Fox Fires Steve Lyons For Comments During ALCS Game Three

Fox Fires Lyons For Comments Made During ALCS Game

Fox Sports fired MLB analyst Steve Lyons on Friday “for comments it said were inappropriate” during A’s-Tigers ALCS Game Three on Friday, according to Richard Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. Lyons was replaced for Game Four by Angels radio analyst Jose Mota, who has called some games for Fox, and the net “did not say anything about Lyons’s firing in the opening segment of that game.” Lyons, whose contract with Fox was expiring, earlier in the postseason “cracked jokes about a device that a Mets fan was wearing to aid his poor vision” during Dodgers-Mets NLDS Game Two. Two years ago, Lyons “was suspended without pay for making light Shawn Green’s decision, when he was with the Dodgers, not to play on Yom Kippur” (N.Y. TIMES, 10/15).

THE EXCHANGE: Here is what was said between Piniella and Lyons during A’s-Tigers Game Three on Friday.

Commenting on the good hitting of A’s SS Marco Scutaro, Piniella said, “It’s like finding a wallet on a Friday night and looking for one on Sunday and Monday, too. ... The reason I mention that is it’s hard to expect your eighth hitter to be one of your (offensive) carriers consistently.”

Several minutes later, Piniella said the A’s needed DH Frank Thomas to start hitting better: “Oakland needs his bat to get en fuego en el frio.”

Lyons: “Lou’s habla-ing some Espanol there, and I’m still looking for my wallet. I don’t understand him, and I don’t want to sit close to him now.”

Lyons, Piniella and play-by-by announcer Thom Brennaman all laughed after Lyons’ comments and continued to call the game (Fox, 10/13).

LYONS’ RESPONSE: USA TODAY’s Michael Hiestand writes Lyons, during an interview on Sunday, “sounded more aggrieved than contrite.” Lyons believes “people are taking a lot of liberty with what I said.” Lyons added he was making a “joke that had nothing to do with race.” Lyons: “Anybody who knows me knows it was the furthest from anything racist.” Lyons said the announcers and staffers “all thought it was one of our better exchanges.” Lyons also said he “didn’t get the chance to explain himself” when he met Saturday with Fox Sports TV Group Chair & CEO David Hill (USA TODAY, 10/16). Lyons: “I don’t know how what I said could be taken as a racial statement. My aim is to make Lou feel comfortable, and this was just another way of doing it.” Lyons is also a part-time analyst for the Dodgers, and Dodgers Dir of PR Josh Rawitch said that Lyons’ status with the team “is under review” (L.A. TIMES, 10/15).

REAX: In N.Y., Phil Mushnick writes, “To conclude that Lyons purposely made a malicious crack about Hispanics (or the blind, the week before, or Jews, two years ago) is unreasonable” (N.Y. POST, 10/16). However, in Toronto, Chris Zelkovich writes, “I’m not convinced that [Lyons’ comments] were racist or even insensitive. But there’s no doubt they were just plain stupid, the latest in a long list of silly statements from Lyons” (TORONTO STAR, 10/16).