Drew Rosenhaus has had his fair share of clients that he represented prior to and during the NFL Draft, but he is mainly known for the sheer number of players who switch to him when it is time for them to re-negotiate their contract or sign their big second contract.  Rosenhaus’ competition hates it, and so they should.  As an NFLPA certified advisor, you most likely have to pay for your clients’ training, food, and housing prior to the draft (and anything else that comes up).  Then, if you are lucky enough to have your clients drafted, you will take a meager 3% at tops (many agents charge less just so they can compete with guys like Rosenhaus) of their professional contracts.  For non-first rounders, that figure does not come out to much.  Last, you can’t sleep at all because you are always worried that your clients will make a switch to a different agent before you are actually able to negotiate the big contract and make some sort of money to live off of.  Only to possibly lose your client to a guy like Rosenhaus.  Rough life, but you chose to live it.

In baseball, we rarely discuss a guy like Rosenhaus, who players flock to once they are ready to negotiate a big contract.  Scott Boras grabs all the bonus babies before they are drafted and rakes in his nice 5% advising fee early in their careers.  Sure, some players leave their agents for Boras, especially right before becoming arbitration eligible, but we don’t hear about it ALL that much.  In fact, Boras recently lost a big fish to a rival agency; one that might start making a name for itself as one that picks up players after they make it to the pros.

Hendricks Sports Management is run by Randy and Alan Hendricks.  The brothers started the firm in the 1970s, sold it to SFX, and then re-formed the agency in 2003.  They have been in the business for a very long time, are connected to basically every important person in the business of baseball, and have seen their fare share of arbitration cases.  There’s a certain comfort factor for players who are looking to make a switch in representation.  And they are quiet about the clients they actually represent (their website does not list any).  Once a team that represented 16% of all Major League players, after they re-formed the agency in 2003, they say that they are more selective about who they represent.

So why the possible relation to the Rosenhaus brothers?  Well, last year, the Hendricks brothers grabbed Rick Porcello from none other than Scott Boras Corp.  Recently, they signed former Cuba defector, Kendry Morales, who used to be represented by David Valdes.  Is this the start of a new business model for the Hendricks brothers or did they just offer to represent two players who were upset with their previous representation?  Definitely something to keep an eye on.

Don’t tell Creative Artists Agency (CAA) that the company is #2 to anyone in any sport.  They just don’t want to hear it.  Even in baseball, where Scott Boras is known as the king of the diamond.

Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated reported earlier this week that in a phone interview with CAA baseball agent, Joe Urbon, the agent stated that Jason Bay is “the most complete player on the market.”  Quite a bold statement by Mr. Urbon, who was well aware that some guy named Matt Holliday is also a free-agent going into the 2010 season.  Should Bay be given the edge because he had to compete in a very tough AL East while Holliday went from a mediocre AL West to a soft NL Central?  It is true that Holliday did struggle quite a bit in the AL.  He only hit 1 homerun in the first month of the 2009 season

Boras’ response: “Holliday is the only young complete free agent player available.”  I added the emphasis.  Interesting sly tactic by Mr. Boras, who subtly noted that his client, Holliday is 29-years-old, while Bay is 31-years-old.  You better believe that this factor, alone, drives up Holliday’s price.

I think it is smart for Urbon to make comparisons between Bay and Holliday.  It will only drive up the price of his client.  Let’s just hope that this is not an Urbon vs. Boras competition that stems from past experiences like the notorious case of Tacoby Bellsbury!

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].

A huge lawsuit ensued, and if you are not familiar with the slew of events, I suggest you read through our posts on the subject.  A lot was gained by Andy and his attorney, including the voiding of NCAA Bylaw 12.3.2.1, which used to prohibit a lawyer from being present during discussions of a contract offer with a professional organization or have any direct contact (i.e., in person, by telephone or by mail) with a professional sports organization on behalf of the individual.  However, that rule now has the force of law behind it once again, now that Andy has settled with the NCAA.

Rick Johnson, Andy’s attorney, believes that it would be a grave mistake for the NCAA to try to enforce that rule, though.  In his words,

So the NCAA can continue to act with its typical arrogance and try to continue to deny student-athletes the right to counsel, or it can realize that it will lose 100/100 of any such future lawsuits over this rule, since no court is going to allow the NCAA to regulate lawyers or prohibit nonmember student-athletes from retaining counsel (Can you imagine what would happen if they had a rule that its members couldn’t have counsel when negotiating their media rights?).  As has been reported recently, the NCAA has sent out a baseball questionnaire to student-athletes who were drafted, but who did not sign, and this questionnaire goes beyond even the bad-faith the NCAA evidenced towards Andy.  No student-athlete legally has to respond to this inquiry, but we’ll see if they are bowed into submission or whether someone decides to challenge this new affront to student-athlete rights.

Oliver settled in turn for $750,000 of consideration.  The Settlement Agreement is embedded below.

Andy Oliver Settlement Terms –

In 1993, Gilbert was sharing headlines with Scott Boras in publications like Sports Illustrated.  He was able to achieve record breaking deals for clients whose names you have heard a few times before: Bobby Bonilla, Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds.  He also represented George Brett.

Beverly Hills Sports Council (BHSC) still exists today, and over a decade ago, Gilbert was the head honcho at the agency.  He started the company with Jeff Borris and Rick Thurman, who along with Danny Lozano and Dan Horwitz, are still in charge of BHSC today.  And Gilbert did not pay much attention to the draft.  He left that chore for Scott Boras to handle, a competitor of Gilbert’s, who was even loathed by owners back then, sixteen years ago.  Boras used and continues to use a claiming negotiating approach, while Gilbert was known by owners as someone who could create value for both sides in a cooperative style.

In 1999, Gilbert retired and put his sports agent hat in his closet.  Immediately, he took on his current role of special assistant to Jerry Reinsdorf.

In 2002, Gilbert funded a baseball field in South Central L.A. that cost $1.5 million to build (now the home to MLB’s RBI Youth Program).  That is pennies compared to what he will have to pay to own the rights of the much larger Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Basketball

• Don’t mess with the Duffy (especially after his success in this year’s draft) [Ainge's criticism of Rondo angers agent].
• Thanks to Full Court Press for the very friendly comments [Carnival Of The NBA #65].
• More practice and competition overseas [Basketball development: Europe vs U.S.].

Football

• From Sportsstars, Inc. to Todd France [Rice Has New Representation].
• Drew Rosenhaus is on the Florida Panthers payroll [Panthers fans “hire” Drew Rosenhaus to negotiate ticket prices?].
• A total of $28.8 million in severance payments could be lost [Another Way The Uncapped Year Hurts Players].
• Someone tell J.P. Losman that there jai-alai playing is not allowed [UFL Contract Contains "NFL Exemption"].

Sports Business

• Anyone want to send me $185,000 so I can purchase .dynasty? [Custom Domain Extensions Will Soon Change the Sports Industry...].
• Tough news for athletes planning on becoming sportscasters upon retirement [Ex-athletes have no safety from ax in TV, radio gigs].
• Business schools love pro athletes, and more pro athletes should accept that love and enroll [For Pro Athletes, Business School Is No Game].

A young-adult receives many benefits from going to college.  The education attained from living on your own for the first time, sitting in on lectures taught by the best of their trades, drinking too much certain nights, etc. is tough to learn elsewhere.  However, for talented high school baseball players, college is an experience that may be put aside…at least for the time being.  If offered a signing bonus in the 6 to 7 figure range and the opportunity to live your dream by having a chance at an early start with an MLB affiliate, how do you say no?  It’s definitely tough to decline.  But what about giving up your senior year of high school?  No prom, no homecoming, no graduation with your best friends you have known your entire life.  Is it worth it?

Bryce Harper and his parents think so.  If you think Stephen Strasburg received a lot of hype leading up to the 2009 MLB Draft, you ain’t seen nothin yet.  Baseball columnists are already speculating what kind of bonus Harper will receive when he is selected #1 overall in the 2010 Draft.  That’s right…you can already pencil his name in…he is apparently THAT good.  But again, is it worth skipping senior year of HIGH SCHOOL to be the #1 overall pick in 2010 instead of the #1 overall pick in 2011?

While the Harpers think so, a man named Landon Powell disagrees.  And he knows best, because he missed the prom to start playing pro ball a year early.  Unfortunately for Landon, that did not work exactly according to plan.  While he did not end up signing with an MLB team until many years after making his decision, Harper will undoubtedly be picked #1 overall next year.  That being said, Landon still makes a good point.

“I was still young and not making my own decisions. My dad and Boras did, and my name was getting dragged through the mud. When you tell an 18-year-old kid, ‘If you do this, you’ll get paid millions,’ any 18-year-old kid will say, ‘Yeah, let’s do that.’ I had no idea what would hang with me my whole career. I get asked every year about weaseling my way through the draft.”

I just hope that Bryce has played this important decision out many times in his own head.  Landon also had Scott Boras as an agent and both Boras and his father were advocates for him leaving high school early.  Bryce will get paid millions.  I hope that in his mind, that is fair compensation for losing the last dance.

Guess who represents #1, #2, and #3 overall.  Scott Boras.  John McGrath of the News Tribune thinks that at least Ackley might be hurting himself by holding out until the deadline.  He wrote,

Either way, Ackley’s fast track to the bigs is in peril of losing momentum. This is too bad, because if ever there were a team in position to give a college player the keys to the car – and the freedom to put his pedal foot to the floor, without adhering to a speed limit – it’s the Seattle Mariners.

For elite talents with college experience, good things can happen in a hurry. Troy Tulowitzki (Rockies), Ryan Braun (Brewers) and Evan Longoria (Rays) needed between 10 months and a year to reach the big leagues after signing. None of these guys, it might be noted, held out. It also might be noted that none was represented by Boras.

But will a month and change really affect Ackley that much?  I believe good things may still come his way even if he delays his appearance in Rookie Ball for another month or so.  What if Ackley doesn’t end up making it to the big leagues in a year?  The signing bonus is what he will be surviving on.  For all we know, Ackley could step on a crack in a sidewalk on August 18th and break his leg (G-d forbid).  The signing bonus is the only thing guaranteed for these guys.

And in this day and age, is it incredibly easy to make one’s self visible through the use of social media. Sometimes, though, there are pitfalls (in addition to the downsides of releasing contract terms) of using these outlets.

Such is the case of O’Neal, for one, who has recently spent a great deal of time holding on to the limelight by any means possible, most commonly by his use of Twitter.

As Fox Sports’ Mark Kriegel points out, O’Neal is a diversified showman, but at the same age, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wasn’t pining for media attention, he was averaging 22 PPG en route to earning the NBA Finals MVP.

Kriegel also states that the news of O’Neal to the Cavaliers that re-surfaced during the NBA Finals was released at the wrong time. Similar to Alex Rodriguez and Scott Boras’ announcement during the World Series that Rodriguez would opt out of his contract with the Yankees, there is a right time and a wrong time for players and agents to attempt to create publicity.

In fact, if done incorrectly, it could hurt the reputation, change the way the personas of the parties involved are viewed, and actually do more damage than intended good. It is important to ascertain the best time for using social media in an age when information is instantly shared with millions of people across the globe.

O’Neal’s antics are enjoyed by all, but as his celebrity fades, he should consider focusing his energy on once again making waves on the court rather than in the media.  There are ways to gain the spotlight without abusing social media.

There is nothing wrong with O’Neal’s use of Twitter and other sites like Facebook, but he should let the exposure come to him instead of forcing the spotlight on himself with actions such as tweeting during halftime of a game. While some people may have no problem with this as social media continues to gain popularity, O’Neal is paid millions of dollars to play the game and anything that could possibly take his focus away from winning should be frowned upon by front offices and fans.

O’Neal knows how to get his name in the headlines, which can be incredibly advantageous for endorsement deals, as long as his actions are deemed acceptable by the media and fans. Several slip-ups could change fans’ perspective of O’Neal from one of the most dominant players ever to Twittering fool who focuses more on himself than the team he plays for. That kind of exposure is a risk if social media actions become lax.

The power of social media is immense, but taking precautions to prevent negative publicity is just as important as the tools itself especially as more and more people turn to these sites as a mean for news. Other athletes can learn from O’Neal as he inches closer and closer to the line.

I’ve only written about hockey on this site, but I am a huge sports fan in general. I like to think that I have a good working knowledge of the business side of the four major North American sports leagues. So something caught my eye while I was perusing the sports pages over the past few days. Baseball super agent Scott Boras has complained about the Detroit Tigers benching one of his clients, outfielder Magglio Ordonez. To say that Ordonez is having an off-year would be a bit of an understatement. This is a guy who has averaged well over 20 home runs and close to 100 RBI per season. His batting average, home runs, RBI, and extra base hits are all down. Something is clearly wrong.

So when Tigers’ manager Jim Leyland decided to give Ordonez a few days off, it really should have come as no surprise. Except to Boras. He openly criticized the Tigers for taking this approach. There has been speculation that Ordonez’s benching has to do with certain clauses in his contract. According to this article, an $18 million option on Ordonez’s contract kicks in for next season if he starts 69 more games or makes 215 more plate appearances. Ordonez has played in 57 games this season and has 216 at bats. Barring injury, he should easily reach those marks.

In my opinion, however, to think that Jim Leyland, Dave Dombrowski and the rest of the Tigers brass are thinking about Ordonez’s contract at this point in the season is ludicrous. The Tigers are in first place in the American League Central, but they are certainly not running away with the division. The Tigers want to erase the memories of 2008, when they were among the favorites to win the World Series but finished dead last in the division. If Ordonez was playing at the level he has played in the past, this wouldn’t be an issue. However, he’s not. Leyland simply wants to give him a chance to get his game back and help the team.

I don’t think Boras’s concern is completely unfounded. The timing is what gets me. If this was the last week of the season and the Tigers benched Ordonez while he was close to achieving his contract goals I would be more suspicious. But at this point in the season, with the Tigers still a playoff contender, I don’t think anything fishy is going on.