Steve Lyons was a FOX broadcaster until immediately following Game 3 of the ALCS. It was during that game that Lyons, according to FOX, made “racially insensitive remarks” about fellow broadcaster Lou Piniella, who is also destined to be the Cubs’ next skipper.

In this age of hypersensitivity, what in the world could Lyons have said to cost him his job? Here’s the report from the Detroit Free Press:

In the second inning Friday, Piniella talked about the success light-hitting A’s infielder Marco Scutaro had in the playoffs against Minnesota. 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.

Four minutes later, Piniella said the A’s needed Thomas to get “en fuego” — “on fire” in Spanish — because he was “frio” — “cold.” After Brennaman praised Piniella for being bilingual, Lyons spoke up.

Lyons said that Piniella was “habla-ing Espanol” — butchering the conjugation for the word “to speak” — and added, “I still can’t find my wallet.”

“I don’t understand him,” he continued, “and I don’t want to sit too close to him now.”

The three broadcasters laughed and continued calling the action.

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

Now, can someone explain to me what’s “insensitive” about this exchange? Is it that he said Piniella was “habla-ing Espanol”? Did they really Lyons was poking fun of Spanish-speaking people or the Spanish language in general? Please. Or was it that he implied Piniella had stolen his wallet, thus leading FOX to believe he thinks people of Hispanic descent are born thieves?

Come on. Lyons was just trying to make clever repartee — silly banter — with his booth-mates as is normal for broadcasters. He didn’t make any racial slurs or play on any stereotypes; if it had been Brennaman who had said what Piniella said, Lyons would have said the same thing. To fire him over this is the epitome of political correctness, and is the kind of thing that makes people afraid to say anything at all.

If FOX wants to fire someone for being insensitive, they should fire Jeanne Zelasko for unceremoniously cutting off broadcasting legend Ernie Harwell after only 17 seconds of a pregame interview during the 2005 All-Star Game.