The NCAA became interested in the matter.  A University of Kentucky employee basically told Paxton that he would have to sit out from playing and would lose his financial aid if he refused to meet with NCAA investigators for a violation that the NCAA would not disclose.  Paxton held his ground, and ended up playing a year of Independent Baseball prior to being selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft.  Paxton still has not signed with the Mariners, but he is unaffected by the August 16 deadline, and has until a week prior to next year’s draft to come to an agreement with the club.

The main reason that I am discussing this matter is because of something I recently read in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Pirates general manager Neal Huntington and scouting director Greg Smith were among the Pirates representatives expected to sit down with agents Randy and Alan Hendricks in Houston to work toward a deal to sign second-overall selection Jameson Taillon. The Hendricks brothers are based in Houston, and Taillon comes from The Woodlands about 25 miles north.

Internet reports intimated that a deal was reached already, but the parties involved wouldn’t attempt to meet in private if such reports were based in fact.

Does it not sound as if the Post-Gazette is implying that the Hendricks brothers negotiated directly with the Pirates?  How is this any less conclusive than what The Globe and Mail wrote about Boras and Beeston?  The fact of the matter is that in this case, it has no consequence.  Tallion signed for a $6.5 million bonus, so it does not matter whether the Hendricks brothers were considered advisors or agents – Tallion is skipping school for the time being and will never attempt to play college baseball.

But what if the Pirates had caught wind of the article?  Might the club have used it against Tallion as leverage in their negotiation?  That is probably a stretch, and way too competitive of a negotiation style to use against someone you want to be the future face of your franchise.

Another point to note is that just because a couple papers have reported about two distinct events does not mean that advisors talking to club personnel is a rarity.  It is just rarely reported.  My guess is that a majority, if not all advisors of players selected in the first round of the 2010 First-Year Player Draft, had some sort of direct communication with the teams that selected their clients.  The NCAA might want to think otherwise and continue to threaten its antiquated “no-agent” rule, but in the end, the players need competent assistance, and there are very few advisors who would deny that to them.

The Continuance Of Advisor/Club Communication from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Boston Celtics

Jeff Clark: CelticsBlog.com

Jim Weeks: Green Bandwagon

FLCeltsFan: LOY’s Place

John Karalis: Red’s Army

Dustin Chapman: Celtics 24/7

New Jersey Nets

Dennis Velasco: About Basketball

New York Knicks

Joey: Straight Bangin’

Seth Rosenthal: Posting and Toasting

Philadelphia 76ers

Dannie & Pete: Recliner GM

Jon Burkett: Passion and Pride

Toronto Raptors

Franchise: RaptorsHQ.com

Ryan McNeill: Hoops Addict

Cuzzy: Cuzoogle

Also see links to all the previews at CelticsBlog.com

NBA: Atlantic Division Previews from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The globalization of a sport is nothing new. The NBA has had teams playing exhibition games in Europe for a few years now. Reigning Euroleague champion CSKA Moscow, Spanish powerhouse FC Barcelona and Lithuania’s Lietuvos Rytas will face the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Lakers, Orlando Magic, Toronto Raptors and, possibly, the Los Angeles Clippers at undetermined NBA venues in the near future. Playing games abroad is great for the sport, increases league exposure around the globe, and is helping to increase revenues.

But what about the loyal fans back in the States? How about the season ticket holders, facing increasing ticket prices, and receiving a fewer amount of games for the price they are paying? Many fans in Buffalo fear that the playing of these games abroad might be the beginning of the end of Bills in west New York. Yet, Toronto says that the series of games is just an opportunity to showcase Toronto as a city that can host a permanent NFL franchise, and nothing more.

How about the players? Home field advantage is something that every NFL team cherishes. If you have been to an NFL game before, you have probably witnessed the effect of an entire stadium of cheering fans backing their team as they drive down the field late in the fourth quarter trying to win a game. In 2002, when Soldier Field was under renovation, the Chicago Bears played all their “home” games at Memorial Stadium two and a half hours south of Chicago at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois, home of the Illinois Fighting Illini. Most of the players felt like they played 16 away games that year.

I am in no way against the NFL trying to market and globalize the sport of football at all. I think it would be a great thing to expand the league and nurture an interest in football in countries outside of the United States. I just feel like if it is going to be done, the NFL needs to come up with a more effective way where the teams don’t have to play “home” games that could potentially decide the outcomes of their season (which Buffalo may have to deal with this year) outside of their actual stadiums. Under the current system, loyal fans of the franchises that must play a home game at an off-site venue suffer by losing one of only eight home games they can possibly see in person. The NFL must be able to effectively spread and expose the international community to their brand of football in a way that will not hurt an NFL team’s win/loss record and disappoint their fans.

Any Suggestions?

Home Away From Home? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules