Dodgers rookie is admittedly unfamiliar with Jerry Seinfeld

This isn’t a story about nothing. It’s a story about Cody Bellinger, a 21-year-old Dodgers rookie who before Friday night couldn’t identify comedy and television icon Jerry Seinfeld if his life depended on it.

Bellinger has made quite a name for himself in his brief MLB career, crushing a remarkable 22 home runs during his first 54 games. He’s arguably the biggest reason why the Los Angeles Dodgers are the hottest team in baseball right now, and have recently taken over first place in the National League West.

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But that’s not why people are talking about Bellinger on Saturday.

Fans and teammates alike have bombarded him with comments varying from surprise to even disdain after admitting in an interview with ESPN’s Scott Van Pelt that he knew Seinfeld’s name, but couldn’t put a name to the face or tell us what Seinfeld was famous for.

In unison, an entire generation agrees there is something wrong with that.

Needless to say, Van Pelt was incredulous by Bellinger’s revelation. Then there was teammate Alex Wood, who took time from celebrating his eighth victory on Friday night to post this on Twitter.

The Seinfeld conversation actually stemmed from this tweet from Dodgers pitcher and Twitter aficionado Brandon McCarthy.

Seinfeld, of course, is the biggest Mets’ fan in the world. You didn’t have to watch his show to know that. Also, the suggestion that his mood is impacted by the Mets play probably has some merit too, but that’s beside the point here.

What we have is a pretty startling reminder that as we get older, the new generation will always get younger. And the gap between generations is even wider now with the advancement of technology and the increased options on television and streaming devices.

What was cool in 1998, when Seinfeld’s show signed off the air, is barely on the radar now. Because where cable and syndication once kept shows like “I Love Lucy” alive for several generations, Netflix is now introducing millennials to something new almost every day.

Simply put, it’s not Cody Bellinger’s fault he was born in 1995. But it will be our fault if we don’t let the new generation know what they’re missing.

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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