Baseball

• Some interesting ideas include: increase scholarships, bring back the one-time transfer rule, make a switch to wooden bats, and push the MLB Draft to after the CWS [College baseball still needs major changes].
• Big ATL agents (France – football and Abbott – baseball) will be in attendance [First Ever Brian McCann Celebrity Softball Game Set for 11/13].
• Quite a line from Boras: “If stem-cell research were around, you’d want to tap into that gene pool.” [Scott Boras is making pitch for Johnny Damon's free agency this winter]
• The Arizona Fall League has produced a lot of very successful Major League players [Scout's Diary: AFL Still A Great Secret].

Football

• Surprised that Antonio Gates is not in the top 10 paid TEs? [Under the Cap: Top Ten Tight Ends]
• I also hate the uniforms, but glad to see that NFL execs are taking a peek at the talent [Don't discount the UFL].
• Josh Morgan seems to be taking the news pretty well [Report: Crabtree likely to start for 49ers].

Sports Agents

• Former sports agent, Alonzo “Lon” Monk, was up to some shady business [Ex-Blagojevich aide pleads guilty to corruption].

The AFL2, which is a peg below the Arena Football League (AFL), has been playing out its 2009 season while the AFL scrapped its season due to financial issues.  Just last week, the AFL2 had a big announcement that its championship game will be held at the Las Vegas Orleans Arena.  The AFL2 is busy publishing press releases about securing deals, and the AFL is having its name dragged in the mud.  Things are not looking so good for the league that is supposed to be one step up (in talent and payment) from the AFL2.

At the end of May, the AFL seemed to be situated nicely.  Reports that Lynn Swann was behind a Pittsburgh expansion team and that the league expected growth over the next five years (to 24 total teams) seemed very promising for the AFL.  When I read this sentence in ProFootballTalk.com, I no longer felt all that confident:

[Chicago] Rush owner Alan Levin says time has already run out for the league to return next season because there are no players allocated.  Most coaching staffs, although not all, have disbanded.

The AFL already scrapped the 2009 season.  If it does not return for 2010, then I find it hard to believe that it will ever come back in its 2008 form.  This may aid the UFL’s growth, but will continue to leave many football players who wish to play professional ball, out of a job in 2010 and beyond.

Players that are accepted to the program partake in a three-month, paid internship gaining experience in areas like communications, membership services, legal, and information systems.  Sports marketing internships are also available through the union’s marketing and licensing arm, NFL PLAYERS.  The pros must go through the same application process that students normally go through to get internships, by submitting an application, resume, cover letter, getting recommendations, submitting a writing sample, and a providing a transcript.  The only qualification…candidates must have played at least one full season in the NFL and/or AFL.  Tom DePaso, current Associate General Counsel and a Regional Director at the NFLPA and former NFL linebacker, participated in the internship back in 1984.  Being his first off-the-field work experience, DePaso said that “I would not be where I am today without having had that experience.”

The internship program isn’t the only way that the NFLPA helps out retired players.  The union holds a career opportunity expo as part of the NFLPA Retired Players Convention in Palm Springs.  The most recent one had eight employers in attendance, including New York Life Insurance Company, Prudential, and The Corporate Playbook.  Retired players can network and find out about employment opportunities from the companies in attendance, as well as have on-site interviews in private areas the expo has provided.  This year’s expo marks the fifth year that this aspect of the convention has been held.

In addition to setting up conferences like the career opportunity expo, the union set up a NFL Player Job Board in 2008 as a resource for retired players to find jobs with employers specifically interested in hiring former professional football players.  New Executive Director DeMaurice Smith has taken a proactive role in aiding former players find jobs.  He recently sent a letter to over 1,000 retired players who own their own companies or work for corporations in Florida, Texas, and California asking for help in finding employment opportunities for other retired players by listing their companies on the job board.  According to the NFLPA website, over 50 retired players have already found jobs using the job board.

While other unions like the MLBPA and NBPA help retired players find post-playing employment, the NFLPA’s efforts are even more necessary as the average career length is about two years shorter.  Retired football players have several options and resources to explore.  Agencies like Darren’s Dynasty Athlete Representation offer post-career guidance for their clients, and players often turn to their agents for help and advice when it comes to finding a new job because they have hopefully formed a trusting relationship over the years.  But the NFLPA’s continuous effort to aid athletes after their playing days are over is a noteworthy action for its players.

In December 2008, the Arena Football League canceled its 2009 AFL season with the intention of reviving the league for the start of a 2010 season.  Since then, Commissioner Ed Policy relinquished his position, but stated that the position of Commissioner will be abolished as a whole in favor of appointing a new person in a new role of CEO.  The AFL apparently remains in business, and wants to be viewed as a business by using a term like CEO over Commissioner.  In fact, a tentative agreement has been struck on a revised four-year Collective Bargaining Agreement.

The deal reportedly reduces costs — including salaries — and helps lend financial stability to the league. And the AFL was also said to be exploring a less-costly centralized business operation model.

“Players are making economic concessions now in return for a share of expected increases in the league’s value and revenue, because the players believe in the future of the AFL,” Richard Berthelsen, AFL Players’ Association acting executive director, said in a statement.

At the same time, this paragraph should worry those who expect the AFL will be coming back soon:

Moreover, the suspension forced teams to lay off nearly all support staff — including ticket and sponsorship sales, media relations, finance and marketing personnel and even people who answer the phones. Most Web sites are now dormant and one team — the Georgia Force — lost control of its URL (georgiaforce.com).

March 2010 is less than a month year away.  Will teams be able to basically build their infrastructures over again from scratch, pay players their salaries, and generate ticket sales in time?  Major League Baseball was able to come back from a partially scrapped season in 1994.  But Arena Football isn’t Major League Baseball..

Unlike most of the Big 4 leagues in the USA, AFL (Australian Football League) contracts aren’t released to the public. Therefore a lot of speculation is created as to who is making the big bucks. Fox Sports has compiled a rough guide through research in the industry as to who are the highest paid athletes in the game. Of course, there a few surprises.

Only 2 players broke the the magic $1 million dollar mark for 2008- Chris Judd and Jonathan Brown. Chris Judd is one of the most recognizable players of the game, and his 5 year deal was the largest contract signed in AFL history when he moved to Carlton at the end of 2007. Jonathan Brown has been a Brisbane player all his career, despite offers from his home state of Victoria.

There is a gap of about $200,000 to the next group of players, which include some of the best Key Position players of the game.

Of the players making over $500,000, most are Key Position players, and are approaching or over 30 years-old (despite the top two being in their mid twenties). If a player is over 30, he can be classified as a veteran, which means only half of his salary counts towards the salary cap, which stands at just over $7 million.

Looking to the future of who will be earning some serious cash, Luke Hodge’s current deal expires at the end of this year, and he will certainly command somewhere in the $700-800K range. Forward Lance Franklin, 22, will be earning over $500,000 next year, and is touted as one of the most promising players in the game. Expect a deal near $1 million a year for his next contract. Other players with higher earning potential include Gary Ablett Jnr., Daniel Kerr and Nick Riewoldt.

The AFL operates on a rookie pay scale similar to the leagues, so the initial starting salary is around $40,000-60,000. This is quite small considering the average Australian wage is about $50,000.

In comparison to overseas sports these players earn very little, but in terms of Australian sport only Super 14 or cricket players would command higher salaries.

Read the full article here.

Football

• DeMaurice Smith was selected to be the successor to Gene Upshaw as the Executive Director of the NFLPA [Smith elected to head NFLPA].
• One step in the right direction towards bringing back the AFL next year [AFL might be back in '10].
• Devin Hester is about to sport his wings with Red Bull [Hester Is A Flash In The Can].
• Great wrap-up of the early Pro Days [Pro Day Recap - Part 1].
• An agent rarely wants to see his name in the press.  This is the 2nd week in a row that we can’t help but notice Bus Cook getting attention [Agent explains Cutler timeline].

Baseball

• $1.5 million guaranteed plus the possibility of making another $1.5 million this year [Rodriguez, Astros agree to contract].

Basketball

• The NBPA was not too happy with that Yahoo! Sports article calling out Ceruzzi Sports and Pat Barrett [NBA Players Association to probe agency].

Sports Business

• Make sure you provide your clients with solid financial planners [IRS Looking At Athletes More Closely].

Football

• D-Rov doesn’t think the AFL will ever come back [The End Of The Arena Football League?].
• The NFL seems to have instituted a very liberal fining policy [NFL players’ tab for fines up 22% over last season, union says].

Sports Business

• SBJ released some new rankings.  Condon and Boras can be found on the back-end of the list [50 Most Influential people in sports business 2008].
• Jason Peck gives us a shout out in this solid piece [Sports and Social Media in 2009 - My Predictions].

Baseball

• A nice distraction from studying for final exams.  If you do not get them all, you should probably pick a new industry [Major League Teams].
• Yeah, but hindsight is 20/20 [Tony's Top 5 worst pitching contracts in baseball].
• More players flood the free agent market [Non-Tendered Players Become Free Agents].

Basketball

• Bonzi hoping to boost his image in China [Former NBA bad boy Bonzi Wells lands in China].

Hockey

• The NHL’s way of saying, Happy Holidays! [NHL roster freeze begins Friday].

If the 2009 season is scrapped, many football players will be left without a job.  NFL Europe no longer exists, the AAFL was a waste of my excitement, and there are a couple of new leagues in development (see: United National Gridiron League and United Football League).  Let’s also not forget about the Canadian Football League.  Our brothers to the north are secretly excited that the AFL is having financial troubles.  Three-to-five players per AFL team may strike a CFL GM’s interest.  The transition would be seemless.  Salaries are very similar in value and Canada is close enough to home (it’s not like playing in Germany).

“There are agents who refuse to send their players to Canada. They may not have a choice any more.” – Jim Popp, GM of Montreal.

There is one positive AFL note to report, though.  The arenafootball2 league, the official development league of the AFL (which is largely considered a development league for the NFL since NFL Europe collapsed), will have a 2009 season as planned.

The Denver Post has set a deadline of December 19.  If the AFL does not secure financing by that time, the paper says there is a strong chance that the AFL exists no longer.  The one thing that is certain is that there is a lot of uncertainty…among players, coaches, fans, and front office executives.  At least one team will not be putting on pads this season (if there is a season).  The New Orleans VooDoo called it quits in October.  No one knows what is going on, but if The Denver Post is right on its statement of Dec. 19, then we should all find out soon enough.

As of last year (and as I reported early this year) there was a teenager by the name of Nicholas Naitanui who was setting the WAFL on fire. He had already cracked the first team of the Swan Districts and was only ineligible by a few days of being able to be nominated for last year’s draft.

Flash forward to now and it’s a completely different story. On top of the fact that the Melbourne Demons de-listed their number 1 ruckman in Jeff White, they also lost their key forward David Neitz to retirement. So one could say Melbourne is definitely in the rebuilding phase.

There is any one of three players that Melbourne could choose as their first pick.

First, a Key Position player by the name of Jack Watts. Jack burst into the spotlight after a dominant display in the Under 18 Championships last season. Whilst Melbourne is in the market for some ruck stocks (they missed out on acquiring Robert Warnock in trade week), they will probably choose forward pressure instead. He finished 2nd overall in both sprints and agility at the recent draft camp, suggesting he could be moved into the midfield if need be, indicating he may be a player in the mould of Matthew Pavlich.

Nicholas Naitanui, who was touted at number 1, still has a slim chance of heading to Melbourne. As previously stated, the large ruckman has been playing senior football for a while and that is a huge plus. With strong agility, his talent and game would be in the mold of West Coast’s Dean Cox, which would be his destination if he was picked at number 2. If he were to drop to 3, then he would be heading to Fremantle, who in my opinion has the best tap ruckman in the game (Aaron Sandilands), however the pace of Naitanui would be too much to pass up.

Last but not least is midfielder Daniel Rich. He has an enormous amount of accolades and could easily fit in the starting lineup of any of the top 3. Fremantle picked up the rookie of the year in midfielder Rhys Palmer last season and if Rich is available will add to the bursting pace through the middle. Daniel is another player already playing at senior level in the WAFL, and it is quite possible he may stay in his home state.

This will be the first time in a few years that there hasn’t been a ’standout’ number 1 pick as the above three will all make an immediate impact on Melbourne.

Second Chance?

In terms of players who are looking for a second chance after being cut there are quite a few who will still be playing next season.

Former Swans forward Nick Davis still has plenty to offer a club on the cusp of a Premiership. He has trained with Brisbane in order to prove himself of being picked up.

Ben Cousins, who will return to the game after 12 months out is receiving interest from a wide range of clubs. The 30 year old former Brownlow Medalist is still in peak fitness, and Brisbane and St. Kilda have emerged as likely favourites to pick him up.

Aaron Fiora and Shane Birss, who were both cut by St. Kilda would still offer plenty to other clubs. They both have a vast amount of playing experience and would be welcome additions at clubs who need some extra firepower.

The drafting of de-listed players may prove to be a highlight of the draft, as there are players dropped from almost every club that have the potential to play on.

A full list of de-listed and retired players are here.

The draft is held on the 29th of November.