News

Might Tina Fey Take Over Saturday Night Live?

Plus: The Phils flop. A PLCB mishap. And … a bar cart on the El?


Tina Fey, who is rumored to be in talks to take over <em>Saturday Night Live</em> (Getty Images)

Tina Fey, who is rumored to be in talks to take over Saturday Night Live (Getty Images)

Check phillymag.com each morning Monday through Friday for the latest edition of Philly Today. And if you have a news tip for our hardworking Philly Mag reporters, please direct it here. You can also use that form to send us reader mail. We love reader mail!

Could Tina Fey Soon Take Over at Saturday Night Live?

Upper Darby native and Pica’s Pizza enthusiast Tina Fey is reportedly in talks to become the executive producer of Saturday Night Live when longtime lord Lorne Michaels leaves the show, the New York Post reported late last week. A spokesperson for NBC denied the report. Michaels created the long-running late-night show in 1975.

Fey was hired as a Saturday Night Live writer in 1997 under head writer Adam McKay, who also happens to be from the Philly area. She soon appeared in sketches and then became a major fixture in the weekly cast. Fey stuck around as a cast member until 2006 and has come back to host several times.

In other Tina Fey news, she’s coming to the Met for a rare area appearance in December. The cheapest available tickets start at $200! Before that, her Mean Girls musical makes a stop on Broad Street.

More John Fetterman Features

Following up on his new Time magazine cover story, Pennsylvania’s newest U.S senator had an interview in the New York Times this weekend.

Surprise, Surprise

The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s recent rollout of a new online ordering system for bars and restaurants is going less than smoothly — and reenforcing calls for the state to GTFO of the liquor business.

What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Apparently there’s a bar cart on the Frankford El now …

The Great Sheetz vs. Wawa Debate

In the weekend’s ill-fated Phils series with the Pirates, the latter’s scoreboard operator was casting some big shade our way.

By the Numbers:

$1,624: Amount raised so far by a GoFundMe for Delia King, the artist whose work was destroyed when a trolley smashed into the historic house she was renting in Southwest Philly on Thursday. It’s actually the second such fund-raiser for King in the past few years; she was flooded out of her historic home in Darby by Tropical Storm Isaias in 2020.

$1.05 billion: Estimated worth of tomorrow night’s Mega Millions drawing, so if you’re feeling lucky …

And from the Oh-Hell Sports Desk …

It was all quiet on the western PA front Friday night when the Phils played the Pirates for the first two innings, if you discount wasted doubles by Kyle Schwarber and Bryson Stott against Pittsburgh starter Mitch Keller. Zack Wheeler was on the mound for us, mowing down batters one-two-three through three. In the top of of the third, Brandon Marsh walked and Schwarbs homered him around for the 2-0 lead.

The Phils couldn’t score in the fourth despite three straight singles, and the Pirates got one back in the bottom on a single, a walk and a double. With two outs in the sixth, Alec Bohm walked, eliciting a pitching change: Ryan Borucki in, and he struck out Marsh. Schwarbs notched a one-out walk in the top of the seventh, and Trea Turner hit into a double play. With two outs and two strikes on the batter for the Pirates in the seventh, the heavens opened, the tarp came out, the tarp got heavy, the crew couldn’t get it over the infield — yikes. Maybe a lot of smaller tarps, guys? Hey, but what do I know?

They were back half an hour later. Wheeler was done, which was a pity, but Jeff Hoffman finished the strikeout. For the eighth, the Pirates brought in José Hernández, who handed out a walk and two Ks before coming out for Yerry De Los Santos, who got a ground-out. Josh Palacios got a one-out single in the bottom half, and Rob Thomson brought in Gregory Soto to hold the line. Connor Joe smacked a single, but then ah-hah! A double play!

On to the ninth, and a one-out Marsh single. With two outs, Schwarbs walked, and Turner got the bases loaded on an easy out after the Pirates shortstop just … dropped the ball. That meant new pitcher Carmen Mlodzinski, who got Harper to line out. Craig Kimbrel, in to finish them off, gave up two long fly balls that made the crowd go “Ohh!,” then a walk. No pressure, my man. No worries! A short fly, and it was all over: 2-1 win. Nice work!

Saturday’s game saw Aaron Nola pitching vs. Quinn Priester for the Pirates, and neither had much trouble through two and a half, but Liover Peguero solo-homered to lead off the bottom of the third. Bohm walked and Stott doubled to start the fourth, J.T. walked on four pitches, and holy hell, with two outs, Marsh doubled three runs home!

Cave then doubled in another before Schwarbs … struck out. The Pirates got three back on two doubles and a Peguero single in the bottom half: 4-3. Yikes. They started the fifth with a single and a walk, and Harper’s first error at first loaded the bases with one out. Marsh just missed a fly to center, and the Pirates were up 6-4. A single scored yet another, and Yunior Marte came in to get the last out. A Stott single and walks by J.T. and Turner loaded them in the sixth to end Priester’s night and bring on Borucki against Marsh, whose grounder caught Stott coming home. Johan Rojas, pinch-hitting for Cave, struck out, but a walk to Schwarbs made it 7-5 before J.T. struck out. Matt Strahm replaced Marte, and Rojas helped him out with a spectacular diving catch.

Turner got a single in the eighth off De Los Santos, Marsh walked, and a Rojas single scored a run, but Schwarbs and Castellanos both struck out to end the rally. Dylan Covey came in for Strahm and gave up a single but nothing more. In the bottom of the ninth, Bohm walked after another Harper strikeout, and a Stott single sent him to third. J.T. hit into a goddamn double play: game over, 7-6. Bummed.

On Sunday afternoon, once again, nothing much doing in the early innings as the Phils faced 43-year-old Pirates starter Rich Hill and the Pirates looked at Cristopher Sánchez, who’s almost half Hill’s age. In the fourth, though, after Harper walked, Bohm whacked a homer. Sánchez didn’t allow a hit through five, but Thomson brought in Seranthony for the sixth; Connor Joe singled off him, and Bryan Reynolds homered to tie the game. Great, great. He then gave up a walk and a single and came out for Hoffman with one out and two on. Bad outing. Palacios loaded them up with a single, but Hoff notched two outs.

In the seventh, Stubbs walked, Rojas moved him to second with a sac fly, Schwarbs walked, and Stubbs scored on a grounder that got past Joe at first. Bohm singled home another before Turner struck out; Turner then let Joe get to first on a fielding error, and he scored on an error by Rojas. Unbelievable. Marte, in to pitch the eighth, allowed a single and a double, a ground-out, and a sac fly that tied it at 4-4. With a runner on third, he managed a strikeout. Could be worse.

For the ninth, closer David Bednar struck out Rojas and walked Schwarbs, but allowed nothing more. Craig Kimbrel time. Joe, up to bat, singled to right, and Kimbrel whacked a batter, then dealt three straight outs. Free baseball! Harper started the 10th at second with Bohm at bat. He hit a grounder to third, and the throw to first got past Joe, putting Bohm on second and Harper on third. Turner? Turner? His fly ball was caught, but so was Harper, trying to come home. “Daycare” is right. And Sosa struck out. Andrew Vasquez gave up a two-run homer to birthday boy Palacios: 6-4 Pirates. I went to mow the lawn.

Monday, the Phils head to FL for the first in a four-game series with the Marlins; first pitch is at 6:40. BTW, the Eagles jumped the gun on that Kelly green uni reveal. You know what Darius Slay is looking forward to most?