What's supposed to be the lazy days of summer has quickly turned into one of the busiest times of the year in sports.

Wherever you look sports is dominating the headlines not only on the designated pages, but in main news circles as well. This week, all the talk has been about Michael Vick.

The Atlanta quarterback was indicted by a federal grand jury and will now go to trial on dogfighting charges. It doesn't look good for Vick, considering what they found on his property earlier this year, and he may be looking at serving time for his actions. The easiest out for him is to say that he wasn't involved in the actual fighting and that he never participated in what went on at the house in Virginia. This is a dark cloud that will hang over him for a long time. It might be best for the Falcons to cut ties with him and take their chances with Joey Harrington and D.J. Shockley. OK, maybe they don't have to do anything that drastic, but if Vick's found guilty he may be up for the starring role in the third installment of "The Longest Yard."

Something that just came out Friday: Apparently an NBA referee bet on games that he called. That's like the only thing you're not supposed to do as a referee. Officials can do just about anything during a game and get a pass because they are officials, but betting on games that you're officiating? That's like rule No. 1 in referee school.

"OK, class, take your seats, welcome to NBA officiating 101, you all look great in your gray shirts and black pants. Let's discuss what it takes to be a referee, oh by the way never bet on games you're officiating, I know that's normally self-explanatory, but we've had some dummies do it so it has to be covered. You know what, just stay away from betting on any NBA game, just to be safe. Now that we got that out of the way, here's your whistles, you'll be needing these."

ESPN reports that Tim Donaghy was the guilty ref, best of luck officiating those middle school games, Tim.

South Carolina recruit Quintin Richardson was arrested earlier this week for having marijuana on him. Listen, Gamecock recruits, stop getting into trouble. Garcia did enough for the whole incoming class, you other guys don't have to make fools of yourselves as well. Two interesting things came from the Richardson fiasc: one, Clemson coach Tommy Bowden had a slight dig this week saying his kids did good over the summer by keeping their names out of the headlines; two, Steve Spurrier and Eric Hyman are obviously not on the same page as a communication error made some people think Richardson's suspension was over while Hyman made sure to tell everyone that he would remain suspended at least until Aug. 3. In regards to Tommy, don't lift that rug in Tigertown too high or you might see a lot of things you don't want to, and Hyman and Spurrier need to have a united front when it comes to the discipline of the football team.

Finally, David Beckham may not play much when the L.A. Galaxy faces Chelsea Saturday. Beckham is still nursing a sore ankle, and said that he's not sure how much he'll be able to play in what is supposed to be his big American debut. Let me just say this, I love the Beckhams. Victoria's new reality show is fantastic and David is a world-class athlete that should help shine some light on the struggling MLS. Will it make soccer a household name in the States? Probably not, but the recognition will be there, and it may lead to other big names signing to play in America. Galaxy fans, don't worry, Becks has a five-year contract, you're going to get to see him eventually. Let him rest as long as it takes, let him get healthy, it will be worth it when he's bending free kicks in for goals later in the season.

Just a few parting thoughts:The Tour de France is still mired in a doping scandal, no surprise there; Sergio Garcia, the PGA's biggest train wreck, has the lead in Scotland, here's to him blowing it again on Sunday; college football is six weeks away ... I can almost hear the bands and smell the tailgates. Until then, I'll have to get my NCAA jollies on with the newest version of the popular video game. Here's to the virtual NCAA national champ ... the University of Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks.

T&D Sports Writer Travis Boland can be reached by office phone at 533-5522 or by e-mail at tboland@timesanddemocrat.com. Check out his new blog, The Part-Time Player, where Boland discusses everything in pop culture at www.TheTandD.com.

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