ATLANTA -- While saying he regrets the firing of three radio
station employees, San Francisco Giants manager Felipe Alou
wouldn't back down Wednesday from his condemnation of racially
tinged comments directed at him and his players.
"I feel bad about people being fired," Alou said before a game
against the Atlanta Braves. "It wasn't my intention, but I didn't
start it and I took a stand."
The Giants' flagship station, KNBR, fired talk-show host Larry
Krueger, who ranted about the struggling team during his postgame
radio show last week. He complained about too many "brain-dead
Caribbean hitters hacking at slop nightly" and said Alou's "mind
has turned to Cream of Wheat."
Krueger apologized and initially was suspended for a week
without pay. The station announced in a brief statement Tuesday
night that the host had been fired, along with program manager Bob
Agnew and KNBR Morning Show producer Tony Rhein.
Tony Salvadore, KNBR's vice president and general manager, said
the firings were related to "inappropriate comedy sound bytes"
played Tuesday morning during a discussion of Alou's recent
interview with ESPN, in which he roundly criticized KNBR and
Krueger.
Alou resigned from his regular radio show with the station and
warned his players to be on the lookout for racial prejudice in San
Francisco.
"I want people to understand that it's a social issue," Alou
said. "I want to make people aware of that so they will know that
in the United States, it won't be tolerated."
Most of the hosts and callers to KNBR in recent days supported
Krueger, saying some of his remarks were made in the heat of
excitement, while others were taken out of context by Alou.
Krueger seemed supportive of Alou during many of the comments in
his rant, saying the manager was "a brilliant tactician" whose
job was nearly impossible because of the Giants' personnel
decisions.
Gary Radnich, a San Francisco television sportscaster who has
hosted a weekday show on KNBR since 1992, appeared visibly upset by
the firings when he appeared on his Tuesday evening newscast.
"Felipe Alou got rolling, got a head of steam up, and in this
politically correct world, you don't get a second chance any
more," Radnich said. He also characterized Agnew as a
"sacrificial lamb."
Said Alou, "I know maybe I overreacted, but it was a reaction
to what he said. I don't have to react anymore."
"It was their decision," he said of the station. "Hopefully,
they understand that people are not going to sit still and be put
down like that. In the USA, I don't believe there is any room for
that."
The Giants issued a statement saying they "are saddened by the
series of events over the last few days that have resulted in the
dismissal of three KNBR employees, with whom the Giants have worked
closely for a number of years."
"We had hoped that the situation could have been resolved
without the termination of anyone," the team said. "However, in
light of the events of [Tuesday], we respect KNBR management's
decision to proceed in this manner."
The statement concluded: "We hope that everyone can learn from
these unfortunate events and move forward."