“Live from New York…. it’s Saturday Night!”…. words first uttered… um, well, I have no idea when. “NBC’s Saturday Night” debuted tonight in 1975. It wouldn’t be called “Saturday Night Live” until 1977. Why? Because none other than Howard Cosell had the rights to that name in 1975. George Carlin hosted the first edition and opened with his monologue comparing baseball and football. The musical guest was Janis Ian and she sang her horribly depressing, “At Seventeen.”

Not so depressing were the Not Ready For Prime Time Players, the zany band that was the first cast of SNL. Led by Dan Akroyd, John Belushi and Chevy Chase, the show was like nothing anyone had ever seen before on television and it was an instant hit. Chevy Chase left after one year and was replaced by Bill Murray. Sort of like pinch-hitting for Alex Rodriguez.

Best musical performance ever on SNL? Obviously up for debate, but I’ll go with this one.

Best Male Performer: Will Ferrell Best Female: Kristen Wiig

Michelle Wie turns 23 today, wasn’t she supposed to be a thing by now?

Today in 1984 Mario Lemieux made his NHL debut. First goal came on his first shot during his first shift. That’s pretty much how it went for Super Mario.

— Bill Hubbell