‘Anchorman’ Is So Old That Young MLB Players Have Never Heard of It

Padres fans, be warned — if Fernando Tatis Jr. ever says, “Go f– yourself, San Diego,” he’s not making a joke, and it’s definitely not on the teleprompter.

Arguably the most quotable entry in Will Ferrell’s profoundly quotable filmography, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy was one of the most beloved comedies on the planet. In 2004. 19 years ago. Yes, Adam McKay’s masterwork is old enough to go to war, though not yet older to order a drink — except for milk, of course. Though the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has not yet settled on an official definition for the term “Old Movie,” Anchorman grows more aged with each passing moment to the point where we can now say the words “Stay classy, San Diego” to a person who literally lives in the Whale’s Vagina and they’ll have no idea what you’re talking about.

Last night, fans watching the Sunday Night Baseball broadcast of the clash between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres witnessed a deeply uncomfortable moment when, in the middle of an on-field interview, color commentator and former player Eduardo Pérez asked the Padres’ star outfielder Tatis if he’d ever seen Anchorman — it turns out that they didn’t have a screening for the classic in Tatis’ kindergarten class.

Making a reference that flies over the head of a young person and into the bleachers is a rite of passage that everyone lucky enough to grow old eventually experiences — at some point, most people’s favorite movies fade out of the zeitgeist for the generations below them. So I empathize with Pérez for how casually Tatis turned the announcer’s booth into a glass case of emotion.