Twitter is a dangerous, dangerous beast.

I’ve discovered that myself, before, shooting from the lip a joke that was not well-received. Note to self: Never joke about a public official, a jelly donut and Winona Ryder.

To imagine a horde of 18-to-22 year olds on such an infernal device is simply terrifying.

The problem with immediate reaction is it is almost entirely emotional and lacking rationality. It’s visceral, raw.

It’s stupid.

And UCLA must find a way to deal with it.

The problem with the recent check flap is that it could’ve entirely been prevented by one rule: You tweet, you don’t play. Simple as that.

College athletics are dictatorships. It comes from the head coach on down, and the problem with being a friendly player’s coach is it can often backfire. When discipline is lacked, that doesn’t just manifest itself in false starts and sporadic f-bombs.

Lack of discipline is a cancer, and it spreads, and it spreads quickly. It doesn’t just have to be nipped in the bud, it has to be chopped off, head first.

The one thing that we know for sure with the check issue is that there was clearly a failure of communication. Maybe someone wielded power without the authority to do so. Maybe some feelings were hurt. Whatever. Who is to blame is not the question.

It was the immediate and thoughtless reaction to the situation that has UCLA embroiled in just another embarassing mess. Cooler heads, such as Jeff Locke, tried to appeal to reason. Teammates having to tweet at teammates to study the NCAA rule book? What is wrong with this picture?!

As recalled in that great HBO documentary on John Wooden, Bill Walton once walked into practice sporting a lion’s mane that had the legendary UCLA coach up in arms. He handled it quite simply, explaining to Walton that while yes, there was no rule against long hair, Wooden was the one who dictated the starting lineup, and unless he high-tailed it to a barber, he would not play.

It is that simple.

It’s a parent telling his young child, you tough that oven, and you’re going to be burned. If a kid touches the oven and is burned, blame the kid.

In this case, UCLA would be wise to establish some authority over Twitter, for once, or the players will just keep burning themselves.

And then I’ll have to write about it. And I’ll probably jump to conclusions.

So a governor walks into a donut store with Winona Ryder…