Basketball

• Agreed, now how do we get rid of under-the-table payments to these players? [NCAA Should Admit Its March Madness Players Are Professionals]
• Arn Tellem represents Tiago Splitter now, too? Who doesn’t Tellem rep these days? [Spurs' situation with Splitter reminds of Scola]
• From a Merrill Lynch financial advisor.  See, it’s not only agents and boosters giving these kids money [Oklahoma BB Star Scores Questionable Cash].
• Low 5-figures to get Murray State coach, Billy Kennedy, out of his K [The Smallest Coaching Buyout?].

Soccer

• I hope that the players are unified and committed to taking action [MLS Players Vote to Strike, League Has Some Decisions to Make].
• On the bright side… [Soccer In The States Reaches It’s Tipping Point…].

Baseball

• Guaranteed money and security at the age of 26 [Twins lock up Span for five years].
• No baseball players on the list of Top 10 Funniest Athletes [Why Michael Strahan Is Pitching Baseball Bats].

On September 4, 2008, I decided to take a look at the law schools that some of the industry’s best have attended in the past.  This week, BitterLawyer.com decided to take the task one step forward, ranking the top 11 agents who have gone to law school.  I have to thank the website for mentioning my name and this site in their article.

Ranked at the top of the list is Drew Rosenhaus, who went to Duke University School of Law.  He is followed by Scott Boras, who graduated from University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law.  Up next are the two men behind CAA Football (Tom Condon – University of Baltimore and Ben Dogra – St. Louis University Law School).  Rounding out the top 5 is Arn Tellem, who went to University of Michigan Law School.

The comments in the post make note that most of the agents listed went to a TTT.  UrbanDictionary.com sheds some light on what TTT means (I have changed it around a bit to make it appropriate for this site).

Third tier toilet. Generally used as a pejorative term for law schools that are not prestigious, aka Top 14 law schools. To certain people, a law school is either a TTT or a Top 14 school, there is no in-between.

Vanderbilt Law School is ranked #17 according the US News and World Report, but it is still a TTT because it isn’t in the Top 14; it doesn’t matter how close a school’s ranking is to the top 14, if it is not in the Top 14, it is automatically a TTT.

I wouldn’t look too far into why many successful agents did not go to a Top 14 law school.  The only thing I would say is something I have always believed in – Going to a top school may open up some doors that would not normally exist; however, going to a top school does not guarantee success.  And TTT schools have produced MANY successful people.

Football

• NCAA ban aside, football coaches may want to think twice before selecting Dez Bryant [Bryant comes with a caveat emptor tag].
• Mike Ornstein vs. Bill Henkel [Wilson: Marketing reps confirm altercation at combine].
• Yes, the NFL has to follow state laws when they are applicable [The Star Caps Saga Continues].
• Please read what Head Coach Marvin Lewis had to say about the NFL Combine [Inconsistent Measureables].
• Some will over spend, some will go the cheap route, others will pretend there is still a cap [NFL free agency begins Friday without cap].

Baseball

• Never seen Garrett Broshuis pitch, but I am sad to see him leave the game [Suitcase Chronicles: Not Crash Davis].
• Some love for Arn Tellem as a baseball agent [Hideki Matsui in Anaheim: "Man, I feel comfortable here"].

Soccer

• So now that Major League Soccer and its players’ association is not bound by a collective bargaining agreement… [McCarthy’s Musings: The Friday Five Explains The Demise Of The MLS CBA].

Football

• If Keels negotiated the deal, he deserves his entire fee [Larry Johnson, Alvin Keels dispute raises new question regarding agent fees].
• With Keels, leaves Keels, back to Keels [Agent change could mean Bodden wants to stay in New England].

Baseball

• A rare pro-Scott Boras piece [Are Scott Boras and Money Ruining Baseball?].
• And I think the 1-year, $8 million deal this late was a great deal for Boras and Damon [Klapisch: Johnny Damon, Scott Boras really blew this one].
• I have full confidence that Michael Weiner will represent the players to the best of his abilities [As head of baseball players' union, Michael Weiner seen as departure from Don Fehr].

Basketball

• Love the Arn Tellem piece, except I am not sure that the comparison to investment bankers works well [They Earn It].

Sports Agents

• Amy Stanton represents female athletes, including Gretchen Bleiler [Women at Work].
• The former relief pitcher, Darek Braunecker, is included [UALR Athletics To Induct Three Into Hall of Fame On Saturday].
• Athlete, agent, ambassador of action sports [PRO FILE: CIRCE WALLACE].

Baseball

• I really don’t think that Scott Boras represents Freddy Krueger or the shark in Jaws [Know Thy Enemy: Scott Boras].

Football

• Forces a few agents to come to Indy early and creates a divide between agents who were invited and those on the outside [Union will brief agents on CBA progress February 24].
• It’s officially front office season [Upcoming Front Office Decisions].
• How does this hurt/help the UFL’s expansion plans? [The Arena Football League is back]
• Another one goes to Rosenhaus [Vickerson changes agents].

Basketball

• Arn Tellem’s best post to date, where he says, The awful truth: NBA players would be in a stronger position without a union [Stern und Drang].

Sports Agents

• Jeff Rubin could not have been pleased with the $10,000 bill [Tiger Woods Former Mistress Michelle Braun Runs Up Hotel Tab For Sports Agent In Miami].
• Lowell Taub answers Rovell’s questions as you would expect a smart agent to answer them [One-on-One With Bode Miller's Agent].

Baseball

• Great stuff here about revenue sharing.  Also check out the agents leading the 3+ year free agent deals [Early warning for potential labor unrest].
• A good case is made that teams benefit quite a bit from the arbitration process [Debunking Salary Arbitration Myths - Part 1].
• The new agreement will last until 2013 [Officials pass new Winter League agreement].

Basketball

• Arn Tellem is not fond of trade-demand fines [A Fine Mess].

Football

• It sure seems like DeBartolo has lost a lot of clients in the past year [Smith looking for new contract with new agent].
• If you do not see your name on this list, you will not be participating at the combine [Official Invite List].
• Always nice to get pre-draft deals [Nike Inks Ex-Nebraska Defensive Lineman Ndamukong Suh].

Bowling

• Ludacris, Hines Ward, Lamarr Woodley, Jack Del Rio, along with Dynasty’s Jason Belmonte and Norm Duke [Sunday’s Chris Paul PBA Celebrity Invitational Features A-List Lineup].

Basketball

• We don’t need a Jewish Jordan.  Omri Casspi is quite acceptable [Welcome, The King Of Israel].
• A noble effort that Arn Tellem promotes outside of his normal practice [Peace of My Heart].

Baseball

• Josh Johnson is “beyond pissed” [Sources: Chapman Offer Upsets Johnson…].
• The five-year deal runs through 2014 [Umpires, MLB agree on deal].
• College baseball season approaches.  Watch these guys [2010 Louisville Slugger Preseason All-American Team].
• “If you get a serious nibble from one of those big spenders, and this is where your client wants to play, you cannot — you will not — let that team off the hook” [A New Year's resolution for agents].

Football

• Mark your calendars for January 15th [More undergraduates than ever in NFL draft?].

Sports Agents

• Dan Fegan dropped some heavy money to support his ex-NBA client, Chris Dudley [Kitzhaber leading the way in campaign dollars].

It makes sense that major West Coast agencies continue to grow.  Creative Artists Agency was a player in the entertainment world well before it started buying out the largest sports agents/agencies.  It figured that its existing model and connections could bring in more revenue than those entities had been receiving in the past.  It seems to be doing quite well with that business plan.  Another company with broad entertainment connections for its clients is Wasserman Media Group.  I don’t know when agent Arn Tellem finds time to sleep, with his enormous list of clients in professional basketball and football.  He probably receives over one-hundred calls per day from GMs, reporters, and clients, and still finds time to go on the recruiting trail and find new business.  He also keeps his current clients happy, and seems to have a strong connection to the entertainment world through his wife, Nancy Tellem.  Nancy is the President of CBS and is in charge of all of its television programming.

Quite the power couple, and it definitely benefits Arn’s clients.  Recently, Pau Gasol made an appearance on CSI: Miami.  Last year, Gasol and Jordan Farmar appeared on NUMB3RS.  Both shows are on CBS, both players are clients of Arn Tellem and WMG.  Gasol and Farmar are not the biggest names in the game of basketball, but both of them are playing in Los Angeles, so it is natural for them to want a piece of the limelight.

Want to be a MAJOR player in this industry?  Better start cultivating those connections in the entertainment industry, as well.

Football

• The St. Louis experiment is failing while the Cowboys investment in their big boys is working well [Under the Cap: Top Ten Guards and Centers].
• A look at just how competitive recruiting college football players is for agencies of various sizes [The race to sign college prospects].

Baseball

• Could they have found a worse picture of Hendry? [Unloading Milton Bradley without paying steep price won't be easy for Chicago Cubs GM Jim Hendry]
• NY Yankees GM taking a hard-line approach to impending contract discussions with Matsui and Damon [Yanks’ Cashman Won’t Be Swayed].
• Clocked as high as 98.75 mph, but he is 30-years-old (due to Japan’s rules regarding free agency) [Hard-throwing reliever aims to leave Japan].
• Arn Tellem gets in on the blogging action [Hideki Matsui: An Ageless Talent].
• A lot more young players about to get cut? [The Changing Landscape of Salary Arbitration-Eligible Players and Free Agents in Baseball]

Sports Agent

• Some great advice for agents who might not be as involved as they need to be [The Proverbial, I Don’t Know].

Basketball

• 5 games in 3 continents, and a total of 40 sponsors. NBA office in India opening soon [NBA Int'l Games Reach New Levels With Record Number Of Sponsors].
• Casey Jacobson with a great look into the world of AAU basketball [(Too Much?) Power to Influence].
• Trading gym bags for backpacks [N.B.A. Players Make Their Way Back to College].
• The Chinese REALLY love them some Kobe Bryant [Kobe Bryant’s jersey still top seller in China; D Wade's moves up to fifth].

Baseball

• “This is the business we chose.” [Last Week].
• Dennis Gilbert’s chances at becoming a part owner of the Rangers may be increased due to his access to liquid cash [Notes from a press conference: Wrapping up the Texas Rangers 2009 wrap-up get together].

Entertainment

• Did you know that Arn Tellem (President at WMG), has a pretty powerful wife who works at CBS? [CBS' Nancy Tellem is in talks to step down from post].

Sports Agents

• SMWW may want to do a better job on its background checks in the future [ONLY IN AMERICA: From Corrupt SEIU Boss to Sports Agent].

Football

• Adrian Peterson’s next contract is going to shatter Larry Johnson’s current deal.  Poor Pierre Thomas…for now. [Under the Cap: Top Ten Running Backs].