A few days ago, Zohn reader Fred Garcia asked me to blog about Serena Williams and the foot fault and the ensuing tirade. I held off because I wanted to write a column about Williams. But it turns out the Giants are alive -- I didn't expect this, really -- and I'm covering them tonight for my column, so here goes with Serena Williams.

It seems to me there are two issues: 1) the orginal foot fault call. 2) Williams' reaction.

OK, first the call itself. We all want athletes to obey the rules and a foot fault is a foot fault. It's just that Williams didn't seem to foot fault, at least not on the video I saw. And even if she did you hate a lines woman to call something so trivial at a crucial point near the end of a match. It felt like the official was intruding herself into the match.

If this were baseball or football the official would be made available to reporters to explain her ruling. It is routine for a pool reporter to talk to officials in baseball and football, and Monday night in Oakland one official talked to a pool reporter about the apparent Raiders' TD reception that was ruled incomplete.

To the best of my knowledge the lines woman has not met with the media, nor has she been identified. If I am incorrect please tell me. If the media met her they could have asked a key question -- had she warned Williams previously in the match and told her if she foot faulted once more she would penalize her? This would be crucial to know.

OK, now we come to Williams' reaction to the foot fault call. It has been reported she yelled at the woman, "I'm going to shove this (freaking) racket down your (freaking) throat." She also pointed the racket at the woman in a gesture that some think was threatening. Back to baseball. If a batter gets rung up by the umpire the code says a batter can say, "That was a (expletive deleted) call." Umpires accept this. But the batter cannot be personal, cannot say to the ump, "You are (expletive deleted). If a batter gets personal the ump runs him out of the game.

Williams got personal and she got threatening. She deserved to lose the point which lost her the match. No matter what the provocation -- a bad call -- she went over the top in a way that would not be accepted even in baseball, a more earthy sport than tennis, a sport in which arguing is accepted.

To her credit, Williams never disputed her $10,000 fine and in interviews later she did not dispute her disqualification. Understand this, the officials did not run her out of the match as an ump would kick out a ballplayer. They merely penalized her a point which then lost her the match. On the other hand, they knew the match was over for her. If this had happened earlier they very well might have run her out.

Williams acted atrociously when she verbally assaulted the official. She deserves her fine of 10 grand. She should not get fined any more -- they are talking about fines up to $560,000. And she should not get suspended. Enough is enough.