No good reason for these sports to order take-out

I have a problem with two recent decisions made by the big brother arms of the NBA and NHL, unnecessarily suspending key players from crucial playoff games.

It just does not seem right for the Phoenix Suns to play without Amare Stoudemire and Boris Diaw and for the Ducks to be missing Chris Pronger at this stage of the postseason. Not for the type of offenses that led to their suspensions.

It’s true that the NBA has a stern rule where players can’t leave the bench during an altercation and that the NHL has the right to suspend any player it feels crossed the line with a dangerous play, but the punishments don’t fit the crimes.

Stoudemire and Diaw were suspended when they ran near center court after teammate Steve Nash was shouldered out of bounds by San Antonio’s Robert Horry late in the Suns’ Game 4 victory in the Western Conference semifinals Monday.

Horry received a two-game suspension, and Stoudemire and Diaw were suspended for one game each. It’s a decision that had a direct impact on the Spurs’ Game 5 victory Wednesday night because Stoudemire is one of the best players in the league and Diaw one of the most versatile.

Neither player threw a punch or touched an opposing player, yet they broke a clear-cut NBA rule. But so what? Common sense should have taken over in this case for a league that regularly allows rule compromises. Just check out the next playoff game and watch how many travels, moving screens and loose-ball fouls are not called.

David Stern likes to talk about keeping the integrity of the game, yet a ruling like this strongly affects the fairness and competitiveness of this season’s playoffs.

Hopefully, the NBA examines this rule during the off-season and also takes a close look at the numerous poor-sportsmanship plays committed during these playoffs.

Suspensions were not given in the Jazz-Warriors series for Baron Davis’ elbow on Derek Fisher and Jason Richardson’s hard foul on Mehmet Okur; in both cases a player could have been seriously injured. But Stoudemire and Diaw were suspended without making any contact.

While the Suns were left at a disadvantage for a rule that should more flexible, the Ducks will be without Pronger in tonight’s Game 4 against Detroit because of a ruling that’s open to interpretation.

In the Red Wings’ 5-0 victory on Tuesday, Pronger and teammate Rob Niedermayer crunched Detroit’s Tomas Holmstrom and left him with two cuts that needed 13 stitches.

Pronger, who hit Holmstrom from behind, but not face-first, into the boards, did not receive a penalty on the play but Niedermayer did, getting a major boarding and game misconduct.

On Wednesday, the NHL decided that Pronger, who knocked Holmstrom’s helmet off with his left elbow, was the bad guy who put the Red Wings forward in danger with his hit.

But Pronger’s hit was not malicious, especially when compared to recent playoff collisions that did not lead to suspensions despite causing serious injury. Case in point, Ottawa’s Daniel Alfredsson shoved Buffalo’s Henrik Tallinder head-first into the boards but no penalty or suspension was given.

After being treated, Holmstrom returned to the game and will be in the lineup tonight for the Red Wings, who will have an opportunity to take control of the series with the Ducks playing without Pronger.

So like the Suns, the Ducks will be playing their most important game of the season without a key player.

It’s too bad that common sense goes on vacation during the playoffs.

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Random thoughts: Why are NHL players so classy compared with other professional athletes? I would spend time with players such as the Ducks’ Scott and Rob Niedermayer, Teemu Selanne or Sean O’Donnell any day of the week. And you can’t get any better role models than NHL superstars like Detroit’s Niklas Lidstrom and Calgary’s Jerome Iginla. Unfortunately, I can’t say that about too many NBA, NFL or MLB athletes.

What is the NHL doing having former goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck work as a broadcaster for Versus’ playoff coverage? In 2003 Vanbiesbrouck quit as coach and general manager for an Ontario Hockey League team after he admitted that he used a racial slur to describe team captain Trevor Daly, who now plays for the Dallas Stars. The Kings’ Jim Fox would certainly have been a much better broadcast choice.

The college football season can’t start soon enough. It’s going to be interesting to see which USC running backs emerge as the main ballcarriers in the fall. But the real key for the Trojans will be getting their talented offensive line to play like a dominant unit. Across town, if UCLA quarterback Ben Olson clicks under new offensive coordinator Jay Norvell, the Bruins won’t have to yell to get attention because DeWayne Walker’s experienced defensive squad should be even better.

I still smile when I think of Indianapolis’ Tony Dungy and Chicago’s Lovie Smith facing each other in the Super Bowl, but can’t help but frown when I know that out of the 119 Division I-A schools, only six have black head football coaches.

Peace.

lonnie.white@latimes.com

T.J. Simers is taking time off.