>Steve Lyons
During his nine unremarkable years in the major leagues, Steve Lyons was always known more for mugging than for slugging. First with the Red Sox and later the White Sox, he frequently slid into first base, played tic-tac-toe in the dirt with opposing players and once even dropped his pants on the field. "I was accused of not being serious enough," says Lyons, 38, "but the game is sup- "posed to be fun."
Now Lyons, who earned the moniker Psycho for his aggressive play (not his zany antics), has brought his wild ways to the broadcast booth. As one of FOX's chief baseball commentators, he is an in-studio analyst for the Saturday Baseball Game of the Week and also calls games on FX.
After stumbling onto broadcasting by doing his own play-by-play in the dugout to pass the time as a benchwarmer, Lyons retired from baseball in 1993 and spent two years at a Chicago sports radio station before FOX recruited him in 1996. "Let's face it," he says, "FOX didn't hire me to be Tom Brokaw."
But Lyons, who lives near L.A. with his wife, Christa, 33, and two children (a third is due at any moment), is more than just flash and brash. "He's very funny and glib, but he really knows the game," says FOX announcer Chip Caray (grandson of the late Harry Caray). Demurs Lyons: "The toughest thing for me is just to remember that I can't swear."
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