Damon and Meyers Help Yankees Fans Handle 2002 Playoff Loss on SNL

Nbc: During the Season 28 premiere of Saturday Night Live on October 5, 2002, host Matt Damon and writer Seth Meyers used a Weekend Update segment to help Yankees fans cope after the team was eliminated from the playoffs by the Anaheim Angels.

The sketch leaned on Damon and Meyers' identities as Red Sox fans and offered a series of do's and don'ts. Advice included "Remember to breathe," with Damon saying, "But when the ball went through Buckner's legs in '86, I was hospitalized for like a week." Meyers warned against burning team paraphernalia: "That stuff is expensive to replace, and you will get arrested." Other tips were to try a different sport—"You still have the Jets"—enjoy the fall season ("It's God's way of apologizing") and "look on the bright side," with Damon referencing Ted Williams being "cryogenically frozen by his scumbag son." Meyers also suggested finding someone else to blame: "Blame the umpires or make up some crazy story about a curse," and advised fans not to blame themselves.

The clip is available to watch, and the piece notes the tips might be useful "as Super Bowl LX approaches," followed by the start of a new baseball season in March; Damon's Season 28 premiere episode can be streamed on Peacock.

Key Topics

Culture, Matt Damon, Seth Meyers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Saturday Night Live