Tough Week for the Commish

It's been a tough week for the commissioners of the NFL, NBA, and MLB. The FBI is investigating veteran NBA referee Tim Donaghy on allegations that he bet on basketball games during the last 2 seasons, including games in which he was an official. The NFL is dealing with one of the more popular players in the league being indicted as a result of an ongoing dog fighting investigation. And, of course, Bud Selig is stuck between a rock and a hard place with Barry Bonds* about to break Hank Aaron's home run record.

Personally, I think David Stern is in the toughest situation. There is nothing more important to a league than the integrity of the games. Fixing games is the most egregious of sins in sports. And when it comes from an official – the people we place the most trust in with regard to being fair and impartial - the fallout could be devastating. We are fortunate for the fact that it is Stern who has to deal with this problem. He has proven himself over the years as the most capable of commissioners. As has been said about him repeatedly, he is the smartest guy in the room - regardless of what room he is in. Undoubtedly this is the biggest issue he has faced during his tenure, but the NBA has weathered more than one storm on his watch and I suspect that he will come out of this one as well.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodel has shown his mettle and resolve in cleaning up the image of the NFL and the behavior of its players in the way he handled Tank Johnson, Chris Henry, and Pac Man Jones. He is further strengthening his reputation as a no-nonsense disciplinarian by ordering Vick not to report to Falcons training camp. It is a bit surprising the he has asked the Falcons not to discipline Vick until the investigation is complete (it appears the Falcons were prepared to suspend Vick for the first 4 games of the season). However, I fully expect Goodel to come down hard if Vick is found guilty of the charges against him, even if he is one of the faces of the league. In fact, I would not be surprised if Vick has taken his last snap in the NFL. This is his opportunity to strike fear into every single player in the league. If he will give Michael Vick the boot, it could happen to anybody.

Poor Bud Selig. He is in a no-win situation. If he is not in attendance when Bonds* breaks the record people will decry him for allowing hitters to accumulate specious home run totals while he turned a blind eye, then not acknowledging the inevitable results. All of this despite reports that the current commissioners were not in attendance when Aaron broke Ruth's record, nor when Rose broke Cobb's record. If he is in attendance, there will undoubtedly be those who believe Bonds* to be a phony and that he should receive no acknowledgement or accolades from the league. One of the more underlying issues here is the fact that it has become somewhat in vogue to be a Bud Selig basher. He has been under more scrutiny (perhaps rightfully so) than any other commissioner, and has been disparaged for seemingly every decision he has made despite the resurgence in baseball with regard to TV ratings and stadium attendance. It looks like Selig will be in attendance when Bonds* breaks the record, but pending the outcome of the steroids investigation it would come as no surprise if Major League Baseball continues to acknowledge Hank Aaron as the true home run champion.