Now that former Warriors coach Mark Jackson has been fired, he's fair game for sports columnists to dump on. That's just the way it works in the Toy Department.

But the double dump-fest in today's Chronicle, courtesy of Al

Saracevic in sports and metro columnist Willie Brown, taking aim at Jackson's "devout Christianity," is a step over the line from the usual cheapshot tackiness directed at a guy who's no longer around to defend himself.

Here's the nut graph from Saracevic:

Jackson was a horrible fit in the Bay Area. He is a devout Christian who believes one should pray for homosexuals. Ask yourself: Would you want someone who believes that running your business? If we learned anything in the past few weeks, it's that there is no room in the NBA for discrimination.

If Jackson's team were still alive in the playoffs and he were a shoo-in to return as coach, you think he would have written that?

"Speaking of which," he then pivots, going on to write about Clippers owner Donald Sterling.

Whew.

And then there's Brown, who mushes around about how Warriors management has the right to hire and fire whomever they want (duh?) before uncorking this:

There has been a lot of talk that Jackson was let go because he held one too many prayer meetings.

It might be true. Jackson is a minister, and he is definitely a religious zealot.

Brown's own bottom line: "What you don't need is someone who is going to be preaching - at least not in this market."