Highly suspicious. He was on the pregame show, arguing a bit with Kruk over A-Rod, and then not there for the postgame BBTN. Something must have happened in between. If the lineup is Kruk and Philips, I am not watching.

Really weird to say the least, especially with the (hopefully temporary) absence of Gammons. Kruk's barely watchable and Steve Phillips is dangerously overexposed -- every time you turn around, there he is again. In the absence of Reynolds, who was genial and easy to take if not tremendously insightful, ESPN has a serious need to find some new talent in a big hurry. And Tino Martinez is not the answer.

This leaves BBTN pretty much unwatchable. I don't think Reynolds was especially profound or interesting, but he was far more enjoyable than Kruk or Phillips or Martinez. Destrada is, well, okay, but he offers even less than Kruk.

As for it being illegal to disclose why someone was fired, that's true, but it's not like these things don't get leaked in a hurry. I suspect we'll know by tomorrow morning.

weird move... steve phillips and jeff brantley are not good. kruk is funny as hell but just says things to say them sometimes. tino stinks. i happen to like hershieser a lot, but he isn't enough. gammons and reynolds had credibility and knowledge, each of the above guys lacks one or both of those traits. you can't take a former player, plug him in the studio, and expect people fall in love with them just because he's on espn.

Just like everyone else, I hope we find out what happened soon. BBTN is really going downhill.

Very unfortunate. He was my fave.

ESPN is ruining the last decent programming they had left.

HR was very easy to watch and listen to.

Steve Phillips is an endless self promoter. Love hearing him take credit for Reyes and Wright all the time. Someone should remind him about his other great moves.

I will never watch Baseball Tonight again. Between Harold and Peter Gammons not being on the show anymore, it is like the end of an era. Who wants to watch blowhard Steve Phillips spout his nonsensical sh!t, or watch how fat John Kruk is becoming again? Not me.

I recently attended a Fisher Cats/Thunder game here in Manchester, NH. I took a few photgraphs of Philip Hughes and others.

If you're interested...
http://www.hardballwarriors.com

(just click on the video & photo gallery links)

BBTH used to hire intelligent analysts who weren't interested in self promotion (Dave Campbell, Buck Martinez and Ray Knight come to mind). Starting with Rob Dibble, it seems as if the show has gone the shock jock route and now favors the likes of Steve Philips and John Kruk, both of which are far more interested in promoting themselves over providing sound analysis. With Gammons in the hospital, I have found little reason to tune in of late.

Jeff Brantley is terrible. He and Rob Dibble come from the school of "Well you didn't play the game, did you?" When they're backed in to a corner. They're intelligence is suspect. Brantley isn't horrible in that regard, but he's a blowhard who always thinks he's right. I also enjoyed his analysis of Tom Gordon the other night, saying (more of less) that he has ice water in his veins and is gutsy. Well, here in NY, we know Tom Gordon as the guy who admitted he gets nervous in big spots, and f'in threw up (!) in the bullpen during Game Six of the 2004 ALCS chokejob. He spit the bit the next year in the post-season as well in a big spot.

Am I alone in noticing that Jeff Brantley takes the slowest blinks ever? It's surreal. I mean you could go make a sandwich in the time Jeff Brantley is blinking. It's very offputting. Watch him next time; you'll see what I am talking about.

I guess now we can look forward to Tino Martinez going "Albert Pujols is good. You want a hitter like Albert in your lineup because he hits good." And Steve Philips being a complete phony.

Awesome move ESPN.

Strange move. Reynolds brought insight without the pomposity that so many former players can't seem to avoid. He had a mild way about him but still let his opinion be known. Best of the current bunch. As for Phillips, he is the dregs.

Better yet, you can call ESPN at 860-766-2000 and innudate them in protesting this move.

He was on the Sunday Night broadcast and I just had it on in the background, but if I remember correctly Reynolds was talking at some point about the recent death of his sister. Which, if that is the case, makes it that much more cruel.

Put me on the list of people who like Harold Reynolds, and who find that the changes in BBTN leave it close to unwatchable -- and worse now.

PS -- it isn't generally against the law to say why someone was fired, but it does invite a lawsuit from the person fired.

I always liked Harold Reynolds. He never came across as a pompous jerk. And he was smart.

The rest of that crew is bound to say something stupid like, "If you can go into the ninth inning with the lead, it increases your chances of winning."

I would hold off protesting about his firing until we actually know why.

Mark, that was Joe Morgan talking about his sister's death. Again, we don't know if his firing was "cruel" or not. He could well have deserved it.

Don't forget he was an employee for 11 years, an anchor on BBT, and the leading personality on the little league world series.

I don't think ESPN would have fired him for no good reason.

Without Harold BBTN is no longer worth watching. While Kruk plays off well with Harold, Peter and Harold actually were fun to listen to and you could learn things from them. Sorry Steve Phillips but if I wanted to learn how to be a good GM it wouldn't be from you.
I am sure we are missing part of this story, but ESPN made a huge mistake in losing reynolds, not only was he a personality but this now affects all of their other programing, and its obvious how the fans feel about Reynolds, when I have checked multiple baseball sites and ESPN is getting thrashed.
Hopefully FSN does its baseball show no, hires Harold and a few other intellignet people so a good baseball show is on TV.

ESPN may well have had good off-screen reasons, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't let ESPN know that the result is that its baseball coverage has gotten much worse.

Agreed, Dave.

There is no logical move to fire HR based on talent or even "star power." ie. HR is on the ESPN learn to play baseball, not Kruk (who takes a beating -wrongly - cuz he's large.) If you do something else and listen to JK, his insight and humor brought a compliment to the straight-laced Harold, Steve, Ravech and definetly Peter. BUT, Kruk is not and should not be the keystone to the show. Kruk is much better than Phillips. Please get well soon, Peter!

And an audience is born. Fox Sports Net needs to drop everything and release a BBTN equivalent, hire Reynolds, and steal the market here.

Capes got it right. Then Harold will do whatever he did now again in the future and get fired -- again. Brilliant!

Harold Reynolds was my absolute favorite commentator ... he was generous with his insight and didn't call favorites and seemed like a real human being. He mixed his firsthand baseball background with an approachable onscreen persona. I am shocked! He was the real deal! he and Peter Gammons!!

i think baseballmusings should hire HR to do blogwork.

Brett is right on...FOX Sportsnet could steal teh market for MLB away from ESPN by hiring Harold and maybe someone like Davey Johnson or Whitey Herzog. They should rush whatever they come up with right on the air ASAP. It's a no brainer. Herzog is always outspoken when quoted in recent years and was a candidate for the BoSox job befor Francona got hired. Johnson is likewise outspoken which got him in trouble in certain places, but on TV it would be perfect.

Re Steve Phillips & Jose Reyes--today's NY Daily News column by Bob Raissman says Phillips urged the Mets to dump Reyes last year.

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Gammons to come back. A brain aneurysm is incredibly debilitating and it will, at the very least, significantly limit his ability to travel and work even if he rebounds well.

UNBELIEVABLE

First they cut BBTN down to 20 min, then it's not even insightful unless Peter or Harold were speaking, now??

Kruk is funny, but Brantley is a cardboard cut out (he's so rigid up there), and Phillips is a MORON.

ESPN has fallen so low. Remember when you watched to see what Berman would say next? To hear the sports news first?

Things are posted faster on foxsports.com, and now I will be trying to catch TWIB every Sat as the only baseball show worth watching!!

I found this comment from the ESPN Ombudsman's most recent (late June) column somewhat ironic:

Many compliments these days for baseball commentator Harold Reynolds, whose work at the popular College World Series draws raves from viewers. My take: Reynolds does very well at sharing his knowledge without being condescending.

you know HR might coulda got fired for something dumb like getting overheard telling a un-PC joke that "offended" someone

fact is him and peter were the ONLY people worth watching on BBTN. steve phillips is STUPID and i mean STUPID, tino martinez is big as an ox and half as smart. jeff brantley thinks baseball is about something or other until the closer come in. sutcliff - UCK!!! kruk every now and then will have a good contribution - especially when he talk about actually playing the game. brian kenney really knows baseball, but i don't know why espn won't put him on the show.

kurkjian is ok. olney is a yankee homer - sickening

brain macrae looked like gammo next to most of the jokers they got on that show.

so far as i'm concerned, unless HR got caught selling drugs or raping somebody, i am boycotting BBTN from now on.

and i'm gonna call and write espn and tell them so.

Word over at Deadspin is that HR got fired for sexual harassment. Nothing official, of course, but that's about what I expected to hear.

This is a bad move for ESPN. The best lineup for this show was Karl Ravech, Peter Gammons and HR with Tim Kurkjian being brought in as a guest analyst or a fill-in. I particularly appreciated HR for his humility and knowledge of the game and the way he complemented Gammons was great. The guys they're throwing out there now are garbage, period.

A true screw up by ESPN. HR was insightful, truthful and unbiased. He even cracked on his own not-so-terrific baseball career. Hurry back Mr. Gammons. With HR gone there is VERY little reason to tune in to BBTN. Phillips, Kruk & Brantley should all go to Japan and analyze there. Even if it was for sexual harassment couldn't there have been a misunderstanding? People do make mistakes, ask for forgiveness and move on without repeating their error. I think ESPN has jumped the gun and should reconsider. HR is a true draw to the show and baseball in general. PLEASE flood ESPN with support for Harold!

When Tirico got "displaced" for sexual harrasment, ESPN shoved him into a closet until he could play nice again. It seemed like 10 years later, Tirico has seeped back into ESPNs on-air rotation. I don't know what he did behind the scenes for all those (5?) years, but it doesn't matter. This is exactly what ESPN should've done with HR. The precedent was already set. Just follow your own protocol. Snuff him out for the rest of the season if you need to, but don't can the guy. I would have to say that HR is better at what he does than Tirico is/was. Maybe it's cuz HR only does baseball that shutting him down for awhile wasn't in the cards, but then there is always the chance to LIE. Make something up.. . who cares, but don't let HR go to another network, when 100% of the people on this message board agree that he is a NECESSITY for BBTN to do well. You would HAVE to assume that ESPN would've thought this through before canning him.

A side note: is Erin Andrews the prettiest person on ESPN? Wow.

I'm hearing sexual harassment a lot, and Deadspin has a relatively convincing post that says as much. I'll miss HR on BBTN, but from what I hear of his reputation, he had to be shown the door.

If you go to deadspin.com, says he got the axe for sexual harrassment!! Ouch!!

Short of H.R. breaking the law he should have never been fired. I enjoy watching him very much. He can make a loonnngggg show snappy and interesting. I'll watch him wherever he winds up. Hope Kruk goes along with him. STUPID ESPN !!!!

Chad Finn has summed it up far better than I can:

http://touchingallthebases.blogspot.com/

Consider: This is the network that employs Mike Tirico, a serial sexual harasser if Mike Freeman's Uncensored History of ESPN is to be believed. This is the network that employs Steve Phillips, who settled a sexual harassment suit while he was the general manager of the Mets in '98. This is the network that gave Rick Sutcliffe (bleep-faced on the air), Gary Miller (unleashed his bladder on a cop) and Michael Irvin (that's not my crack pipe, officer!) slaps on the wrist after particularly high-profile public embarassments. It's sort of a bummer, because while Reynolds wasn't exactly the most insighful analyst we've ever heard ("If you keep the ball down, you're going to pitch a no-hitter"), he was pleasant enough, clearly loves baseball, and wasn't an ignorant, screaming narcissist like, oh, I don't know, EVERYONE ELSE IN GOD-FORSAKEN BRISTOL! So he must have committed a pretty serious transgression to get canned. Probably refused to subscribe to ESPN Mobile or something.

Very nice post Josh!!!! Lol. Oh, SO true!

Maybe we'll be exposed to more of the squeaky voiced Buster Onley. Although I immensely enjoy his blog on the ESPN website...some newspaper guys belong in the print...and not on the tube.

As suggested above Tino Martinez is about as insightful as a bag of rocks?Can you imagine the rest of the season with this Tri-fecta: Onley, Kruk, and Martinez?

When litigation rears its head, questions of hypocrisy go out the window. No one has sued ESPN over Phillips or Tirico, but I'm guessin' the firing was part of a settlement action and/or advised by counsel as a way to limit ESPN's liability. Uncle Walt still has deep pockets and if the current complainant could show that ESPN knew about a pattern of behavior and did nothing about it...jackpot!

Just great. Now the two most compelling reasons to watch baseball tonight. First, Peter Gammons, and now Harold Reynolds. Tim Kurkjian better watch his back.

No loss there. Reynolds is the consummate player homer. Never a discouraging word about a ballplayer. And never anything interesting to say in general.
He wasn't terrible, he was just ... hmmm; actually he WAS terrible now that I think about it.
Please, can they hire someone who's NOT in the pocket of the players?

We should start a campaign to bring him back. Harold is possibly the best and most well respected analyst after Peter Gammons. If they fire anyone it should have been Kruk just because he's awful. Let's get Reynolds back.

While I agree that Harold shouldn't have been fired, I must say that people should be a little easier on Krukkie. C'mon, he's funny, insightful, and in my opinion, just as good as HR. Yes, I will admit Brantley, Destrade, Tino (just god-awful), are pretty terrible, but Orel Hershiser does a good job. He could use a little less facial expression and a little more personality, but he definitely gives insight and great advice.

None of the ESPN baseball analysts impress me. Reynolds said stuff sometimes that didn't make much sense. But if you want to talk about overrated, Joe Morgan is it. Jon Miller feeds him nothing but softball questions, never disagrees with him.

We need Harold Reynolds back. I honestly feel sexual harassment could be a leading false statement. Just touching someone could be label as sexual harassment. Who to say this coworker is being honest? Let's get real, this person proably wants him to sexual harass her. I'm sure he's not going to risk his job over some woman he can get anywhere. Sorry!

There is only one person who can put the Reynolds situation in perspective. Can't wait to see what Phil Mushnick has to say.

The Rumor is that Harold Reynolds was fired for sexually harassing overweight staff member John Kruk. Sources say that a hug-turned-assgrab into a crotch-rub led Kruk to immediatly file a complaint and pronouce the ultimatem of "Either he goes or I go", thus leading to Reynolds' dismissal.

take a look at it from the perspective of ESPN . . . they can have any talent they want on the show, if they want to maintain the integrity of their brand they can't allow for 1 person to potentially discredit that name, regardless of how good he was, he will be replaced, and eventually a new talent will emerge and, as in the past, ESPN will eventually have that talent. they should be commended for standing by their brand and canning HR!

Being a 17 year old, it wasn't to long ago I was growing up watching kids my age play in the little league world series with Harold as the announcer. Not only was harold a great contributer on Baseball Tonight but also in the llws. He is one of the voices i will always associate with baseball. He will be sorely missed.

idk, buh on the espn website it sez tha he was plainly dismissed from the network...maybe he asked b/c of a disagreement with one of the anaylsts...i dont think he commited a crime or even blantely said something horrible....also, who's tha mexican guy they have sumtimes on bbtn? I barely can understand him!

I liked HR, always thought he generally had insightful things to say...not sure where BBT will go from here...there better be a good reason for the firing, but something tells me there isn't.

I have to say I was googled to this site to find info on the Reynolds firing... I was definately saddened to hear it... HR carried a carisma that made him understandable to people who didnt even know much about the game.. he gave you a players insight ... my girlfriend watches BBTN but is not a avid fan .. she can still tell you about HR's comments in Clemens first game back with the Legends .. where he was asked what what Roger's son said to Clemens before giving him the ball to start the game ...

simply put by Harold: "no you dont say good game dad and get emotional... you say throw some strikes up there meat."

Harold Reynolds was fired for sexual harrasment. It is in the Chicago Tribune. Just can't believe it.

I can't stand Karl Ravich or Phillips. Kruk is OK and Harold made the show watchable. I wont be watching now that he's gone. I'll get my info from other show's and the internet. Ravich is so up-tight, straight faced prim and proper. He has no personality. He's like the guy who goes out with everyone to the bar and doesn't drink and then makes stupid comments about everyone as they are enjoying themselves. The show was bearly watchable now its unwatchable.

The loss of HR is a Devastating blow to BBTN! His personality made the show work. You not only became informed of the days plays & scores but you were laughing while you found out. The chemistry between Kruk and Reynolds was great. On air at least. I loved watching them banter back and forth, arguing over who is better at what position, etc... Sad day for viewers and ESPN. Luckily the game will continue!

ESPN rules for automatic dismissal:
1- Fighting with co-workers
2- Transmitting pornographic material on company computers
3- Sexual harassment

I cant see Harold doing any of the above. As for "the Mexican" Thomas can't understand, that's Tino Martinez and he's Cuban. If you don't know who he is then it's obvious you don't know much about baseball.

First Peter Gammons, now Harold Reynolds!? 2 out of the oringinal 3 are now gone. Will Kruk soon join them?

P.S Watch Tino come on and say something like "the team that scores the most runs, usally wins" and then Steve Phillips will respond by saying "Oh good point Tino"

harold reynolds was my very favorite,,his knownledge of the game and insight was very interesting and informative,,i learned a lot by listening to him..i am a grandmother who has followed baseball most of my life and harold was the one i looked for in order to even understand the game more...he will be missed and i look forward to seeing him again in the very near future

The Mets need to get rid of Kieth Hernandez and Hire Harold Reynolds for the colour on their telecasts. He is by far the BEST Baseball Analyst out there!

HR Rules!

Yep it was sexual harrasment. Here's a quote from HR in yesterday's New York Post:

"It was a total misunderstanding," Reynolds told the Post. "My goal is to sit down and get back. To be honest with you, I gave a woman a hug and I felt like it was misinterpreted."

It's a shame - obviously we have no idea what really happened, and probably won't ever know. To tell the truth, I haven't watched the show since they got the in-studio diamond and started doing stand-up demonstrations. Just give me the news and analysis. What I'll miss is HR's coverage of the Little League World Series - he always seemed to have such enthusiasm for it. I hope this is all a misunderstanding and no one was really hurt and he can land on his feet. I'll check him out wherever he shows up...

Good Riddance!!! What a worthless schmuck who was NEVER right on any of his predictions or analysis. Cyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

To see HR fired breaks my baseball heart. He was the best and brightest behind Peter, whom we all miss greatly. I would hate to think that someoneo (an unnamed woman) would cause a firing and ruining of a show simply over a hug. Bring Harold back unless grabbed a little ass or dropped his trousers during the alleged hug. As for those that remain, Kruk and Brantly are OK, but I can do without Tino, Phllips and a list of other ex-players spout the knowledge. Dibble, whoel some feel was over the top, was in fact knowledgable and entertaining - called it like it was and didn't apologize for his calls, (they were usually dead-on).
I'll follow Harold and would come back to BBTN if they return him or put JOE MORGAN - (the next should-be Commisioner of Baseball - if you disagree, read his book. Only Bob Costas would give him a run). Joe is brilliant, and doesn't boast or live in the past spewing facts about himself.

espn really blew this one. they tried and convicted him him first. i thought everyone was innocent until proven guilty? go figure. no one, and i mean no one, was better than HR! (well except for Peter). if Peter never returs, BBTN is finished.

Harold was great and will be missed...how about George Brett to replace him? He does a great local radio show in KC...and Tino IS the worst...

This is a coment for Matthew Smith who posted a bit ago saying HR was a "worthless schmuck who was never right on anything." Wrong, check you facts you retrard. He was outside of Peter Gammons, the best on BBTN. You need to just go back to watching Tellatubbies and Sesame Street and leave the baseball talk to ones who know it. HR was aways insightful. Always said what he felt and hopefully this is all a big mix up. BRING BACK HR!!

Oh yeah, Tino Martinez blows goats. He is awful. He needs to go coach somewhere like Timbucktoo so we don't have to hear him anymore. My ears bleed when I hear his voice. Get well Peter, BBTN is gonna need you. It is on a fast decline and I don't really see a safety net near by to save you.

USA Today interview with a little more info.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/baseball/2006-07-25-espn-reynolds_x.htm

Ok ,
HR getting fired is odd considering the number of actual felons ESPN has on screen on any given night
Hello Crack pipe
Joe Morgan is terrible. My brother and I watch a lot of games together and I feel that he just makes shit up. How can you have a six minute explaination of what a player is thinking when a pitch is coming or when someone is trying to steal 2nd. HE IS AWFUL.
Tino is worse. He can't verbalize a coherent sentence much less an analysis of a game or pennant race. HE just stares at the cam.
Steve Phillips, seems like he's more worried about his hair and if his goatee is properly trimmed, btw, didn't the Mets get better AFTER he left?
Orel's OK
Brantley's either drunk or perhaps just a backwoods hillbilly who happened to be able to throw a baseball. His analysis - "wow, that guys good"
I'm OK with Kruk, but jesus he'll be dead of a heart attack next year and they'll have to replace him.

I really hope PG makes it back you gotta love a guy who knows baseball like he does, is a huge rock music fan, a good guitarist and is friends with the guys from Pearl Jam. That's one cool sixty year old
Any way JOE MORGAN SUCKS.

First of all BBT was the best when HR and Kruk would disagree while Gammons would wait to talk and Karl Ravech would mediate. To me that was the best lineup, now with Gammons and HR gone this show is gonna suck. ESPN should have just gave the dumb girl money and kept HR on. As viewers we don't know the what goes behind the scenes so why do we care if someone(HR) acts like that. Keeping a sexual harraser on air wouldnt reflect the ESPN network because we dont give a crap about the interns, but taking him off will make it worse by eliminating loyal viewers of the program. By removing HR they are saying this girl is more important than ratings, yeah I bet. She just wants money. Well guess what I want a good cast on Baseball Tonight.

Firing HR was a huge mistake. I was really upset to loose my favorite show on TV. I tuned into the show last night just to see if they mentioned the firing of HR, Orel H was on there and I have to tell you the show flat out SUCKED. HR was the reason I watched the show and I could watch the days he was not on because I knew he'd be on the next show. NOT NOW, I can't stand to watch the show now. We need to start a site dedicated to supporting HR. I hope ESPN BBTN fails because of the mistake they made.

I don't want to not take sexual harrassment seriously, because it is serious, but too often if there are no witnesses its a woman's word against the man's and a company gets scared and fires the man. Then the woman usually sues anyways. I have seen this happen. Even as far as a woman goating a guy into the situation. I hope this was not the case here.

HR RULES! I will no longer watch BBTN.. HR was the only reason I watched.. sad.

Yeah, pretty amazing...perehaps there needs to be camera's amd mic's everywhere that way when a women says Sex harassment, they can proove her true or false. If it's a hug, I hope HR sues the pants off her.

Harold was my favorite, making Baseball Tonight unwatchable.

Now there is absolutely now reason to watch BBTN...HR was the best.

HR and Peter G. were the only knowledgeable and smart people on ESPN that deserved any watching time from a baseball fan. ESPN is no longer worth to watch, so I'm not watching anymore. They have also several individuals that have done from drugs to sexual harassment and are still under the ESPN payroll.

What a disgrace and shame!

Folks, Football is by far my favorite sport to watch.

I watch ESPN every day like millions of others. And I catch Baseball Tonight on occasion. I know sports and always have. Harold Reynolds seems like a guy that I could have over for dinner or even let watch my kids without even meeting him first. What the hell happened? Harold, I'm with you 100%. If you didn't do anything illegal or wrong or if you clashed with anyone at the network besides the president himself, then ESPN made a terrible mistake. I'm bummed.

i'm glad to have found this board. i didn't realize there was anyone as distressed as I am about this firing. to me he is the third most valuable guy. ravech is by far #1. i am SO disappointed when scott reese is on. gammons is #2.

can someone post the latest please on why HR was fired, plus any comments from anybody involved?

here are my bottom 3...
tino, destrada, buster

it's gonna be an unpleasant august and september boys...

I have HR's rookie card and had hopes of him signing it one day. Still possible I guess.

The fact is, I liked HR. People, just as I, respect his opinion about the game and its many faces. He drew respect from the viewers! It was difficult enough wathing BBTN without Peter Gammons and PG and HR were a team.
I will grant ESPN some room on this until we learn more about WHY. Surely, there could have been a better way though.

I have HR's rookie card and had hopes of him signing it one day. Still possible I guess.

The fact is, I liked HR. People, just as I, respect his opinion about the game and its many faces. He drew respect from the viewers! It was difficult enough wathing BBTN without Peter Gammons and PG and HR were a team.
I will grant ESPN some room on this until we learn more about WHY. Surely, there could have been a better way though.

agreed with just about all these commets ...and i remember i day when espn reported sports without every on air personality having a catch phrase or some dumb nickname the dan and keith days ...bbtn without reynolds or gammons is like watching another bad reality show, who'll be drunk whos gonna have beef with kruk all thats missing is a segment with steve phillips up close and personal getting his manicure....good luck harold were all behind you

Any updates, leaks, surmises? Cannot be a contract dispute?

it will be my guess that this will be the baseball season of seasons in the second half. there will be major story lines which will need commentators with insight like HR and Gammons could provide...(i.e. the Chisox slide, the Tiger's rise, bBonds off field problems, etc)..oh well, ESPN'S loss is Ruppert Murdoch's gain)..put HR in the booth with Joe Buck..sexual harassment?? there may be some element of truth..nothing money could not put a lid on..maybe ESPN will hire Pete Rose in HR's spot.. in short..HR had "street cred" especially with the players...something that the journalistic "shirts" could not get except for PG

WHAT ABOUT LITTLE LEAGUE WORLD SERIES

I just hope HR knows he has alot of fans out there who love to listen to him talk about baseball. They can't replace him on baseball tonight. With who? Brantley? Please. Reynolds should do what Tony Gywn did and get a coaching job.

Bring back Steve Stone. A genial guy - knows his baseball inside and out - and is not interested in self-promotion. Bright & knowledgeable about the sport period - and a fine baseball analyst from all angles.

Bring back Steve Stone. A genial guy - knows his baseball inside and out - and is not interested in self-promotion. Bright & knowledgeable about the sport period - and a fine baseball analyst from all angles.

Stop dissing Tino. Give him a chance, and I am sure he'll get better.

I can tell you this: I work in an area near to Bristol, CT, and ran into a guy who works at ESPN. His words were "it was his (HR's) third strike" and "he liked the ladies." My guess is that his firing had NOTHING to do with his baseball knowledge or on-air personality. I also like HR and enjoyed seeing him on TV. Sounds like he got himself painted into a corner and couldn't figure a way out!

The firing of Harold Reynolds by ESPN should be a crime. I have been a big fan of Harold Reynolds ever since he played baseball for Seattle and I played baseball in high school and college. This is a man of great character and integrity and for a women co-worker to misinterpret a hug and turn it into sexual harassment grievance against a high profile sport commentator which resulted in him being fired by EPSN needs to be investigated and the accuser and ESPN management need to fired and prosecuted for the mishandling of this matter.

I would like to believe that this misunderstanding could have been worked out behind close doors with the accuser, Harold, and ESPN management. But apparently, ESPN management staff is not qualified to handle these types of matters or they have other motives and wanted to move Harold because of his well like persona and vast baseball expertise on the network compared to other ethnic group Baseball Tonight commentators. I sincerely hope ESPN is not opening them self up to racial discrimination lawsuits. Furthermore; Harold was a value asset to the network and they should have given him the benefit of the thought instead of outright firing him because of a co-worker complaint of sexual harassment.

My family and I had the pleasure of meeting Harold Reynolds at last year Little League World Series and he treated us with the utmost respect and was very helpful in providing free advice to my son DeRon Horton. As a result, he gave my family his personal contact information because he wanted to assist my son in honing is baseball and acting skills. We consider Harold a friend for life that my family could upon at anytime for expert advice concerning the development of my son as a person, baseball player, aspiring actor to be, and recommend quality boarding schools that he think is a good fit for my son. Now that’s value that the network cannot put a price tag on and I’m sure there are many other families that I know personally that have similar stories about how hard Harold worked to provide insight to the kids and baseball fans around the world.

My prayers go out to Harold Reynolds and his family.

Regards,
James, Adrina, & DeRon

There's a petition to get ESPN to re-hire Reynolds'
See:
http://bballbiz.blogspot.com/2006/07/harold-reynolds-petition-drive-to-get.html

Harold hugs everyone!

Harold Reynolds is a great man, and the reason
I watched BBTonight. I am outraged at what happened to him, and even more outraged that ESPN won't tell us why -after 11 years on the job!
I have watched BBTonight from it's first broadcast (anyone remember Dave Revson?).
I hope it implodes on itself as punishment for their
sin. Does anyone know where I go to on the web
to find out more specific info on his firing? Thanks.
Steve E

I'm not a big HR fan. How can a petition be started before the FACTS of the matter are fully exposed? Let's wait and see how the lawsuit by the accuser pans out. I'm in the minority about HR, but there's got to be better talent available. Oh, and did I read that right? The good old days when we used to watch to see what Chris Berman was going to say next? For the love of God, he's the biggest self-absorbed blow hard of them all. How many more years of that shot of a much skinnier Berman catching a pass (if you call that a catch, my grandmother caught better passes with better form than that) from Doug Williams at a Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice are we going to have to endure! He's terrible as a color man on Baseball games and boring as hell to listen to.....especially when he goes into that overdone back...back...back...back...back....GONE! homerun call. He does a great job on NFL Primetime.....and his story about him and his Dad going to baseball games - way "back back back back back" when he was a kid was well done. He and MANY of the other EGOMANIACS at ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN News, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN Radio, ESPN The WORLD, need to be taken down a notch or 2 or 3 or 5....... ESPN= Egregiously Self-Promoting Numbskulls

I'm on Harold's side! What most people don't know
is that studies have shown that 90% of sexual
harrassment claims have nothing to do with real
sexual haraasment. When you hear someone
claim that, immeadiate ask "what do they mean?"
Odds are therefore 90% Harold is innocent.

As the Little League World Series draws closer, it is almost unimaginable that Harold Reynolds will NOT be part of it. He has done more and given more of himself to promote the tournament than ANYONE else in the ESPN ivory tower. I am sure that in the beginnig there were many of his peers that snickered behind the scenes at the thought of Harold being relegated to doing the Little League World Series. Needless to say, due largely to his efforts, it has become a job many of them would now love to have. I don't know if he was guilty or of what other things ESPN may have on him, but that is partly the problem. If it was someone from another network, or an athlete, they would have bombarded the airwaves with stories about it. They have a guy (with previous drug issues), whose vehicle is found to have cocaine in it, and he is suspended a couple of days? Come on you FOUR letter network. BBTN is now HORRIBLE! I hope he goes to Fox so I can watch. It's just a shame that once again the fans, and the kids of the LLWS will have to pay.

From what i heard from the "sports pig" on sporting news radio,HR got fired because he supposedly gave a woman a hug...Now i don't know if she and/or an observer complained to the network about the hug...but if it was her then she's a definite golddigger that's lookin for a payday.... Also, i bet if HR looked white like Mike Tirico (who is half white) he'd still be with ESPN,since i'm just finding out that he's been accused of harassment several times;Which confirms that it's bigotry behind this whole firing...So i hope that HR sues the pants off of those prejudice punks....

I tried watching BBTN last night and I had to turn. Its just not the same...

One thing I always thought was strange was that in addition to "Swanny" (of MNF "fame"), Harold Reynolds was also a "color man", and both have speech impediments. Is that the "color"?
At any rate, now "Swanny" is running for Governor of my state on the basis of his being a Steeler. Yikes!
I'll tell you my theory on Reynolds: John Kruk, who I used to think was a jolly fat man who couldn't pull a baseball if he hit it off a tee, but he was soooo funny like when he put his helmet on backwards and hit from the wrong side against Randy Johnson, but then....... he started stopping by the Phillies booth, and he actually wasn't funny, he was rough and caustic, constantly pointing out flaws and faults of players as if El Grosso was great himself.
I remember that last show, and what I remember most was thinking that the grumpy fat man was really being over-the-top insulting and obnoxious, and Harold was trying to be positive and upbeat.
So, I ask: Who wielded more power around the ESPN offices? That might be the key.
Anyways, who cares if Harold was fooling around on the side? He's a jock, for God's sake. Hey, we elected a guy (twice!) to be the leading shining example in the land, and the only reason the harassment stopped was that he was out of tems and had to move on.
Long live Harold Reynolds. Now - can somebody do something about Tim McCarver, who overanalyzes the game to death, as if HE was ever anything other than Steve Carlton's butt boy? And Joe Buck, being fawned over in commercials? Oh Please! Where's Red Barber? Phil Rizzuto? Harry Carry? Mel Allen?
Those guys didn't have polish. They had style, and boy is there a difference. Check out Harry Calas (sic) doing the Phillies or NFL Films. Joe Buck, Scott Graham, Garry Thorn and all the other clones can go jump off a bridge.
Ken. Williamsport PA

I miss Harold Reynold's spot with kids at LL World Series. He was fun to watch and it was obvoius he loved the kids and the sport of Baseball!
Bring him back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wow, Im really late in the game. Its taken me so long to figure out what the hell happened to BBT. I TIVo'd the show like always and found myself turning it off prematurely. And then it hit me. Where the hell is Harold Reynolds. Lets keep it real, its pretty damn hard to watch bbt without HR. And no Peter? Plz. ESPN cant be so arrogant to believe that if they just turn on the highlights we will watch. If I just want the hightlights I'll go to ESPNews. It was the in depth banter between credible personalities. When BBT first started HR was horrible. But he grew into the personality that he has become. But he helped this show become a powerhouse and now I dont have the patience for Tino. You tell me one thing he adds to the show. When you watch him you're just hoping that what he's about to say is gonna makes sense. You feel like your watching him against your will. Brantley the other day I swear the answers came so slowly I guarantee he was drunk. Kruk is cool wit me but he looks like he's always trying to hide his weight. Destrada is trying and I believe he's credible but plz...Kurkjian knows his stuff but that one element of Harolds personality cant be found in any other stiff you put in his seat. He may have sided with the players but we sided with him as well. True fans dont wanna see the media tearing down players like A-rod Or Bonds...you may not like Bonds but his demise will thoroughly stain the game you love. His 700 homeruns aint gonna just disappear no matter how much you hate him. HR was always where he needed to be and he was always right on time. I dont care what he did. BBT used to be a fixture. Some may not watch in protest. But most wont watch bcuz its horrible.

This year BBTN SUCKED!!! They need HR back!!!

hey harold it wasnt your fault that you got the ax for sexual harrasment

don't know where he's working, but someone has surely been smart enough to pick up this knowledgeable,smart, funny baseball man. some personalities belong in front of the camera and his does. a ton of people miss the class of this respected analyst. i never see the show now.