Americans love lists, traditions, and institutions. We just completed another NFL season, culminating with Super Bowl 59. Wrestlemania 41 is a little over a month away. And this Sunday, Saturday Night Live will be celebrating its 50th season with a massive 50th anniversary live show.
With that in mind, a ton of lists are popping up…best cast members, best skits, best hosts, best musical guests…etc. I’m old enough to remember the first cast, in essence, the Founding Fathers, who were dubbed “Not Ready For Primetime.” Considering the show has made it 50 seasons, it initially did something to capture the country’s pulse and has made superstardom for many comedians.
With that in mind, I’ve put together my top 15 list of cast members. I chose 15 because that number encompasses a baseball team’s starting lineup, with a DH and closer.
Here is my list, 1-15, with the position I can see them playing:
- John Belushi, 3B: Belushi was a strong, physical comedian with great instincts and more athleticism than one would expect.
- Chris Farley, 1B: The same holds true for Farley, but he wasn’t as athletic as Beluchi and didn’t have the stamina that Belushi had.
- Bill Murray, C: Murray is a tremendous baseball fan and avid golfer. He has a reputation for being a demanding actor, and catchers tend to control the game from behind the plate.
- Adam Sandler, SS: Like Murray, Sandler is athletic, often showing some basketball skills in his movies. Shortstop is in the perfect position for him.
- Will Ferrell, No.1 starter: He actually did a tongue-in-cheek mockumentary playing every position on the same day during Spring Training. And when he was on the mound, he looked like a natural.
- Mike Myers, No.5 starter: He’s not the biggest guy in the world, and isn’t overly athletic, but he can throw a little, and is ok as a back of the rotation starter.
- Eddie Murphy, CF: Murphy is fast, or at least he looks that way in movies like 48 hrs. and Beverly Hills Cop. He makes the perfect leadoff hitter, trying to tailor his game to Ricky Henderson’s.
- Dan Aykroyd, closer: Aykroyd has the size and attitude to flourish in the closer role. As the second member of the original cast on this list, he has the temperament to get the last three outs of a game. The stress of closing won’t affect him at all.
- Molly Shannon, RF: Shannon is the first woman on this list, cracking the top 10. There are so many worthy female cast members, but I think Shannon noses out all the rest. There are two other women who made the cut and so many who just missed. None of the women from the original cast are here, but Larraine Neumann, Gilda Radner, and Jane Curtin were sublime.
- Kate MacKinnon, 2B: McKinnon was a close second to Shannon, but the Schwetty Balls skit with Alec Baldwin is what gave Shannon the slight edge. Based on MacKinnon’s slight frame, 2B is the logical (and only position) that works for her.
- Bill Hader, No.3 starter: To see Hader’s physique, he just looks like a starter. He just missed out on cracking the top 10. His major character on the show was Stefon, but his overall resume is a tad weak.
- Jimmy Fallon, LF: Fallon is on this list for a few reasons. He famously would crack up and break character in skits…which actually added to the humor. His rapport with Justin Timberlake was amazing in everything they did on the show, most notably “The Barry Gibb Talk Show” skit. He parlayed his time on SNL to be the host of the crown jewel of late-night TV, The Tonight Show. He also starred in a Farrelly Brothers baseball movie with Drew Barrymore, Fever Pitch, about a rabid Red Sox fan.
- Maya Rudolph, DH: Rudolph is the last female cast member to make this list. And while it may seem odd for her to be the DH, she is meticulous at her craft, impersonating so many women. Her best two impersonations are Beyonce and Kamala Harris. Although she won’t jerk too many out of the park, with her dedication to perfection, she will be a solid contact hitter with a high AVG and OBP.
- Jason Sudeikis, No.2 starter: He, like Ferrell, is a striking figure on the mound, and he has some experience with sports. He played Jesse Owens’ track coach in the movie “Race” and Ted Lasso in the spoof TV series about a soccer coach.
- Andy Samberg, No.4 starter: The D*ck in a Box skit with Justin Timberlake is enough to have Samberg on this list. He has a wiry frame and live arm. He’s the definition of an innings eater.
That’s my list of the top 15 SNL cast members over the last 50 years. There are so many who could have cracked the list. Dana Carvey, Darell Hammond, and Phil Hartman come to mind, as do Fred Armison and Jon Lovitz…not to mention other females, like Cheri Oteri, Jan Hooks, Ana Gastyer, or Tina Fey and Amy Pohler.
But as with any list, it is meant to be debated. So, let the debate begin.