The Front Row: Dark days

“Double down” Donaghy: I wish I could say this Tim Donaghy story shocked me. Heck, I wish I could say I was even moderately surprised to find out an NBA official was involved in a mob-influenced gambling scandal. The most depressing aspect of this whole situation is that very few die-hard basketball fans are even remotely surprised. The substandard officiating has been the NBA’s biggest drawback for quite some time, and this Donaghy scandal might finally inspire change. To make matters worse, it turns out that Donaghy was one of the referees during Game 3 of the Suns-Spurs series—perhaps the worst-officiated game on 2007. This is one sports story that isn’t going away anytime soon.

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NFL tightens Vick’s leash: NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has banned troubled Atlanta Falcons’ quarterback Micheal Vick from participating in the team’s traning camp until the league has a better chance to review all the facts from Vick’s pending dogfighting case. Can you imagine being in Goodell’s shoes these past few months? He hasn’t even been in the commissioner’s chair for one full year, and he’s already had to deal with horrific tabloid stories involving four of his higher-profile players—Pac Man Jones, Chris Henry, Tank Johnson and now Vick. Credit must be given to Goodell for remaining calm and collected during his first year on the job. If it were me, I probably would’ve had a half-dozen nervous breakdowns by now.

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Selig shrugs his shoulders: Bud Selig must be breathing a sigh of relief this morning, with Barry Bonds moving through Milwaukee without breaking the great Hank Aaron’s home-run record. The current commissioner and former Brewers’ owner doesn’t have to worry about baseball’s chemical king dethroning one of baseball’s true heroes in his own backyard. Now, Selig is saying he "might try to make it" to any potential record-breaking Bonds moment. You have to love his enthusiasm. Personally, I think Selig should embrace his legacy as the Steroid Era’s leader. He should be wearing Bonds jerseys to every San Francisco Giants’ game and taking ownership of this cloud of doubt he helped to indirectly create. Whether he likes it or not, Bonds’ assault on baseball’s record books will be the defining aspect of Selig’s tenure.

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At least I still have boxing: In much better sports news, boxing is finally returning to the Desert Diamond Casino on Friday. Headlining the seven-fight card will be former top-flight prospect Francisco Bojado, taking part in his second bout since signing with Golden Boy Promotions. Bojado (17-2, 11 KOs) was named ESPN.com’s prospect of the year in 2001, but lost a lot of his momentum after disappointing losses to Juan Carlos Rubio in 2002 and Jesse James Leija in 2004. Bojado still has the talent and the youth to develop into a dominant welterweight. There are few things more exciting than a hot-shot boxing prospect trying to recapture what Apollo Creed would call the eye of the tiger.

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So long, Curtis and Craig: Jets' tailback Curtis Martin announced his retirement yesterday morning after 13 stellar years among the NFL's elite. I always held Martin in the highest esteem, but I had no idea whatsoever that he will retire as the fourth-leading rusher in the history of the NFL, behind only Emmitt Smith, Walter Payton and Barry Sanders. Martin was always solid, but rarely flashy, so casual fans didn't see much of him on SportsCenter. Fittingly, Martin's baseball equivalent—Craig Biggio—announced that he would retire from the Houston Astros after the end of the season. Biggio was a fantastic ballplayer, but his phenomenal numbers (over 3,000 hits, 400 stolen bases, 600 doubles, 250 homers, Gold Gloves at catcher and second base) really stunned me. It's just funny how players like this have a way of sneaking up on you.