I can admit when I am wrong about something, and it’s possible I was over the matter of New Jersey flying its flags at half staff following the death of Whitney Houston.

As so many people pointed out, the honor probably should be reserved for those in public service or in the military and not a celebrity.

My point was that Houston was a star of such rare magnitude that it was a nice gesture of a solemn occasion.

I NEVER enjoyed her music though, as I found it to be corny and simple despite her great voice.

I NEVER rooted against her though, as I never thought her struggles with drugs would boost me up in my life in any way and make me feel any better about things.

I’m nothing special, mind you, but I generally try to wish the best for people even if they have treated me poorly at some point.

It’s not easy to be nice, but it’s the Christian way to behave especially when you use Jesus as an example.

Sorry to offend believers of other faiths, but NO religious figure will EVER match HIS ability to transform us.

Which takes me to  Matt Kemp. I’m not sure if the Los Angeles Dodgers slugger is Christian but he sure behaved that way regarding the news that rival Ryan Braun’s positive test for using performance enhancers was overturned.

“I’m happy he was found not guilty,” Kemp, the NL MVP runner-up to Braun told MLB.com Friday. “He’s been going through a lot. Now he and the Brewers can concentrate on just playing baseball and going about their business.”

Kudos to Kemp for being positive and empathetic toward a fellow baseball player, one that even got an award Kemp thought he earned.

The problem I have with this anti-Whitney Houston sentiment is how mean-spirited and angry it seems, with some people even calling her a “crackhead” … even if she was. Houston has a young daughter and this is not a nice way to refer to her mother.

Houston’s not the first person to be flawed, even fatally so, and she won’t be the last.

But how we treat each other, in good times and bad, says an awful lot about us.

Read Matt’s blog on the Yankees, including players he has appreciated over the years, at: http://yanksgoyard.com/author/mattster/