His defenders are already saying, “See — a fella can’t just speak his mind in these politically correct days without melting some snowflake!”

And the burgeoning number of media critics will say the press is always on the watch for “Gotcha!” moments, taking one word out of context just to take a politician down.

Both are lame excuses for the hopelessly boneheaded and, yes, racially tinged remarks by Arcadia City Councilman Roger Chandler last week when he justified eliminating basketball courts from Eisenhower Park because of the “type” of person they attract from out of town.

Speaking of a group of regular players on the courts, Chandler said during the Aug. 20 council meeting: “I’ve personally observed the folks, and they’re not the type I would drive into Arcadia, nor is their language conducive to children playing.”

Mmm. Basketball. Which Americans are most associated with basketball? Which ones that are not among the mostly Asian, white and Latino residents who populate today’s Arcadia?

That major … insensitivity is too kind a word … is what has normal, proud Arcadians outraged over the comments and the rationalization for voting down building new basketball courts during a park remodel. As you have seen in Stephanie Lai’s and Christopher Yee’s news stories, Chandler’s disdain for certain “folks” has generated a most un-Arcadian protest movement within the affluent and usually apolitical town. Sunday a group of 60 people gathered outside the construction site that is Eisenhower Park and hung signs on the fences reading “Remove Intolerance, Not Basketball” and “Arcadia Accepts All.”

Very professionally printed signs, natch. This is slick, upper-middle class Arcadia, not some bohemian commune!

But I would just add what I haven’t seen anyone else object to: Who cares if the roundball players engage in “tournaments” for their weekend recreation? That’s how the hotshot amateurs who have a regular game on, for instance, the Laguna Beach and Venice boardwalk courts, roll — you wait for your chance to get into a game, your side advances, you hold the court so long as you win. Should there be a city ordinance against that, too? Against playing skins and shirts? That’s basketball, Jones.

You have to love the photo Chris got of Arcadian Sean Brown at the protest wearing a stick-on tag on his T-shirt: “Hello, my name is ‘basketball type.’”

Mayor April Verlato may well be right when she says that she didn’t believe Chandler’s comment about the type of people basketball courts attract was meant to be racist. But she is most certainly right when she says it was perceived that way, and that Chandler should apologize.

And she is encouraging residents to come to the Sept. 3 council meeting to lobby to put some basketball courts back into the park design. “I support the neighbors’ desire to have a community park that welcomes all opportunities for outdoor play,” Verlato said. Yes, the plans right now call for a baseball diamond and picnic areas and not replacing the former courts. But the park has been entirely scraped down to the dirt, and it would not be a major re-do to draw basketball back in to the plans.

At Tuesday’s meeting, the citizenry will have its say. Chandler should apologize for his ill-considered remarks. The council should reconsider the courts. And then, since as resident Sraav Donthineni, who organized the protest, said, no one in Arcadia wants to demonstrate, but many felt they had to, Arcadia can get back to its happily placid status quo.

Wednesday at random:

If you don’t know the music of The Bird and the Bee, here’s your chance to make up for that cultural shortcoming. Inara George’s and Greg Kurstin’s poppy, funny, fascinating L.A. band has lately been creating covers albums under the theme “Interpreting the Masters.” First, Hall & Oates. Now, classic Van Halen. Makes Pasadenans (David Lee Roth) and Arcadians (the Van Halen brothers) proud. Top pick: “Hot for Teacher,” with Beck playing a hunky substitute who wants Inara to stay after class. And a perfect original to close about Inara’s childhood crush: “Diamond Dave / No one can hold a candle / Nothing else is quite the same / Pretty Dave / I’ll always remember / I still carry such a flame.”

Write the public editor at lwilson@scng.com.