We have all heard the saying, “like fine wine we get better with age,” and in some cases this holds true. However, for the most part, there’s about as much truth in that statement as there is on the back of the box of those penis enlarging pills you bought when you were hammered last weekend.

Sure wine gets better, but come on, that’s a drink, I’m talking about people. It’s common knowledge that as you age you gain valuable wisdom to pass on to the younger generations. The only problem is you either forget all the nuggets of truth you once held, or no one cares about what you have to say.

Unfortunately, in our society the latter is the norm for the people with marbles still intact, and the people that just plain lost it somehow find a way get their voices heard.

This was demonstrated to a T last week when Formula One president and CEO Bernie Ecclestone was asked to comment on the success of Danica Patrick — the 23-year-old vixen whose fourth place finish in the Indy 500 not only set a new mark for women in racing, but also made people (other than hicks) actually care about racing.

During an interview at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway where the U.S. Grand Prix was being held, the 74-year-old said, “You know I’ve got one of those wonderful ideas … women should be dressed in white like all other domestic appliances.”

Now normally I don’t mind an occasional sexist joke amongst friends, as long as it’s clearly just a joke and, of course, it’s funny. Not only were Ecclestone’s comments not funny, but they were irresponsible and served no other purpose than to hurt the feelings of about 50 percent of Americans.

To make matters worse, according to www.espn.com, Ecclestone actually called Patrick to apologize, but instead repeated the same horribly unfunny joke.

It’s clear that this man is way too old to be allowed to speak — ever again. Sure we can just chalk it up to him being old and from another generation, but here’s some breaking news: it’s 2005! Title IX was passed 25 years ago, and the most pre-eminent truth that these old-time racing bosses don’t want to accept is that auto racing is probably the most gender-friendly sport around.

It makes more sense that a woman can be just as good a race car driver than in any other so-called sport. Just think about it; all the drivers do is drive. I’m not trying to take anything away from Patrick or any other race car driver but the only physical ability they need to possess in order to be successful is quick instincts and a good feel for their vehicle.

What separates the good drivers from the bad drivers is their pit crew, car manufacturer and most importantly, their courage. I know this may pain many proud men, but let’s face it, Patrick has balls. Obviously I’m not talking about the male reproductive organs either. She, and anybody else who’s willing to strap themselves into a rocket-powered go-cart, must have unparalleled fearlessness.

The fact that Ecclestone has to try to belittle an aspiring Formula One star on a national stage gives us all an idea of the kind of person he is.

Unfortunately, Ecclestone isn’t the only geezer making irresponsible and offensive remarks in the past few months. Larry Cochell, the former head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners baseball team, resigned May 1, less than a week after reporters from ESPN informed the university’s Athletic Department of some off-color comments he made during an interview. Yes, this 65-year-old native of Lebanon, Ore., used the “N word” in an interview. Wow, not only is he a bigot, but he’s an idiot too.

During a pre-game interview with ESPN’s Gary Thorne, Cochell called over freshman outfielder Joe Dunigan, an African-American, to praise him. When Dunigan returned to the field, Cochell told Thorne, “There’s no n—– in him.”

Thorne, probably shocked that someone in their right mind would use such a word in an interview, didn’t tell anyone of the comments until he found out later in the week that the coach had used the same offensive language in a separate interview about the same student-athlete.

Let’s dumb this down a little for those of you who aren’t quite grasping the stupidity of these comments just yet. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary the N-word “now ranks as perhaps the most offensive and inflammatory racial slur in English.”

And this guy used it in two separate interviews.

Although that first quote is inexcusable, his second racist quote is the one that irks me more than anything. Cochell told ESPN’s Kyle Peterson, “There are honkies and white people, and there are n—— and black people. Dunigan is a good black kid.”

Wow, if that doesn’t underline exactly what’s wrong with America, than I don’t know what does. His choice of words aside, the message behind that statement just goes to show how far off we are from racial equality in America. Instead of praising Dunigan for being a good kid, Cochell had to add that he’s a good “black kid,” like the fact he happens to have darker skin makes it more impressive that he’s a good person.

I agree with Cochell. There are good and bad black people and good and bad white people, but I think we are missing the point here. There are good people and bad people, regardless of what they look like, the bottom line is, WE ARE ALL PEOPLE.

Why must we separate ourselves by how we look, especially in the diverse world of sports? Why can’t Dunigan just be a good human being?

The saddest thing about all this is that old people aren’t the only ones who share these beliefs, they are just senile enough to say what’s on their minds. Until we can view the driver of a race car as simply a driver and a good baseball player as a good baseball player we will continue to tread water in all social aspects of our society, not just the world of sports.

Instead of wasting ink on old people’s negative comments we should be focusing on the comments of Illinois state Sen. Barack Obama who gave an amazing speech at the Democratic National Convention this past summer. I am by no means into politics at all, but this speech put the hairs on my arm at full attention. I’ll leave you with my favorite part:

” … there is not a liberal America and a conservative America – there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America – there’s the United States of America.”

— Max Lederman can be reached at [email protected].