Apple TV bizarrely burns Yankees ahead of Friday night clash with Blue Jays

Call Ted Lasso and convince him to deliver his trademark brand of schmaltzy motivational speeches, because the New York Yankees and Apple TV have beef.

The Yankees have an exclusive broadcast partnership with Prime, which might've led to this resentment, but regardless of team-specific exclusivities, they still willingly participate in MLB's Apple TV package. Friday, the Yankees and Blue Jays will face off in the Bombers' first Apple TV game of the year, and that's the only place you can watch.

First, Apple places Boston's own Katie Nolan in the booth for Aaron Judge's home run chase during a set of September Yankees-Sox games. Katie rules, but ... it's not exactly a secret she doesn't like us. It's proudly her thing.

Now, whoever's running social for Apple TV is using their Friday to take shots at the Yankees' facial hair policy.

Sorry, is this social caption Aaron Hicks? Because it's completely out of left field.

Why did Apple TV diss Yanks ahead of Yankees vs Blue Jays?

Yes, it's real. Until they delete it, you can see it behind this link.

It should be noted that the Yankees absolutely can have mustaches, and famously have sported them throughout history. Look no further than the embedded Wade Boggs interview below these next few paragraphs.

While the team's grooming policy is outdated and probably needs a quiet reversal, it feels like a bizarre choice to take sides in an AL East Friday night clash if you're a broadcast partner. It probably would, I don't know, make one set of fans feel kind of alienated.

You know how every single fanbase in America believes that the announcers in the booth are biased against them? It doesn't actually help when the service promoting the broadcast starts the day with a jab at one side. First we've got an Apple TV game, where they hate us, and then we've got John Smoltz? Make it stop.

Cue the hundreds of, "It was a JOKE!" replies. Of course it was! But if the social caption for Yankees-Sox was, "Tune in to see the AL team with 27 rings take on a bunch of obnoxious, virulent narcissists who act like they invented baseball because their city is quainter," we'd love it! But Boston fans would rightly cock an eyebrow. That's all this is.

You hate us. We get it. But ... why'd you say it out loud?