OT: Steve Lyons fired from FOX

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 11:39 pm

Did anyone happen to be listening to the game when he made these comments? Was it that offensive? From reading the article, it seems out of line, but to be fired? I've always been a fan of Steve Lyons as I like his color commentary.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/playoffs2 ... id=2625500

dbdynsty25 · Post by **dbdynsty25** » Sat Oct 14, 2006 11:43 pm

It was pretty bad. Pinella made some comment in Spanish and Lyons said, wow, now you're bilingual and now I'm afraid my wallet will get stolen, I'm not going to sit by you anymore. Basically saying that the spanish speaking population is a bunch of thieves. I love Lyons, but that was pretty bad.

Jackdog · Post by **Jackdog** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 12:02 am

dbdynsty25 wrote:It was pretty bad. Pinella made some comment in Spanish and Lyons said, wow, now you're bilingual and now I'm afraid my wallet will get stolen, I'm not going to sit by you anymore. Basically saying that the spanish speaking population is a bunch of thieves. I love Lyons, but that was pretty bad.

Damn. What the hell was he thinking? He must have had some shots during the game to stay warm.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 3:26 am

I was watching the game and didn't even pick up on it.

Firing him was too much. Have him make an apology and move on.

reeche · Post by **reeche** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 3:33 am

JRod wrote:I was watching the game and didn't even pick up on it.

Are you hispanic?

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 4:01 am

reeche wrote:
JRod wrote:I was watching the game and didn't even pick up on it.
Are you hispanic?

Yes but I should it matter?

Reading the transcript, his comment was so stupid that it doesn't make any sense. I guess either my racist radar is off or his comment was so incoherent that its not racist but stupid and not funny.

I'm more outraged at the xenophobic immigration debate than a baseball color guy saying something stupid. We've all said stupid s**t that we wish we haden't said. His comments were insensative but what is his firing going to achieve?

davet010 · Post by **davet010** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 8:24 am

JRod wrote:

I'm more outraged at the xenophobic immigration debate than a baseball color guy saying something stupid. We've all said stupid s**t that we wish we haden't said. His comments were insensative but what is his firing going to achieve?

His firing allows the networks to believe that they are at the cutting edge of equality and diversity, as opposed to ignoring it as they do with the things that really matter. For large chunks of their programming, they are more than happy to wallow in the detritus of human idiocy (any 'reality' show, for example), but love to put themselves forward as taking the moral highground when it suits them.

Reminds me of a similar situation over here, where Sky Sports presenter Rodney Marsh was on a late night phone in show last year, and someone mentioned the S Asian tsunami, and he said 'I didn't know Newcastle were playing over there'. The joke, such as it was, was a pun on 'Toon Army', which is the slang name for Newcastle Utd.

Now how is that offensive ? And given that the approximate viewership would be about 5,000, who the hell would know ?

Naples39 · Post by **Naples39** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 9:36 am

I saw it live, and to be honest, I had no idea what the hell he was getting at by making that wallet remark. Just seemed like a really weak attempt at humor to me at the moment, though with explanation here it does seem pretty bad.

reeche · Post by **reeche** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:04 am

JRod wrote:
reeche wrote:
JRod wrote:I was watching the game and didn't even pick up on it.
Are you hispanic?
Yes but I should it matter?

Imo yes. If he had made the same "joke" about black people I would want his ass canned. Obviously you have a different opinion. We all have our takes I guess.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:29 am

reeche wrote:Imo yes. If he had made the same "joke" about black people I would want his ass canned.

I have absolutely no problem with this standard as long as the same thing applies to guys like Charles Barkley.

reeche · Post by **reeche** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:30 am

Leebo33 wrote:
reeche wrote:Imo yes. If he had made the same "joke" about black people I would want his ass canned.
I have absolutely no problem with this standard as long as the same thing applies to guys like Charles Barkley.

That doesn't bother me.

Jackdog · Post by **Jackdog** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:40 am

Leebo33 wrote:
reeche wrote:Imo yes. If he had made the same "joke" about black people I would want his ass canned.
I have absolutely no problem with this standard as long as the same thing applies to guys like Charles Barkley.

No doubt. Because "Sir Eat a hell of a lot" has said things about white players that would get a white host in hot water if the script was flipped. How bout this,leave race outta sports talk. If you have a brain fart then you get the pink slip.

snate · Post by **snate** » Sun Oct 15, 2006 11:47 am

I hate Lyons. I think he is a moron. And my wife and kids are hispanic.

But firing him over this is ridiculous. He was playing on Piniellas words. He did not come up with the wallet remark out of the blue. Piniella said Scutaros performance filing in for Ellis was like finding a wallet on a friday afternoon and had been saying he was en fuego. Lyons then said, "Lou is habla- ing some Español 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." It was a bad joke, as most of Lyons jokes are, thats all. I don't think there was any malice in what he said. I think they probably used this as an excuse to fire him for being terrible.

jondiehl · Post by **jondiehl** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:46 am

That's pretty bad, and they can justify the firing pretty easily I think.

Harold Reynolds getting the axed though, over a little hug to a female coworker at a steakhouse away from ESPN? Maybe he was sporting wood. I hated Steve Lyons, good riddance. Harold though was a good analyst.

BasketballJones · Post by **BasketballJones** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:48 am

Leebo33 wrote:
reeche wrote:Imo yes. If he had made the same "joke" about black people I would want his ass canned.
I have absolutely no problem with this standard as long as the same thing applies to guys like Charles Barkley.

There is a double standard against whites. Barkley is the Black Limbaugh and should have been fired years ago. Lyons is an attention seeking idiot. I'm sure he was fired for the simple reason that Fox, like other employers, has a strict harrasment policy. Keith Hernandez comments were equally assinine. Yes Piniella segued his comment but he did not lead Lyons to that response.

The bottom line is understanding company policy. ESPN fired Harold Reynolds for violating company harrasment policy. It doesn't matter whether you agree or disagree with whether these guys deserved to be fired. In today's world if it is written then it is cut and dry. That's the real world you and I must follow, so entertainment celebs are no different.