NERVOUS TIGERS' SKIPPER LEYLAND RESORTED TO SMOKING HIS INDEX FINGER DURING GAME, TREATED FOR BURNS DETROIT - The Detroit Tigers became the unlikely winners of the American League pennant last night when they beat the Oakland A's 6-3 on Magglio Ordóñez's three-run homerun in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Ousted Fox baseball broadcaster Steve Lyons saluted the native of Caracas, Venezuela: "He let his bat do all the habla-ing for him."
Lyons was fired after racially insensitive remarks to his on-air partner Lou Piniella during Friday night's AL championship game. Lyons said Piniella was "hablaing Espanol" and he accused Piniella of stealing his wallet. This morning, Lyons defended his remarks by noting that he never knew "Lou Piniella" was a Hispanic name but thought it had an Italian derivation. "I thought he lifted it from a Chico Marx character in a Marx Brothers' movie, the same way he lifted my wallet."
Tigers manager Jim Leyland was briefly treated in a Detroit hospital following the game for burns to his right hand. Leyland had become so nervous during the game that he started smoking his index finger.
