Courtesy Mississippi Press

(August 9, 2010) Barry Lyons is back on the air.

Lyons, the Biloxi native, Delta State All-American and former New York Mets catcher, spent Saturday morning broadcasting the first edition of "Sports Talk with Barry Lyons and Bill Glenn" on News Talk 104.9 FM.

The show will air each Saturday from 9-11 a.m., focusing on high school and college football and the Saints, as well as Lyons' passion, major league baseball.

The 50-year-old Lyons has been a minor league manager, radio broadcaster and baseball academy owner since he retired in 1996 following 10 major league seasons spent mostly as a backup catcher with the Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, California Angels and Chicago White Sox.

He spent three years as radio and TV color commentator for the Triple-A Nashville Sounds before moving back to the coast in 2002.

"I've been searching for something to sink my teeth into," Lyons said Friday. "I'm just anxious to be involved in sports. It's my passion; it's what I know. It's something I've got some experience in and something

"I've enjoyed all the times I've done it in the past. I might have to knock a little rust, but I'm looking forward to it."

Lyons will be joined on the air by Glenn, the radio play-by-play voice of Pascagoula High School football since 1998. The show will feature a call-in format for fans to interact with the hosts, plus periodic guests from the local sports scene and from Lyons' vast array of contacts in the pro baseball and football ranks.

But mostly it will be Lyons and Glenn chatting about the latest and biggest sports stories.

"Bill and I will converse and present, if not opposing views, at least have a different perspective on whatever the topic is," said Lyons, who also remains committed to helping bring a minor league baseball team to the coast.

"We're just going to talk sports and see what happens."

The new show fills a void. There hasn't been a Mississippi-centric sports talk show originating from the coast in as long as I can remember.

There is a full-time sports talk radio station in Mobile, which aside from being difficult to pick up in most of Jackson County doesn't deal much with sports on this side of the state line.

There are plenty of venues to hear about the Saints, of course, but not many if your passion is Southern Miss, Ole Miss, Mississippi State or local high school sports.

As a regular sports talk listener myself, I often have to turn to satellite radio to get my fix. But starting this weekend, there's another option available, even if it's just for two hours a week.

"As the seasons change, as the show goes on, we'll see what changes and what additions we want to make," Lyons said.

"I just want to get out there and talk sports with the people on the coast and see what they think."

Here's hoping Lyons' latest venture is a rousing success. blog comments powered by Disqus