS ago. And Justin Timberlake was the one who carried Dick in a Box—if not for him, it wouldn’t have been as funny. He was essentially making fun of himself (or really his cheesier R&B early-to-mid-1990’s predecessors). Samberg and another random cast member wouldn’t have been able to pull that off with as much success.

And that’s a good example—the funniest stuff from SNL in the last 5 years or so has really been largely because they managed to get key celebrities (or ex-castmates who WERE funny/talented) to come on the show and make fun of themselves or aspects of their profession (e.g. Peyton Manning’s United Way commercial, Tom Brady’s sexual harrassment video, Fey’s Palin impersonation, etc.).

I’ve admittedly stopped watching the entire show each week because whenever I have clicked over, it’s been some TERRIBLE skit (like the Gilly one mentioned). It seems like every single skit is just a one-trick pony anymore. There is one overriding joke/theme, and they just beat it to death…even if it’s not funny. There’s no development of characters or “plots” in the skits…very little give and take. Wiig’s skits are a great example of that—she usually is the main character, just stands there and does her fast talking thing, and other characters say things to prompt her and then it eventually (mercifully) ends.

Maybe I’ve just missed every single good skit. Or maybe my sense of humor just sucks.

"Now…put that in your [BLEEP]ing pipe and smoke it."
I'm puffing away, Hal.

by Sweep_the_Leg on Jan 22, 2009 11:47 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

see, i can't stand forte or herder

by royalsreview on Jan 22, 2009 2:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Will Forte is terrible

Only Keenan Thompson keeps him from being the worst cast member.

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by RoyalsRetro on Jan 22, 2009 2:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

NEGATIVE !!!

I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.

by kcscoliny on Jan 22, 2009 2:13 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Haven't watched for a long time

I think Forte did some good stuff a few years back

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by devil_fingers on Jan 22, 2009 2:15 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I liked his Bush

Didn’t get why they switched to Jason Sudeikis, who does a god awful job.

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by RoyalsRetro on Jan 22, 2009 2:29 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Keenan Thompson is terrible

I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.

by kcscoliny on Jan 22, 2009 2:17 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Who do you think writes that stuff?

Does Peyton Manning just show up and say hey I’ve got a great idea for a United Way commercial. The cast and a few other writers are behind the scenes writing that stuff. In fact most of Samberg good music skits (Natalie Portman, Timberlake, etc) are written by him and his Lonely Island crew.

Jizz in the pants is another good video by them that was on a few weeks ago.

I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.

by kcscoliny on Jan 22, 2009 2:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

This post needs to be renamed SNL Good or Bad

3400 pitch total has totally been lost.

I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.

by kcscoliny on Jan 22, 2009 2:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

MacGruber is not funny.

It’s the same thing. Over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over, and over. I get the point.

Andy Samberg’s stuff has been pretty crappy lately except for the Mark Wahlberg and Jizz in My Pants stuff. To me he is a slightly better Jimmy Fallon clone.

And is it just me, or are all the sketches talkshows? There’s no point to them, and they end by saying “Well that’s all the time we have today.” There’s no story, no punchline, it’s boring crap. Thank god I have DVR and can skip commercials and sketches I can’t stand. It trims SNL down to a manageable 40 minutes if I skip the musical act, which I usually do.

by AxDxMx on Jan 22, 2009 3:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hasn't it always been talkshows and stuff?<

img src=“http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/060526/143652__snl_l.jpg”/>

I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.

by kcscoliny on Jan 22, 2009 3:26 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

True.

But there are nights where all but 1 sketch ends with “That’s all the time we have.” It’s just laziness, and makes me not want to watch.

by AxDxMx on Jan 23, 2009 12:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Seasons 1-4

I have on DVD, and have watched them all. What “we” remember as the glory days sometimes had entire months where there wasn’t much that was funny at all outside of Update.

I think every era of the show has had its classic moments, and its doldrums.

Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.

by jonfmorse on Jan 22, 2009 8:42 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Meche actually threw 25 less pitches in '08 than he did in '07

so I think his arm should be nice and rested.

I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.

by kcscoliny on Jan 22, 2009 11:09 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Not to belittle rotoauthority or anything...

but predicting “between 3 and 12 of these 19 pitchers will have an issue with an injury” is sorta comical.

Almost like saying between a fourth and three-fourths of the Earth is covered with water.

Mr Glass, this is a pro sports team, not a retail store - run it like one!

by loyal2sdad on Jan 22, 2009 5:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Memo to Moore and HIllman

Pitch counts and innings pitched count. You can’t just ride arms incessant and not expect them to fall off.

The immoderate moderator

by NYRoyal on Jan 22, 2009 6:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Just to add to that

Meche was in the top 10 in pitches thrown in each of the last two years. I think his risk injury is significant. And Greinke went way over the “Rule of 30” last year, so there’s some real injury risk for Greinke in 2009 as well.

The immoderate moderator

by NYRoyal on Jan 22, 2009 6:40 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs