NBA Commissioner David Stern has suspended Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas indefinitely without pay for his “Guns At The Stadium” prank. The commish issued the following statement.

“The possession of firearms by an NBA player in an NBA arena is a matter of the utmost concern to us. I initially thought it prudent to refrain from taking immediate action because of the pendency of a criminal investigation involving the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and the Metropolitan Police Department, and the consideration of this matter by a grand jury sitting in the District of Columbia. For the same reason, I directed the Wizards to refrain from taking any action. Wizards personnel continue to be interviewed by law enforcement authorities, some are scheduled for appearance before the grand jury and the investigation is proceeding with the intensity that one would expect for such a serious incident.

“Although it is clear that the actions of Mr. Arenas will ultimately result in a substantial suspension, and perhaps worse, his ongoing conduct has led me to conclude that he is not currently fit to take the court in an NBA game. Accordingly, I am suspending Mr. Arenas indefinitely, without pay, effective immediately pending the completion of the investigation by the NBA.”

At least Gilbert has time to F around on Twitter and work on new gun-related comedy material. He’ll also have time to find out what “Time and Place” means.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting the Dodgers slugger Manny Ramirez will be suspended for 50 games after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. The Dodgers currently have the best record in baseball, and just set the modern-era mark for consecutive home wins to start a season (13).

Ramirez joins Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, and Alex Rodriguez on the list of legitimate Superstars that were on the juice.. or cream and the clear.. or B12.. or Boli. But Ramirez already has his defense in place.

“Ramirez is expected to attribute the test results to medication received from a doctor for a personal medical issue, according to a source familiar with matter but not authorized to speak publicly.”

Sounds likely, but either way Major League Baseball is suspending Ramirez immediately. More as this develops….

Manny Ramirez will be suspended 50 games for positive drug test [LA Times]

Houston Astros pitcher Shawn Chacon has been suspended indefinitely by the team after getting into a scuffle with general manager Ed Wade. Chacon was already angry over being moved from the starting rotation on Sunday before his confrontation with Wade. The gm’s desire to speak to Shawn Chacon in manager Cecil Cooper’s office led to an altercation.

From the Houston Chronicle:

“I sat down to eat and Ed Wade came to me and very sternly said, ‘you need to come with me to the office.’ I said ‘for what?’ I said ‘I don’t want to go to the office with you and Cooper.’ And I said ‘You can tell me whatever you got to tell me right here.’ He’s like, ‘oh, you want me to tell you right here?’ And I said, ‘yeah.’ I’m not yelling. I’m calm.”

“He started yelling and cussing,” Chacon said of Wade. “I’m sitting there and I said to him very calmly, ‘Ed, you need to stop yelling at me. Then I stood up and said ‘you better stop yelling at me.’ I stood up. He continued and was basically yelling and stuff and was like, ‘You need to (expletive) look in the mirror.’ So at that point I lost my cool and I grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the ground. I jumped on top of him because at that point I wanted to beat his (butt). Words were exchanged.”

There’s a twist, Chacon was doing the roughing up instead of being the one getting slapped around. Shawn was seeking a trade before he channeled his inner Sprewell, and now it’s only a matter of time until the Astros get rid of him. Houston should have no problem moving Chacon since teams are always trying to get their hands on guys that are 2-3 with a 5.04 ERA that will choke your ass if you tell ‘em they’re playing like crap.

Shawn Chacon, Ed Wade, Houston Astros, MLB