Sports At Random

My Roommate brought this audio clip to my attention- It’s of Lee “Hacksaw” Hamilton - a “veteran” of Southern California radio - pulling out the worst cliche in the book last weekend on his sports talk show.

I hate when people pull this one out- and if you hear someone say this, then you know that they are DEFINITELY a racist. That’s a fact.

What the caller is referring to, according to his Wikipedia page- which has been edited since- was during a media roundtable on his show on XTRA Sports (an old LA radio station), Hacksaw was asked why XTRA had no black hosts. He replied that blacks knew football and basketball, but not much else. He was blasted in the press for this statement, but Hacksaw blamed the media writers for a betrayal of trust.

My Roommate found that and the following “Controversies” - again, on the old Wikipedia page- that Hacksaw, 59, has been involved in:

* In 1993, he apologized after calling Fritz Quindt, a sportswriter with the San Diego Union Tribune, a “faggot” and “less than a man” for revealing Hamilton’s real name (the name Lee Hacksaw Hamilton is a pseudonym). Members of the community, including former Charger Ron Mix, GLAAD, and others asked Hamilton to apologize to Quindt. However, the apology came with other vitriol directed against Quindt, and XTRA management refused to take further action against Hamilton.

* During the Rae Carruth incident, he asked a caller if ‘…blacks are more likely to abuse their spouses than other races.?’

* He called Hideki Irabu, a Japanese pitcher, a ‘fat Jap’.

* Hamilton was also very harsh towards Chargers quarterback Ryan Leaf for his on-the-field and off-the-field behavior, calling Leaf a bum.

* He ripped Vince McMahon for his handling the death of pro wrestler Owen Hart in 1999, calling the WWF The World Wide Fraud.

* In 2002, he resigned as play-by-play announcer for the Minnesota Vikings after just one preseason game. It came after a reporter for a weekly African-American newspaper in Minneapolis–who is also the father of current Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald–exposed racist and sexist comments that Hamilton sometimes used on his talk shows. Hamilton was to replace longtime Vikings announcer Dan Rowe, 2003 and 2004 seasons).

* Perhaps his most infamous soundbite as XTRA host, Hamilton urged a fan of the then-Los Angeles Raiders to “Put a gun in your mouth and pull the trigger”, after the caller accused Hamilton of grandstanding for the Chargers. (Ironically, he could also be very critical of the team, which could have caused the Chargers’ relationship with XTRA to end after the 1997 season. The team has since broadcast on music stations where the hosts are thought to be more supportive.)

Oh yeah, and he’s completely unbearable to listen to. It’s awful. Half his show seems like he’s reading from the AP Wire and the other half is him telling people to “REACT” to topical stories. It was no surprise to me the first time I saw his picture. I mean look at that awful toupee- and those double-rimmed glasses. How could anyone hire this man?