Mike Cox Last week, I enjoyed one of the great golf spectacles of the year, the US Open. NBC and Johnny Miller were there. So were Tiger, Ernie, Phil, and Retief. Deep rough, slick greens, high scores, and roaring fans were also on hand. Missing was Ben Wright.

Ten years ago, Wright was one of the delights of CBS golf telecasts. He was witty, talented, and knowledgeable. He understood the intricate mix between reverence for the talent of the players and the black humor most athletes and their fans relish. Ben gave us simple, literate answers to questions Ken Venturi and Jim Nance had never addressed. Then he was gone.

In the decade since Wright was blackballed from golf telecasts and banished from polite society, much has happened. Kobe Bryant and several Kennedy offspring were accused of rape. Ray Lewis was involved in murder. All of them are still employed in their occupation of choice.

O J, Robert Blake, and Michael Jackson were exonerated. Robert Downey Jr. has been in and out of drug therapy so much he has his own key to the Betty Ford clinic. Katie giggled through an interview with former Mod Squad member Peggy Lipton about all the men she slept with and Paris Hilton and Britney Spears are famous for their indicretions.

Various NBA players pay retainers to defense lawyers for offenses ranging from drug possession to gun violations to domestic violence. It’s just the way guys unwind. They aren’t causing any real trouble so they keep shooting hoops.

Mike Tyson has been a one man example of how to cultivate a bad example; assault, rape, IRS trouble. Iron Mike even violates the rules of his chosen sport by biting people’s ears. And he still got five million to fight last week.

Yet Ben Wright is relegated to designing golf courses and appearing on John Boy and Billy whenever a major golf tournament is about to happen. Wright published a book a few years back, and the woman who wrote the article that resulted in his departure from CBS campaigned against its release. I guess she wasn’t happy with ending his career; she wanted him to suffer. And what was the man’s heinous crime?

Being politically incorrect. Wright maintains he was repeating comments from a female golfer who said her boobs got in the way of a good golf swing and lesbianism was hurting corporate sponsorship of the LPGA. He also claimed Valerie Helmbreck misrepresented what he said to her and fabricated much of the story.

CBS initially supported Wright, then relented and fired him. It’s hard to defend yourself against the speech police. Maybe he’s had offers since and declined them all. Maybe the published comments were things he believes. I don’t care. It bothers me that being politically incorrect is a lifetime offense and everyone else gets a second chance. Some get more.

It does appear Mike Tyson may have finally gone too far. By losing to a white guy on June 11, Iron Mike has probably done the one thing a gullible public won’t accept.