By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Columnist

The surprise shouldn't be that NBA Commissioner David Stern came down with both feet on Ron Artest and the other miscreant players from Friday's Rumble in Auburn Hills.

Indeed, the real shocker would be if he hadn't.

This latest, most explosive in-the-stands incident has pushed the frontier of fan-player violence to troubling lengths. To answer it with anything more than, well, Stern measures would have been to invite additional episodes and turn more arenas into combat zones.

Maybe nothing will guarantee an end to the madness we see developing in stadiums and arenas. But at least the suspension of Artest for the remainder of the young NBA season for leading the charge into the stands and meting out of other sanctions: A 30-game stretch to Stephen Jackson, 25 games to Jermaine O'Neal, six to Ben Wallace, five to Anthony Johnson were steps that will resonant throughout sports.

As such they were necessary and appropriate.

Recent headlines tell us the NBA isn't the only pro league forced to confront the growing issue of violence between spectators and players, just one of the ones to take the most firm action. Texas Rangers relief pitcher Frank Francisco was brought up on charges for flinging a chair that broke a woman spectator's nose in Oakland. Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Milton Bradley was suspended for flinging back into the stands at Dodger Stadium a water bottle that had been thrown at him. And, those are just from the last few months.

Clearly it takes two sides to wage this kind of behavior: Over-the-edge, often boozed up, fans and out-of-control players. And neither should escape blame or punishment.

For their part, it is incumbent upon arena, league and club officials to do a better job of protecting players even if that means putting up a protective barrier not only to keep pucks from flying out of play but to keep punks from getting into it. Even if it involves fining the host arena or team.

They also need to demand a reasonable level of behavior from spectators and vigorously prosecute those who cross that line, if security is to be taken seriously. There are limits to what a ticket of admission allows fans and they need to be enforced.

At some point, however, the players have to understand that you don't go up in the stands after the fans, no matter what kind of words or debris tumbles down. If snockered fans choose to leave the stands and end up on the court or field, the idiots do so at their own peril. And, heaven help them.

But for players to leave the court and charge into the stands, putting not only the obnoxious but the innocent in danger, solves nothing and, indeed, only serves to escalate the kind of melee that broke out Friday.

There is no place for this madness in sports or its venues and Stern's actions were the best statement we've seen yet at saying so.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.