Will Ferrell loves two things: comedy and sports.
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It shows in his comedy. The former SNL cast member has been labeled a member of the "Hollywood Frat Pack" alongside collaborators Vince Vaughn, Owen Wilson and Jack Black for his bro-specific comedic stylings. Ferrell is a member of the actual Delta Tau Delta Fraternity and is famous for playing man-children, the type you might expect to find at a frat party.
But Ferrell was never a meathead. He's a current co-owner of the MLS franchise LAFC alongside sports superstars Mia Hamm and Magic Johnson, but Ferrell's first love is laughter. He put his talents to work during his legendary stint on SNL, playing a wide range of zany characters.
Between his first cold open to his final night on Weekend Update, Will Ferrell etched himself into SNL's Mount Rushmore.
Will Ferrell's beloved characters sometimes appear normal from the outset but behave more and more outrageously as the sketch rolls on. Such is the case with one of Ferrell's most famous sports-related skits from SNL season 24, "The Loud Baseball Dad," AKA "Get on the Bag, Brandon!"
Will Ferrell's "Loud Baseball Dad" Sketch
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The best way to ruin comedy is to over-explain it. Watch the skit and enjoy.
Ferrell loves the contrast between the ordinary and the outrageous. (Perhaps that's why so many of his characters are one or the other — boringly well-adjusted or practically a cartoon.)
On the zanier side of the spectrum, we see Mugatu from "Zoolander" or Ron Burgundy from "Anchorman." On the ordinary side of things, we have Harold Crick from "Stranger than Fiction" and James King from "Get Hard."
But here, in this classic SNL sketch, Ferrell strikes a balance between ordinary and outrageous. The result, of course, is just outrageous.
The sketch starts on a typical Saturday morning in the park. The sun is shining as parents fill the stands of a Little League game, eager to cheer on their children. Chris Parnell, Tim Meadows and guest star Sarah Michelle Gellar play the parents. Horatio Sanz plays a fed-up umpire, and Ferrell plays the screaming, beer-drinking father.
Here a few of his best lines:
"Brandon, get on the damn bag!"
"Hey, son, are you trying to make an ass of me?"
"I will chain you to a pipe in a crawl space if you don't get on the bag, now get on the bag!"
Baseball Dad is far from Ferrell's most famous sketch, but it is one of his most famous sports-related sketches. Ferrell has a long-standing love and respect for sports, beginning in his childhood and coming out in his professional comedy career.
The sad part about this sketch is how painfully true it is. Attend any youth sports game and you'll find a dad like this. I guarantee it.
This sketch was an early flash of Ferrell's sports-comedy brilliance, foretelling of over-the-top characters yet to come. It's not his most famous, but the sketch is a reminder of one crucial thing: just stay on the damn bag!
