Kevin James when he appeared on the show. At issue was a controversial speech made by President George W. Bush in Israel, where he appeared to claim that statements made by United States presidential candidate Barack Obama were tantamount to Neville Chamberlain's actions of "Nazi appeasement" in 1938. James agreed with the notion that Obama's positions were like Chamberlain's policy of appeasement but was unable to elaborate on what exactly Chamberlain did. In popular culture The show has been spoofed by Saturday Night Live, with Darrell Hammond portraying Chris Matthews. One of the first instances was during the Florida election recount, following the unclear results of the 2000 United States presidential election. Hardball appeared on the October 9, 2005 episode of The West Wing, "Message of the Week" (which was written by frequent Hardball guest Lawrence O'Donnell), with Chris Matthews playing himself. He interviews fictional Republican presidential candidate Arnold Vinick (played by Alan Alda) and pressures him about his views on immigration. The tough nature of Matthews' questions prompts the character of Josh Lyman, a strategist for Vinick's opponent, to shout: "Yeah! Welcome to Hardball, Arnie!" The show was featured in the February 22, 2007 30 Rock episode "Hard Ball", in which series character Jenna Maroney came on the show to explain about how she was misquoted in Maxim magazine about US military troops. She humiliated herself even further when she confused Barack Obama with Osama bin Laden, after she mentioned whom she would support for U.S. president in 2008. The 2008 film Swing Vote contains several segments of Chris Matthews delivering commentary on Hardball that relates to the film's plot line. Matthews received a credited cameo for recording the segments. The Hardball Award The Hardball Award is an award created in 2009 that recognizes an individual "who displays a combination of guts and political moxie to win not just the day but our fondest admiration." The award is not given on a regular basis; instead, it is given when someone displays character consistent with the award. Recipients: Roland Burris: Given on January 9, 2009, for his efforts to retain his seat, which was appointed controversially by Rod Blagojevich. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger: Given on January 16, 2009, for his courage in his successful emergency water landing of US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River. Rep. Gary Ackerman: Given on February 6, 2009, for speaking out against the U.S. Securities