You'd think in the 21st century, the media would be better equipped to handle a story like the one of Jeremy Lin, an Asian-American Harvard grad who has set the NBA on fire with his nightly performances for the New York Knicks, who signed Lin as an emergency option at point guard after two other teams cut him.

Lin has become THE superstar in the NBA, over the likes of Kobe and LeBron, because his story is so interesting -- and because he's the very rare Asian-American to make an impact on the league.

The media seems to be having a problem grasping this, especially after a couple of well-publicized incidents that would be deemed offensive by anyone with any sort of common sense.

A couple of weeks ago, after another heroic performance by Lin, Yahoo sports commentator Jason Whitlock made an extremely offensive, stereotypical tweet about Lin that won't be repeated here. Whitlock's "apology" was that he was just being juvenile and sophomoric, and that his critics should move on. Whitlock received no disciplinary action from Yahoo.

Then, this past week, ESPN fired a copy editor and suspended an ESPNews anchor for 30 days after separate comments which both used the phrase "chink in the armor" after Lin committed nine turnovers in a Knicks' loss.

In the case of the anchor, Max Breto, it appeared he committed an unfortunate slip of the tongue while interviewing Knicks great Walt Frazier about Lin. Considering Breto is married to a woman of Asian descent, it's seems highly unlikely he would be deliberately insensitive.

As for the copy editor, the headline seems to be more of a deliberate attempt at a bad pun. My question is, doesn't ESPN have any mechanisms in place where someone checks the work of the headline writers? Yes, the writer should have been fired, but it's hard to imagine an organization the size of ESPN's having only one guy writing the headlines and not having anyone else who could spot such a mistake and letting it go.

Frankly, it's disheartening to see racism rear its head in what should otherwise be a heartwarming story. Yes, Lin is an Asian-American dominating in a sport where Asian-Americans haven't dominated previously. If you have a problem with it, move on.

TUESDAY'S BEST BETS: Sorry for the lack of a post yesterday, but work called. I hope you were able to watch TV in spite of that.

We're getting into the part of the TV season where networks start making decisions about next year's lineup. If you are a viewer of "The River" (ABC, 9 p.m.) and "Body of Proof" (ABC, 10 p.m.), you may want to start encouraging your friends to watch these ratings-starved series. They follow new episodes of "Last Man Standing" and "Cougar Town" from 8-9 p.m.

On the other hand, CBS' Tuesday lineup of "NCIS," "NCIS: LA" and "Unforgettable" is a virtual lock for renewal, as is NBC's "Biggest Loser" and "Parenthood."

While "Glee" is certain to be back, it's been bleeding viewers this season, and even strong ratings from "New Girl" hasn't translated into extra viewership for "Raising Hope," for which the jury is still out. On the CW, while "90210" should be back, "Ringer" may be a goner.

As always on Tuesday, cable is particularly strong at 10 p.m., with new episodes of FX's "Justified" (which may be even better than last year, as if that were possible), TNT's "Southland" and USA's "White Collar."