Major League Baseball has a grumpy old fart problem — and it knows it.
The league’s official Twitter on Tuesday shared a hype-up video for the playoffs, which finally are here. The clip features hall of famer Ken Griffey Jr. taking baseball purists to task for their get-off-my-lawn takes, such as no bat-flipping and no excessive display of emotion.
MLB essentially (and refreshingly) is saying forget the unwritten rules; anything goes in the postseason.
Rewrite the rules. #postseason pic.twitter.com/bPGdECFVbi
— MLB (@MLB) October 2, 2018
The league obviously is targeting baseball grumps in general, but it seemingly takes specific aim at two targets: Joe Buck and Joe Simpson.
(Just a couple of Joes, ya know?!)
Buck, who you can hear say “this is a new low” at the end of the clip, is a curious target, considering he broadcasts the World Series games. Furthermore, the longtime play-by-play man typically isn’t that obnoxious — except for that one time in the NFL.
Simpson, however, definitely deserves to get trolled.
The Atlanta Braves broadcaster rightfully took heat this season for criticizing Los Angeles Dodgers players for their outfits during batting practice. Call us crazy, but the “respect the jersey” line in the video seems like a direct shot at Simpson.
In any event, MLB obviously is just messing around with Simpson and Buck. Furthermore, the league deserves props for making a hype video that’s actually entertaining.