The current title was derived from a book Matthews wrote in 1988 , Hardball : How Politics Is Played Told by One Who Knows the Game .
It originally aired on now - defunct America 's Talking ( as Politics with Chris Matthews ) and later CNBC .
The current title was derived from a book Chris Matthews wrote in 1988 , Hardball : How Politics Is Played Told by One Who Knows the Game .
It originally aired on now - defunct America 's Talking ( as Politics with Chris Matthews ) and later CNBC .