At first, this column was going to be about Shaquille O'Neal and his ludicrous ranting last Monday after the Los Angeles Lakers lost to Washington, 96-86.

But yesterday came the arbitrator's ruling that the Golden State Warriors have to reinstate Latrell Sprewell's contract and that the NBA has to reduce his suspension to seven months. He had been punished for allegedly attacking Coach P.J. Carlesimo at practice, returning 20 minutes later, and resuming the assault.

I was delighted when I heard this news, because I realized that it sent exactly the right message to kids who follow basketball.

See, there's this common misperception that it's not OK to lose your temper and attempt to attack someone physically, especially an authority figure. I've got as bad a temper as anyone else, so I'm pretty happy with that. Your TF screws you? Go to office hours and beat the hell out of him. It's all right after today's decision.

But let's say that you're not the impulsive type. Say you're the type to leave, stew, and come back 20 minutes later to choke and punch somebody. Hey, this arbitrator isn't unreasonable--that's OK, too!

This is an absolute travesty. I can't even describe how frustrated I was when I heard the news. It's irrational, unjustifiable and harmful for basketball.

John Feerick, the arbitrator, wrote: "The evidence indicates that there is no history of both the league and a team imposing discipline for the same violent conduct, on or off the court. This speaks to the issue of fairness, as I see it."

To quote David Spade in Tommy Boy, "Hi, I'm Earth. Have we met?"

Does precedent matter? Is it wrong for both a team and the league to punish somebody who does something so flagrantly wrong? Unfortunately, the collective bargaining agreement implies that it is.

But nobody can ever convince me that it's unfair to suspend someone a full year for choking his coach. And as for the Warriors' actions, would any other company hesitate to terminate someone who tried to choke his boss?

I feel sorry for the NBA, because it did the right thing and lost. People who think of basketball players as overpaid and spoiled can point to this case, and they're absolutely right. Not only would no ordinary person get away with this, he'd probably end up serving hard time.

The players' union's reaction is equally ridiculous. "This decision is a victory that is shared by Latrell and the other 400 members of our union. It reaffirms the sanctity of guaranteed contracts in the NBA," said union president Billy Hunter.

This isn't a victory. It's a defeat. A defeat for the NBA, which tried to discipline a rogue player with a well-deserved reputation for being a punk. A defeat for the Warriors, who will have to pay the aforementioned punk the rest of his $32 million contract. A defeat for Sprewell, who is less likely to change his self-destructive behavior now. And a defeat for decency.

More ominously, an Oakland high-school player was recently cited for attacking his coach after being benched. The case is undecided, and the player claims the coach started it, so we shouldn't rush to judgment. But I have a hard time believing that there's no connection between the two attacks.

Let's move on to Shaquille O'Neal, who lashed out after the loss to the Wizards, berating his teammates and the refs, then challenging the league to fine him.