JOHNNY MAC IS SURPRISE GUEST

Roddick rides 'SNL' down, down, down

By Ron Cioffi
tennisreporters.net

NBC's "Saturday Night Live" double faults!

Game, set and match against Andy Roddick!

Two bad tennis puns. Yes, I admit it.

But "SNL" outdid me by a five-set- match worth of unforced errors as it presented 90 minutes of comedy-less television with victim Andy Roddick as host.

Even a surprise doubles partner – famed tennis bad-boy turned commentator-guru John McEnroe – couldn't fight off the barrage of bad jokes, poor casting and forced tennis references.

The debacle bottomed out in a "Battle of the Sexes II" skit with cast member Fred Armisen as Billie Jean King facing off with Roddick. The absurd sketch started with Armisen looking nothing like BJK and her trademark round eyeglasses. The actor's "trash" talk maligned the sports pioneer's articulate presence. When they got on the court, Roddick was depicted casually batting back King's clumsy shots while lounging in a beach recliner. Then they put the score – seven sets – all bagels won by Roddick. Who thought this was funny?

The only highlight of the tennis skit was Darrell Hammond impersonating Bud Collins, using a Bostonian version of the raspy delivery that the actor so wonderfully employed for Bill Clinton.
McEnroe also shot in a few good lines with a more natural delivery than Andy's. But, according to the sorry "SNL" script, Johnny Mac had to complain about bad line calls. "Are you serious?"

HE AIN'T NO CHRISSY EVERT

NBC

Roddick is the first tennis player to host the show since Chris Evert's performance in the 1980s. In some of the funniest tennis comedy ever, a Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time player gamely portrayed Evert's rival, Martina Navratilova, repeatedly appearing out of nowhere to duel Chrissy. Evert couldn't take a mountain hike without getting challenged by the overzealous "Martina."

Andy wasn't so lucky. He started out like most non-actors debuting on "SNL:" nervous, inexperienced and awed by the surroundings. After playing a "I can take care of myself" teenager (not much of a stretch), a sexy gynecologist and Andre Agassi (more on that later), he found one role which fit him well. There he was as one of three teenage types hosting a "Jock Talk" TV show filmed in the basement. (Wow, this is original. Did the writers forget they created "Wayne's World" decades ago?) The only thing on the minds of the mindless trio was pumping iron and saying "dude." Very imaginative.

The most clever skit was "Tennis Talk" featuring Andre Agassi at three different eras of his life: 1992, the present and the "future Agassi," each sporting the appropriate hairstyle. Andy got a choice part, looking bald and buff as Andre of today. Roddick played this one well, with a cool deadpan delivery. The concept was inventive; the jokes had some bite; 1992 Agassi couldn't believe that later in life he would split with his first wife, the comely actress Brooke Shields.

What dampened this witty scene was the role of the host. Maya Rudolph was saddled with playing "time traveler Scott Joplin." She would ask a question and then whirl around to a piano and fake playing one of the composer's ragtime classics. Why befuddle the skit with this absurd character?

But, hey, Andy got to introduce one of his fav musical acts, the Dave Matthews Band. And his spiked hair didn't look too bad. Not a bad night's work for the world's No. 1 ranked player. I guess, dude.