Fox sportscaster says Hispanic colleague stole his wallet, gets fired

[Human Torch]

Fox Fires Lyons for Insensitive Comment



Houston Astros pitcher Roger Clemens, left, sprays champagne at starting pitcher Roy Oswalt, right, while Oswalt is interviewed by Fox baseball broadcaster Steve Lyons in the Astros' locker room after the Astros defeated the St. Louis Cardinals to win the National League Championship pennant in St. Louis, Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2005. 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, Oct. 14, 2006, that Lyons was dismissed after Friday's game. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey,file)

http://www.rawstory.com/showarticle.php?src=http%3A%2F%2Fapnews.myway.com%2Farticle%2F20061014%2FD8KON6QG0.html

Oct 14, 7:31 PM (ET)

By JANIE McCAULEY

DETROIT (AP) - 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."

"I don't understand him, and I don't want to sit too close to him now," Lyons continued. Lyons claimed he was kidding. "If I offended anybody, I'm truly sorry," Lyons said in a phone interview. "But my comment about Lou taking my wallet was a joke and in no way racially motivated."

Lyons flew Saturday to Los Angeles, where he hoped to meet with Fox chairman David Hill. Lyons had been working in the booth for the ALCS alongside Thom Brennaman and Piniella, the No. 2 broadcast team for Fox this postseason. "Steve Lyons has been relieved of his Fox Sports duties for making comments on air that the company found inappropriate," network spokesman Dan Bell said.

[razors edge]

1. I worked with Lou Piniella's

Cousin when I lived in Fla, Nice guy.

Oh and by the way FUCK YOU FOX.

[liberaldemocrat7]

6. I like Lou Piniella

Lou appears a class guy and won a world series for Cinncinatti.

He played well for New York.

Why would anyone say something insensitive about Lou?

[razors edge]

8. Fox dick head trying to make a joke

that his loyal followers would get, and completely unaware of context. He will probably write a four page rebuttal to Drudge about political correctness.

[marmar]

2. His nickname was "psycho" when he was a player.

Clearly it contained an element of truth.

[Bluzmann57]

3. Lyons never has been the brightest bulb

I remember when he played for the White Sox, got a base hit, and for some reason, known only to him, dropped his drawers after reaching first base. I think maybe he was trying to get something out of his pants, but who really knows?

[Rex]

4. Why would Piniella want Lyons wallet? He's Nth times richer

then the Fox nobody. Sounds like someone is jealous and it ain't Lou. Sounds like Lyons is about to get a lot poorer - couldn't happen to a nicer asshole IMO.

[calico1]

5. Stupid bastard.

If he didn't mean anything by the comment then why make a stupid comment like that? I really hate it when people do that. They make some stereotypical racial comment then say "oh, I didn't mean anything by that." Assholes.

[faithnotgreed]

7. i am glad. the other night he made fun of a guy in the stands

who was wearing a low-vision apparatus to help him watch the game. i dont expect everyone to know what they are but how many cities and games has lyons been to and he hadnt seen one of these before?

lyons made fun of it though he clearly didnt know what it was but listening to him then + making those references to lous spanish and the wallet shows he was definitely loose with his "jokes"
when you say those kind of things then claim you didnt mean anything are good indicators that you shouldnt be doing on-air commentary

[politicasista]

9. I didn't know Lou was hispanic

Wow. I never cared for Lyons anyway. He should have been gone years ago.

[peekaloo]

10. Good. The guy's an idiot. n/t