St. Paul Saints fire back at John Oliver with 'Plain Night'
Fans at Thursday's game between the St. Paul Saints and Norfolk Tides can expect to receive a plain piece of white paper and be treated to in-game entertainment that includes a PowerPoint presentation and white bread.
Weird? Yes. Fun? Remains to be seen. A clever jab at comedian John Oliver? Yup.
Oliver featured the Saints in an episode of Last Week Tonight, admonishing the team for having a boring name when other Triple-A baseball teams have names like the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, El Paso Chihuahuas, Sugar Land Space Cowboys, or the Toledo Mud Hens.
Oliver offered a "total rebrand" to one minor league club, a rebrand in which the team would be allowed no input. However, on Sunday, he revealed that the team getting that treatment is the Erie SeaWolves.
In response, "the Saints are leaning into the dullard nature of their name for a Meh type of game," the team says. On May 22, it'll host "Plain Night," a promotion dedicated to being as boring as possible.
The first 1,000 fans will get a sheet of plain white paper as Thursday's giveaway. Then, during the game, the peanut toss will be replaced by white bread being thrown at fans during the seventh-inning stretch.
That will come after a PowerPoint presentation on the jumbotron featuring all the team names that the Saints didn't take when it was founded in 1993. The names include the Accountants, Municipals, and Eastern Gray Squirrels. (I get it, but that last one is actually pretty solid and could have a great mascot.)
If you want to get on the jumbotron during this historic night, don't wear a costume. The team plans to only show fans who are wearing khaki pants and a tucked-in shirt. Those fans won't be enjoying standard ballpark treats, either. The team says it'll only be serving vanilla ice cream as a dessert during the game.
Additionally, anyone with the name John or Oliver will get in free, with the team adding that those are "two of the Top 150 generic men's names in the world."
"In a world full of fireworks, pigs delivering baseball to umpires, and Fun is Good, the Saints are boldly choosing to do less," the team said in an announcement. "Wear your beige, tuck in that polo, and prepare for a night that redefines 'just fine.' Baseball will be played. Possibly. Fun will be had. Arguably."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
John Oliver Calls Attention To Air Traffic Control Crisis With FAA Ad Spoof Featuring Lil Rel Howery, Keyla Monterroso Mejia & H. Jon Benjamin
Back after the Memorial Day weekend break, John Oliver wasted no time soaring through a topic needing urgent attention: the air traffic control crisis that has been looming and ongoing for years due to lack of investment. Beginning Last Week Tonight, the host made a quip about a 2023 headline concerning a FedEx plane that nearly crashed into a Southwest airliner in Austin. More from Deadline Nathan Fielder Calls FAA "Very Dumb" Over Response To 'The Rehearsal' John Oliver Delivers The "Hot Take" WBD Was Expecting On HBO Max's Rebrand, Comparing It To Gulf Name Change: "F-- You, Don't Tell Me What To Do" Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Comedic Standout On Everything From 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' To 'The Studio', Signs With Artists First 'Well, that is terrifying! Planes should definitely not be landing on top of each other and I say that knowing that there is a nonzero chance Tom Cruise will hear me and immediately greenlight a new Mission: Impossible to do exactly that himself,' Oliver said. 'I am not saying that he is trying to die on camera, I'm just saying the only way Tom Cruise passes away peacefully in his bed is if the bed is being dropped into an active volcano to somehow save the 'live moviegoing experience.'' Throughout the episode, Oliver outlined how the U.S. history of aviation has led to the problem, saying, 'as with so many things on this show, at least some of the blame lies with Ronald Reagan,' pointing to the 11,000 air traffic controllers the late president fired amid a massive union strike — a number that was never quite recuperated. From the Federal Aviation Administration's designation as discretionary spending and not mandatory to low success and recruitment rates, Oliver remarked that the challenging nature of the role itself — and the lack of funding the field receives — is 'like Squid Game if the prize of Squid Game was to just keeping doing Squid Game as a job.' Thus the segment culminated in an ad spoofing a real FAA spot played earlier in the evening, featuring actors H. Jon Benjamin (Bob's Burgers), Lauren Adams (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out) and Keyla Monterroso Mejia (The Studio) as beleaguered workers. What begins as a seemingly normal advert quickly descends into chaos as the staff deals with bats, bees and broken elevators (all real problems reported by air traffic controllers). 'My father was an air traffic controller, and I feel a real connection with him here at this job, especially because this is the exact same computer he used,' Benjamin's character remarks as he points to a sticker that reads 'Dukakis for President '88.' 'He had to retire because the doctor said he had more ulcer than stomach. What are you gonna do?' Meanwhile, in a moment parodying the real technology lag in control towers, Mejia's young worker is shown confused when faced with a floppy disk, opting to put it into the toaster. 'It's a lot like a video game, except we can never hit pause, there are no extra lives and instead of NPCs, it's you and your loved ones,' her character says. As the filming of the parody gets interrupted by power outages ('Dave, one flush, we talked about this!' Benjamin yells out to Howery's character), Mejia's plea to her colleagues to return from a photo op — 'I'm juggling like seven f—ing flights' — ends the sketch. Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
John Oliver Calls Attention To Air Traffic Control Crisis With FAA Ad Spoof Featuring Lil Rel Howery, Keyla Monterroso Mejia & H. Jon Benjamin
Back after the Memorial Day weekend break, John Oliver wasted no time soaring through a topic needing urgent attention: the air traffic control crisis that has been looming and ongoing for years due to lack of investment. Beginning Last Week Tonight, the host made a quip about a 2023 headline concerning a FedEx plane that nearly crashed into a Southwest airliner in Austin. More from Deadline Nathan Fielder Calls FAA "Very Dumb" Over Response To 'The Rehearsal' John Oliver Delivers The "Hot Take" WBD Was Expecting On HBO Max's Rebrand, Comparing It To Gulf Name Change: "F-- You, Don't Tell Me What To Do" Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Comedic Standout On Everything From 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' To 'The Studio', Signs With Artists First 'Well, that is terrifying! Planes should definitely not be landing on top of each other and I say that knowing that there is a nonzero chance Tom Cruise will hear me and immediately greenlight a new Mission: Impossible to do exactly that himself,' Oliver said. 'I am not saying that he is trying to die on camera, I'm just saying the only way Tom Cruise passes away peacefully in his bed is if the bed is being dropped into an active volcano to somehow save the 'live moviegoing experience.'' Throughout the episode, Oliver outlined how the U.S. history of aviation has led to the problem, saying, 'as with so many things on this show, at least some of the blame lies with Ronald Reagan,' pointing to the 11,000 air traffic controllers the late president fired amid a massive union strike — a number that was never quite recuperated. From the Federal Aviation Administration's designation as discretionary spending and not mandatory to low success and recruitment rates, Oliver remarked that the challenging nature of the role itself — and the lack of funding the field receives — is 'like Squid Game if the prize of Squid Game was to just keeping doing Squid Game as a job.' Thus the segment culminated in an ad spoofing a real FAA spot played earlier in the evening, featuring actors H. Jon Benjamin (Bob's Burgers), Lauren Adams (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out) and Keyla Monterroso Mejia (The Studio) as beleaguered workers. What begins as a seemingly normal advert quickly descends into chaos as the staff deals with bats, bees and broken elevators (all real problems reported by air traffic controllers). 'My father was an air traffic controller, and I feel a real connection with him here at this job, especially because this is the exact same computer he used,' Benjamin's character remarks as he points to a sticker that reads 'Dukakis for President '88.' 'He had to retire because the doctor said he had more ulcer than stomach. What are you gonna do?' Meanwhile, in a moment parodying the real technology lag in control towers, Mejia's young worker is shown confused when faced with a floppy disk, opting to put it into the toaster. 'It's a lot like a video game, except we can never hit pause, there are no extra lives and instead of NPCs, it's you and your loved ones,' her character says. As the filming of the parody gets interrupted by power outages ('Dave, one flush, we talked about this!' Benjamin yells out to Howery's character), Mejia's plea to her colleagues to return from a photo op — 'I'm juggling like seven f—ing flights' — ends the sketch. Best of Deadline Sean 'Diddy' Combs Sex-Trafficking Trial Updates: Cassie Ventura's Testimony, $10M Hotel Settlement, Drugs, Violence, & The Feds 'Poker Face' Season 2 Guest Stars: From Katie Holmes To Simon Hellberg 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Tonys, Emmys, Oscars & More
Yahoo
14 hours ago
- Yahoo
Saints Countdown To Kickoff With The History Of Number 98
Saints Countdown To Kickoff With The History Of Number 98 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Chris Rumph II joined the New Orleans Saints as a free agent this offseason. He'll be reunited with Brandon Staley, who coached him for his first three NFL seasons with the Chargers and is the new defensive coordinator for New Orleans. Advertisement A fourth-round pick out of Duke in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Chargers, Rumph had just 3 sacks, 9 QB hits, and 4 tackles for loss as a reserve in his first three years. He missed the 2024 season with an Achilles injury. Rumph is the latest to wear the number 98 for the Saints. With 98 days until the 2025-26 season opener for New Orleans, here's a look at the other notable Saints players who have worn 98 during the regular season in franchise history. Saints History of 98 Nov 17, 2019; New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins (98) rushes against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-Imagn Images • Reggie Lewis, DE (1982-84) • Milford Hodge, DE (1986) • Jim Hanna, DT (1994) • Ron Warner, DE (1998) • Willie Whitehead, DE/DT (1999-2006) Advertisement • Renaldo Wynn, DE (2007) • Sedrick Ellis, DT (2008-12) • Parys Haralson, LB (2013-14) • Mike Mohamed, LB (2015) • Sheldon Rankins, DT (2016-20) • Payton Turner (2021-24) • Chris Rumph II, Edge (present) September 26, 2010; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan (2) is sacked by New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis (98). Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook - Imagn Images The first to wear 98 in franchise history, Lewis had his best season in 1983 with 6.5 sacks and an interception return for a touchdown. Hodge, Hanna, and Warner each played less than a season with New Orleans, combining for only nine games with the team. Whitehead was an underrated contributor for an outstanding defensive line in the early 2000s. His eight-year totals included 24.5 sacks and 40 tackles for loss. He remains the longest-tenured player to wear 98 for New Orleans. Advertisement Most view Ellis as one of the bigger draft busts in Saints history. The seventh overall choice in the 2008 NFL Draft out of USC, he was with the team for five years then out of the NFL altogether. Over that five-year span, Ellis had a combined 12.5 sacks, 30 QB hits, and 18 stops for loss. Jan. 13, 2007; New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Willie Whitehead chases down Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jeff Garcia (7). Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-Imagn Images © 2006 John David Mercer Haralson was a decent player for an otherwise awful New Orleans defense. The final two years of his eight-year career were with the Saints. Wynn and Mohammed collectively played less than a year with the Saints, combining for only 13 games. The 12th overall choice in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Louisville, Rankins had a very good five-year tenure in New Orleans. Over that time, he had a combined 19.5 sacks, 73 QB hits, and 47 tackles for loss. Nov 7, 2021; New Orleans Saints defensive end Payton Turner (98) is blocked by Atlanta Falcons offensive tackle Jake Matthews (70). Mandatory Credit: Chuck Cook-Imagn Images Turner joins Ellis on the Saints list of historical draft busts. The 28th overall choice in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Houston, he made a miniscule impact in his four years with the Saints before signing with Dallas this offseason. Of a possible 68 games with New Orleans, Turner played in only 31 contests and had just 5 sacks, 11 QB hits, and 11 tackles for negative yardage. Advertisement With any luck, Chris Rumph II will have an impact closer to what Whitehead and Rankins did for the team rather than Turner and Ellis. Related: Saints Countdown To Kickoff With History Of Number 99 Related: Pro Football Focus Snubs Saints In Under-25 Rankings Related: Saints Quarterback Ranking According To Pro Football Focus Related: Most Underrated Saints Player Highlighted By PFF Related: Trevor Penning May Have A New Home On Saints Offensive Line This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
