Fox fires Lyons after making racial remarks

[BAMAPHIN 22]

Fox baseball broadcaster Steve Lyons has been fired for making a racially insensitive comment directed at colleague Lou Piniella’s Hispanic heritage on the air during Game 3 of the American League championship series.

The network confirmed Saturday that Lyons was dismissed after Friday’s game. He has been replaced for the remainder of the series by Los Angeles Angels announcer Jose Mota.

Piniella had made an analogy involving the luck of finding a wallet, then briefly used a couple of Spanish phrases during Friday’s broadcast.

Lyons said that Piniella was “hablaing Espanol† butchering the conjugation for the word “to speak† and added, “I still can’t find my wallet.â€Â

“I don’t understand him, and I don’t want to sit too close to him now,†Lyons continued.

Lyons claimed he was kidding.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15263472/

 

[MikeO]

he's a jerk. I am glad he lost his good job. Can't say stuff like that

 

[Jt0323]

i was actually watching that game and heard that and was like did he just say that?

 

[Roman529]

I guess maybe he and Harold Reynolds have learned their lessons.

 

[cnc66]

I guess maybe he and Harold Reynolds have learned their lessons.

what did Harold say?

 

[MikeO]

what did Harold say?

Harold was chasing skirts around the ESPN officies and grabbing body parts he shouldnt have been.

Rumor is Harold is getting the job at TBS for year when they get the weekly national games and the ALDS and NLDS games.

 

[cnc66]

Harold was chasing skirts around the ESPN officies and grabbing body parts he shouldnt have been.

Rumor is Harold is getting the job at TBS for year when they get the weekly national games and the ALDS and NLDS games.

thanks Mike...I don't care much for baseball, but I did like Harold, I was just wondering.

 

[Ray Finkle]

Maybe it's just me but I don't think what he said warrants being fired. He was just trying to be funny (unsuccessfully) but whatever.

Lyons wasn't going to get his contract renewed by FOX due to on going feuds with the company so I guess FOX looked at this being a way to cut him loose. If Buck or McCarver said that I doubt they'd get fired. Lyons is a good baseball man, not the best announcer, so he'll get other work somewhere else, if he wants it.

 

[Rocky Raccoon]

well I feel stupid for saying this, but I don't even get what he said.

 

[MikeO]

Maybe it's just me but I don't think what he said warrants being fired. He was just trying to be funny (unsuccessfully) but whatever.

Lyons wasn't going to get his contract renewed by FOX due to on going feuds with the company so I guess FOX looked at this being a way to cut him loose. If Buck or McCarver said that I doubt they'd get fired. Lyons is a good baseball man, not the best announcer, so he'll get other work somewhere else, if he wants it.

he mocked Pinella's heritage. He made an off color joke about his wallet (which wasn't funny he should be fired for that alone).

Ya just can't be saying that stuff on TV.

 

[Rocky Raccoon]

wait a minute, he made a joke about Lou stealing his wallet, and that is racially isnensitive? How does race fit into that statement?

I'm so confused.

 

[Ray Finkle]

he mocked Pinella's heritage. He made an off color joke about his wallet (which wasn't funny he should be fired for that alone).

Ya just can't be saying that stuff on TV.

Pinella made a comment about finding a wallet in referring to a player getting hot. And Lyons was responded by trying to make a joke about him never being able to find his wallet (due to the fact he was a career 2-something hitter) and failed. It wasn't race related, he didn't mock Pinella or his race in my opinion.

wait a minute, he made a joke about Lou stealing his wallet, and that is racially isnensitive? How does race fit into that statement?

I'm so confused.

If you read what Lou said first and what Lyons responded with it wasn't bad in my opinion. Lyons always tries to be a funny guy, sometimes he is and sometimes he failed. This time he failed. It wasn't like Lyons randomly said that he couldn't find his wallet and directed it at Pinella.

The only thing race lated was Lyons said hablaing instead of using the correct form of the word. I guess FOX should have fired McCarver for calling Bronson Arroyo, Brendan (because that's an obvious race related comment too right? )

 

[Vertical Limit]

i was actually watching that game and heard that and was like did he just say that?

Yeah, me too. I actually expected this news to come up sooner or later. That was uncalled for.

 

[MikeO]

wait a minute, he made a joke about Lou stealing his wallet, and that is racially isnensitive? How does race fit into that statement?

I'm so confused.

because a few seconds prior they were talking about Lou's hispanic heratige. Infereing that hispanics will steal your wallet.

RayFinkle can spin it anyway he wants.,...bottom line is that is how it came off. And how everyone took it even Lou!!

Not to mention he got Strike 1 a few years back when he mocked a special needs blind fan at the ballpark for wearing special eyeglasses to help him see a little. He said the guy had a digital camera stuck on his face.

The guy is a horrible human being who can't be trusted near a live mic!

 

[Ray Finkle]

RayFinkle can spin it anyway he wants.,...bottom line is that is how it came off. And how everyone took it even Lou!!

My opinion is that what he said shouldn't have caused him to get fired. You're opinion is he should have been fired. That's fine. Let's just leave it at that.