Today In Broadcasting History

So what now for Lamar Thomas? It's ironic that the only real loser in the big UofM-FIU battle on Saturday was the guy sitting in the announcer's booth — albeit a guy who wanted to get down there and mix it up, or so he said. Thomas, as you know, was cast adrift by Comcast Southeast Sports on Monday for his, um, televised commentary during the fracas. It's beginning to look like his may turn out to be the sports call of the decade, being to the 2000s what "The Giants win the pennant!" was to the 1950s. Video of the brawl with Thomas' call has received close to 800,000 views on YouTube in three days, making it a blockbuster hit.

But while Russ Hodges' radio call is readily available, Thomas' soon, probably, won't be. Comcast Southeast has already cut it from its pay-per-view rebroadcast of the game, and Thomas hasn't been heard from since. At least in person. We wouldn't be surprised if the YouTube version disappeared soon as well, as their Google overlords continue to prepare earth for colonization. Soon it will be as if Thomas was erased from the landscape, his very existence merely a rumor. From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

After his NFL career, Thomas reportedly did apply for an assistant's job with the Hurricanes earlier this year. Thomas may have been a superstar in his new broadcasting career if he had used words such as, 'This is what a lot of 'Canes are thinking right now,' as a preface to Saturday's remarks. Instead, we got a certain 'Canes mind-set unfiltered, and Thomas got himself fired. That came Monday, after the fight with the Thomas soundtrack became an instant YouTube.com classic. These words from Thomas, on the telecast as the fight continued, will linger longer than anything (University of Miami president Donna) Shalala says.

Meanwhile, happier news. After Lou Piniella came to his defense on Tuesday, Steve Lyons is getting a portion of his job back. Fired by Fox for, well, we're not sure what during game 3 of the ALCS, FSN Prime Ticket says that he will return as the part-time TV announcer for the Dodgers. In a statement, Fox said: "And that's what we're talkin' about. You don't come into the Fox booth, baby. We've had a couple of down years, but you don't come in here talkin' smack."

UM Feeling Media Backlash [Miami Herald] 1951 National League Playoff [MLB.com] Brawl Will Finish Off Miami's Coker [Philadelphia Inquirer] Lamar Thomas Speaks [Kind Of] [Deadspin] Piniellla Say Lyons Was Just Kidding [Yahoo! News]