MOTOR CITY MADHOUSE: I'm not going to waste a ton of space here weighing in on the Pistons/Pacers/drunk fans brawl, but I will offer my abbreviated two cents. First, there's no excuse for fans throwing anything at players, ever, anywhere. No excuse, and security and club officials have to act swiftly to remove abusive fans from arenas and stadiums everywhere.

That said, if I'm David Stern, I look at a situation that could have been averted if not for Ron Artest's inexplicable charge into the stands. Artest is the catalyst, the gasoline on the fire, etc. He had to "go" for a long time, as did Jackson, so kudos to Stern for having some teeth, balls, or whatever.

O'Neal, since he never actually left the court, which is *his* turf, seems somehow less culpable. And Wallace? Six games for a push and some belligerence thereafter? Seems stiff. But then I'm a Piston's fan. And, truth be told, I got tired of Artest's act when he was here in Chicago, so I'm not coming at him with a clean slate either.

A fun side note: My brother spent a couple days staking out the house of one of the guys that Artest punched, trying to book him on one of the national morning television shows. Apparently he's got a new gig today, staking out the office of attorney Geoffrey Fieger who's on tap to represent some of the future millionaires who are suing the Pistons, the Pacers, the Palace, and the players.

Okay, so I wasted a ton of space. Sue me.