As mentioned in this space over the weekend, Oklahoma baseball coach Larry Cochell had some ugly things to say to ESPN folks covering the Sooners’ game with Wichita State last week, and not surprisingly, last night it was announced that Cochell will pay for his insensitivity with his job.

In today’s Austin American-Statesman, Michael Corcoran opines, “if you want to remain employed, keep your thoughts on race to yourself.” Luckily for Corcoran, such rules don’t apply to columnists for small-market newspapers. I know one who in the last 3 weeks compared Stephen A. Smith to Eddie Murphy’s character in the film “Trading Places”, as well as scoffing at the hotly debated claim that there’s nothing for African-Americans to do in Austin.