UPDATE: Vasgersian apologizes on MLB Tonight. See embedded video below.

The first studio analyst hire that MLB Network made was that of Matt Vasgersian. As a play-by-play man, he had been with the San Diego Padres, and prior to that, the Milwaukee Brewers. He also was a member of NBC’s 2008 Olympic coverage.

But, Monday night, Vasgersian veered into territory that, depending on the individual, may have gotten them fired.

As MLB Tonight covered the Padres/Rockies highlights, the coverage turned to a freakish play in which Rockies outfielder Brad Hawpe was hit in the neck by Padres catcher Nick Hundley's throw to second base in the sixth inning. The hit to the neck resulted in a concussion, but at the time, it appeared as if the ball may have hit Hawpe in the back of the head and possibly done spinal damage.

After the footage was shown, Vasgersian asked for the footage to be shown again where Hawpe being carted off the field in a neck brace. Referencing a member of the Rockies EMT staff, Vasgersian quipped, “Isn’t that Donavan McNabb?”

It was a moment that was awkward, to say the least.

The footage was posted on YouTube (see the footage at the bottom of this article), and since then, public commentary has been decidedly negative toward Vasgersian. I ran a column being critical of him, as well (see MLB Network’s Matt Vasgersian Needs to Work on Being Professional).

It could have been at that stage that Vasgersian issued a statement through MLB Network, or reacted as many before him have done: lay low; say nothing. Wait for the heat to die down.

Vasgersian did neither. Instead, he went to issuing apologies personally, with The Biz of Baseball as one location where he did so, addressing my column, and all the critical remarks from readers.

His comment title reads, “Agree with all of the above” (see the original comment here)

Yup .. bad spot to try and fill a down moment with an attempt at humor. I certainly didn't mean to trivialize an injury but knew it came off that way as soon as the words came out of my mouth. Dumb. Some regrettably poor judgment occurring on live TV. I feel pretty bad about it and hope I didn't offend too many people hoping this as an apology conveys a bit of foot-in-mouth remorse.

In talking with those close to the situation at MLB Network, they say that Vasgersian is sincerely sorry for the comments. While some have called for some sort of punishment, I am not in that category.

I recall all too well interviewing FOX Sports analyst, Steve Lyons just a couple of days after his comments on the air with Lou Pinella. Those comment were offensive enough to FOX to warrant Lyons’ firing. Lyons said he was sorry, only so far as to say he didn't feel he said anything wrong. Vasgersian is taking all the responsibility, and issuing an apology directly. 

With that in mind, Vasgersian is being punished for the gaff already. He’s certain to be embarrassed. The broadcast community is very small, highly competitive, and one that judges their brethren. He also knows that while the MLB Network brass is behind him, it was no doubt an action that made them wince.

Vasgersian, I believe, is a top notch studio analyst. The line between being edgy and offensive is the width of a hair. Dance along it, and you can be a star. Dancing over it can put you in the unemployment line.

The fact that Vasgersian went so far as to take his apology directly to the fans shows he has a deep concern for what they think. That should be commended. Here’s to hoping that Vasgersian no longer finds controversy of this nature, and instead sees a long and fruitful career.

Original Commentary By Vasgersian

Apology Issued on Tuesday Night

Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

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Comments (11)

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It's sad that this is even a story.
written by http://LetsGoMets.vox.com, April 29, 2009

It was a joke that didn't go over well, primarily due to it being in the context of a potentially serious injury. End of story. The fact that Matt Vasgersian even had to address this and apologize for it, makes it all the more ridiculous.

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written by Mike233, April 29, 2009

He certainly didn't have to apologize for anything but the fact that he did shows good character.

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written by Galley, April 29, 2009

Like none of us have never said something stupid or inappropriate.

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written by Ken Fang, April 29, 2009

He stood up and took responsibility for a bad joke. It was good of him to nip it in the bud instead of letting it fester. I give him credit.

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oy!
written by yg bluig, April 29, 2009

You know the studio host steps in it when the two "analyst" guys reprimand him. Did you catch Mitch Williams going "Dude!?!"
That said his apology was nicely done. Probably not necessary, but nicely done.
And for the record, the EMT guy looks nothing like Donovan McNabb.

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who cares
written by boring, April 29, 2009

I can't believe I wasted my time reading and watchin this. ESPN says this is the #1 Blog discussion in sports right now, pathetic. There is MLB baseball in full steam, NBA and NHL playoffs lively and this is what they bring up.......Bad joke but nothing offensive....move on, nice apology but not necessary.

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Broadcaster Standards
written by Maury Brown, April 29, 2009

The sad truth is, broadcasters, given their extremely high profile, are held to a different standard than other people in different professions. Most likely, Matt would never have had to apologize for saying what he did. Surely every one of us has said something inappropriate at one point or another. It's why they are called mistakes.

I mentioned this in the article, but an event a few years ago really showed me how serious the broadcast industry can be about what is said on the air. This event has painted my view of Matt's comments.

The firing of Steve Lyons altered the landscape, in my opinion. He was fired shortly after Game Three of the 2006 ALCS between the Tigers and the A’s for what Fox deemed as “making comments on air that the company found inappropriate” during an exchange with broadcast partner Lou Piniella.

The comments came in the second inning when Piniella spoke about A's shortstop Marco Scutaro's success at the plate in the playoffs. Piniella went into an analysis of how Frank Thomas and Eric Chavez needed to be more productive and compared Scutaro's production to finding a ``wallet on Friday" and hoping it would happen again the next week.

Piniella said the A's needed Thomas to get ``en fuego" -- ``hot" in Spanish -- because he was currently ``frio" (``cold"). After Brennaman praised Piniella for being bilingual, Lyons chimed in that Piniella was ``hablaing Espanol" and added, ``I still can't find my wallet."

Lyons (and Piniella, for that matter) said that the two things (the Spanish heritage, and the missing wallet reference) were totally separate issues. And yet, Lyons was canned (see my interview with Lyons on the firing).

As upside down as this seems, Matt may have never had to apologize in any other instance. He seems to have personally taken this upon himself (I have not heard even a whisper that MLBN wanted an apology). And yet, broadcasters are such lightning rods -- the face of the network, as it were -- that something that might be pa*sed over in one work place, is magnified in another.

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written by Mike233, April 29, 2009

Exactly what Maury said. It's the context in which you say it that's important. If you're drinking with some buddies and make the reference to the EMT guy looking like McNabb you may get a bunch of laughs but on live TV someone may get offended (and most likely was). When one person is offended, TV networks usually respond by correcting the situation, and in Lyon's casing that was a firing. Yes it sucks that there is a higher standard but that's the price you pay for being in front of the TV, playing professional sports, being a celebrity, etc.

Anyway, enough of this!

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Poll on Vasgersian Apology
written by Maury Brown, April 29, 2009

Note that we have updated the poll on The Biz of Baseball:

"Did Matt Vasgersian Need to Apologize for his McNabb Comments?"

Thanks,
Maury

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Interesting responses
written by Rocko, April 29, 2009

The responses here are interesting. Do people have their hackles up over the apology because they think Vasgersian apologized to save his job? Do we know this? It might have been completely voluntary.

I certainly don't think he should have been fired over this, but the addressing the issue was a good idea and at very least shows cla*s.

It wasn't the worst mistake in the world, but it was a stupid thing to say given the context, which includes the nature of the show. Yes, we all do stupid things, but I would hope we apologize for them, too. That is a big part of how one "moves on."

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BTW, is this a trope of Vasgersians?
written by Rocko, April 29, 2009

BTW, is the "I thought I recognized somebody in that shot" bit something Vasgersian regularly does, where he looks at a clip and says who a person reminds him of?

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