The recent fight during the Pistons basketball game has dominated the media. We've all seen the videotape, numerous times, learned of the players' suspensions and the criminal and misdemeanor charges against both players and fans. The incident was ugly and embarrassing. What can there be left to say? Permit me to add my own comments.

Why has the fight at the Palace captured our attention? It is because of our love for the good that usually comes from the sports world, and therefore how angry and disappointed we are when this normally positive experience turns ugly. We joke that sports and Judaism have been partners for a long time. After all, the Torah starts with a reference to baseball, In the big inning (In the beginning). Joseph must have played tennis because he served in Pharaoh's court.

On a somewhat more serious note, the New York Mets' playoff schedule was once changed in order that a game would not conflict with Yom Kippur. This schedule change wasn't for the benefit of an individual player, but to help a significant portion of the fan base, who embrace baseball and Judaism.

Please don't brag to me about how many games you attend on Shabbat, when you really should be home observing mitzvot. But feel free to tell me how enriching it is to watch skilled athletes in action, and how destructive it is when athletes and fans break the rules.

Here are some Jewish lessons we can learn from the "Malice at the Palace":

1. Judaism cares about anger management. In the Pirke Avot, the teacher Ben Zoma emphasizes that a true hero, a person of real strength, is the one who controls his yetzer, his passion. Feeling like throwing beer, or charging a fan makes sense. Refraining from acting on that feeling displays true bravery.

2. The players and fans deserve to be punished. One of the Torah's mitzvot is lifnei iver, which means, "Don't place a stumbling block before the blind." Our Rabbis extend the plain and logical meaning of this mitzvah to include taking advantage of anyone's disability or weakness. Rambam extends the law to include a prohibition against buying stolen merchandise from a thief, lest we encourage the thief to continue in his criminal ways. Similarly, the athlete or fan that is not punished for "crossing the line" will never understand that the actions were wrong.

3. Fans today, even short of throwing objects and acting in violence, are in need of a sportsmanship lesson. I am fed up with fans booing the opposing team, distracting opponents when they shoot free throws, cheering opponents' mistakes, and loving the "blow out" victory. Call me naïve, but I want to see a good game in which both teams play their best.