This hasn't been a very good year for the white male in America. Consider:

The CEOs of the three American auto manufacturers who were forced to grovel before Congress are ...  white men.

The barons of Wall Street who have had their high-flying lives come crashing down to earth are ... white men.

The biggest scam artist on Wall Street who has cost Americans billions of dollars is a white guy by the name of Madoff.

Most of the major companies that are struggling to stay alive are led by, you guessed it, white guys.

Now contrast that with a few success stories:

The president of the United States is a black guy (O.K., he's mixed race, but it was his mother who was white.)

The most powerful leader in Congress is a white woman, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

The most successful coach in professional football is a black guy.

The two most talented basketball players are named Kobe and LeBron.

And if that isn't enough to cause white men to cry in their beers, Tiger Woods has announced that he will return to professional golf next week. Woods is mixed race, but neither parent is white.

Finally, if you are in need of major brain surgery, a brown man will probably be the one who'll save your life.

Oh, one more thing: The Oscar for Best Movie could be won by "Slumdog Millionaire," which was shot in Mumbai — in India.

But all is not lost.

Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik of the South Side of Youngstown fights Saturday night and when he enters the ring, every white guy will feel just a little bit better about himself. Kelly has become their "Mr. Feelgood."