[Chuck Sims]

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 comments. He has been replaced for the remainder of the series by Los Angeles Angels announcer Jose Mota.

"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.

Lyons had been working in the booth for the ALCS alongside Thom Brennaman and Piniella.

A call to Lyons' cell phone was not immediately returned Saturday.

In the second inning of Friday's game between Detroit and Oakland, Piniella talked about the success light-hitting A's infielder Marco Scutaro had in the first round of the playoffs. Piniella said that slugger Frank Thomas and Eric Chavez needed to contribute, comparing Scutaro's production to finding a "wallet on Friday" and hoping it happened again the next week.

Later, Piniella said the A's needed Thomas to get "en fuego" -- hot in Spanish -- because he was currently "frio" -- or cold. After Brennaman praised Piniella for being bilingual, Lyons spoke up.

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.

Fox executives told Lyons after the game he had been fired.

Piniella, approached before Saturday's Game 4, declined to comment on the situation except to say: "No, he's not here today."

This was not a first-time offense for Lyons, nicknamed "Psycho" during his nine-year big league career as a utilityman that ended in 1993 with the Boston Red Sox.

Hired when Fox began broadcasting baseball in 1996, Lyons was suspended without pay in late September 2004 after his remarks about Shawn Green of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Green is Jewish and elected not to play one of the two games at San Francisco that took place during the Yom Kippur holiday.

The network apologized for Lyons' remarks at the time.

Lyons, 46, was a career .252 hitter with 19 home runs and 196 RBIs for Boston, the Chicago White Sox, Atlanta and Montreal. He was a first-round draft pick by the Red Sox, 19th overall, in 1981.

What the hell is happening to this country. You cannot say anything politically incorrect. Unless its toward whitey.

[hanco21]

I remember hearing that and was amazed he said it.

[moses millsap]

He is horrible to begin with anyways. He is such a homer and can't hide that when he is doing national broadcasts. Good riddance as far as I'm concerned.

[isetcap]

This is a great loss to the sportscasting fraternity.

It's a great victory for the rest of the free world.

[RickySteve]

This is a great loss to the sportscasting fraternity.

It's a great victory for the rest of the free world.

I'd say it's win-win.

[Mudcat]

I don't consider myself dense, but I would need someone to spell out for me what the problem is with what he said.

Not getting it.

[BetByInternet]

frankly, I don't get either. Although, I would like to know what he said about GREEN.

[justbet]

ya i dont see what is offensive about that at all

[MrX]

frankly, I don't get either. Although, I would like to know what he said about GREEN.

___

Lyons said of Green: "He's not a practicing Jew. He didn't marry a Jewish girl. And from what I understand, he never had a bar mitzvah, which is unfortunate because he didn't get the money."

[RickySteve]

Lyons implied that Piniella was going to steal his wallet because he was a Spanish speaker. Not as overt as calling him a dirty spic, but it was an offensive remark nonetheless.

Did anyone else hear him mercilessly mock the blind guy at the Mets game wearing those googles to enhance his vision? The Fox producers and Steve Brenneman deserve some blame for that one too, but Lyons was awful. He kept making fun of the guy for several innings. That to me was even worse than any of the bigoted crap.

[justbet]

he was making the wallet comment because of the earlier coment about the other team "finding a wallet." He was joking that he couldnt find his.

Plus, while was are being moralists, there is a team in the NFL called the REDSKINS. that is penetrating ridiculous. Why not have the LA Beaners or the Atlanta Niggers? I cant believe that team name is still around (and somehow outlasted the bullets)

[RickySteve]

he was making the wallet comment because of the earlier coment about the other team "finding a wallet." He was joking that he couldnt find his.

He was implying that he couldn't find his wallet because Piniella stole it.

[jjgold]

He got screwed, who gives a fuk about what anyone says about any race

I always say black men got bigger cocks than white guys, whats the big deal here??

[isetcap]

Where's TGO when we need him?

He'd be able to straighten out these racial issues in a hurry. He is a race expert.

[JoshW]

When I heard him say it live I thought it was very non PC, but everyone laughed and moved on with it. Broadcasters usually are so scared to say anything even potentially offensive so it stood out.

Am a little surprised he got fired, but mainly because was so hard to follow his insults.

[isetcap]

When I heard him say it live I thought it was very non PC, but everyone laughed and moved on with it. Broadcasters usually are so scared to say anything even potentially offensive so it stood out.

Am a little surprised he got fired, but mainly because was so hard to follow his insults.

I expect this was merely "the straw" in a series of missteps on his part.

[pags11]

this was most likely the case isetcap...he was very good at his job, it's really a shame...

[Hulu]

Plus, while was are being moralists, there is a team in the NFL called the REDSKINS. that is penetrating ridiculous. Why not have the LA Beaners or the Atlanta Niggers? I cant believe that team name is still around (and somehow outlasted the bullets)

I have been dumbfounded by this one for a long time too. I guess it just goes to show how some forms of bigotry are often accepted in our society and mainstream media (against native N Americans, arabs and muslims for instance) while others usually arouse anger (like those targeting jews, blacks and hispanic peoples).

There was a comment made by a broadcaster (can't remember who it was) this season in a Jays game that I thought would raise more controversy than it did. He was mentioning that the team was giving away Cito Gaston bobblehead dolls at the next home game. He then said something like "it doesn't have to be Cito, you can call it..." and went on to list a number of black players "since it could be any one of them" The implication was that many black persons look alike. While I wasn't offended myself, I remember thinking that the channel would get some nasty mail over that comment.

[isetcap]

I too am amazed that here in the Nation's Capital, one of the most culturally diverse places on the planet, we have a professional football team with as derogatory a name as the Redskins. I had absolutely no problem with the Bullets, but I have a big problem with the Redskins.

[pags11]

I believe that Steve Lyon's once played all nine positions in one game in the big leagues...for the White Sox...

[Willie Bee]

I expect this was merely "the straw" in a series of missteps on his part.

Agree. I just wish FOX would fire their main 'analyst' so I wouldn't have to mute all games with McCarver running his yapper.

[ivyconniver]

Here's hoping Joe Buck says something racially motivated so they'll can his dumb ass.

[moses millsap]

Here's hoping Joe Buck says something racially motivated so they'll can his dumb ass.

[Jimmy The Greek]

there is a team in the NFL called the REDSKINS. that is penetrating ridiculous. Why not have the LA Beaners or the Atlanta Niggers? I cant believe that team name is still around (and somehow outlasted the bullets)

They're named after potatoes for heaven's sake! It has nothing to do with native americans! (I will admit the logo they use is an odd choice. I hear he was an old dude who liked tater tots).

[pags11]

Joe Buck's good...