An interview with one of my agents:

55th Most Influential Blog and Rising Sports Agent

Matt Vuckovich is the cofounder of Dynasty Athlete Representation and a contributer to Sports Agent Blog. He attends law school at the Southern California Institute of Law. Usually he is interviewing other agents for the Sports Agent Blog, but last week, he took the other side of the microphone in the JSB exclusive.

Mitchell Blatt: Growing up, did you want to be an agent as a teen?

Matt Vuckovich: Yes. Growing up I played hockey. My best friend now plays for the Chicago Blackhawks. I attended the NHL Draft with him. Since then, I've had a chance to talk with his agents and really get to know the business.

Sports was an industry that I always wanted to get involved with, because I've always been involved with sports. Being a sports agent, it was just an industry that really caught my eye, because they work behind the scenes. Most people don't really understand all the work that is involved in being an agent.

MB: Is the job how you envisioned it as a teen?

MV: I don't know about that. The biggest reality check is how much work it involves. Forming our own agency [with Sports Agent Blog owner, Darren Heitner], Dynasty Athlete Representation, we're on the grind, day and night, really trying to get the business running. It always takes a lot of effort, because there are other people trying to take the same players you're going after.

MB: How do you find the time to run the agency and finish law school?

MV: I'm actually going to law school part time, and my partner Darren Heitner is going to law school full time at the University of Florida. What I do, is every morning, from about six am to four pm, I do business, whether it's making phone calls, putting together marketing packages, checking on clients that we already have... Then at night, I go to class. Darren goes to school full time, so he has school from eight to five. By the time I'm heading to class, he's coming back and he gets working.

MB: Why did you start your own agency instead of joining an existing agency?

MV: I think it comes down to the individual that I am and the individual that Darren is. I think it takes someone to really put everything out on the line, and if it happens, great, but if it doesn't, you need to be able to deal with your own actions. I'm a pretty independent person, and I always wanted to do my own thing. To be honest, though, I didn't know that I was going to form my own agency. But, the fact that Darren and I both met did it. We realized that in this industry, you really have to make a name for yourself to set you apart. We decided, we're both young now, so lets give it a run and see what we can do.

MB: Do you know of any other agents who got started as young as you?

MV: I believe that Drew Rosenhaus did. He was a second or third year law student at Duke. Other than that, I don't know. Leigh Steinberg. That's all I can think of.

MB: You became the first agency to sign PBA bowlers this year. Why didn't bowlers have agents before?

MV: I think that the bowling industry as a whole hasn't really been too familiarized with agents. It wasn't until our first client, Mike DeVaney, commented on the blog asking if anyone was interested in represtenting a bowler? I do believe he tried to contact other agencies as well, but they didn't want him because they were already established and didn't want to get involved with bowling. Darren and I saw this as a great opportunity to really get Dynasty on the map. We now have two other bowlers, Robert Smith and Mike Machuga, and we're in talks with more.

But, bowling is still an industry that isn't too agent friendly. Most of the companies that we do call looking for marketing opportunities say that they don't deal with agents, and they want to talk to the athletes directly.

MB: Now, you also signed a baseball player, Kyle Monroe-Dison. Can you give a brief biography?

MV: Kyle pitched in junior college then he played one year in the independent leagues, but he hurt his arm, and he's had Tommy John surgery. He is just now doing workouts for some teams. He's real great. He does a blog for Yardbarker. He's trying to recruit other baseball players to join Dynasty.

Dynasty's clientele also includes Barbara Bonic, a 15-year-old Serbian tennis star.

Hello Yardbarkers. It has been a while since my last post. Sorry about the delay. I have been absent from the Yard because of ailing wisdom teeth which caused an infection in my mouth. I had a sore throat and my mouth felt just awful. I went to the dentist, got some antibiotics and pain killers, and now all is well. Greg Oden is not the only athlete who gets operation done in his mouth!

The good news is that I have been throwing well as of late. I have been working on small mechanical things in my landing. In my last work out (with a Seattle Mariners scout), I got up to 93mph a couple of times, and still have room to grow. I think that once everything is in place, I will be right where i want to be. On Saturday, I have a workout with a Tampa Bay scout. He wants to see me maintain my velocity for back to back days. I am hoping that this works out well. His only worry seems to be my durability.

I think I'm about 85 -90 % ready to play. I know I could go and throw 2 to 3 innings for a team right now and be fine. in the back of my mind, though, I want to be 100 % when i play. The time table that I am working on won't allow that. The longer you wait, the older you get, and 23 is old in baseball years.

On another note, my thoughts go out to the Coolbaugh family. What a tragic accident. If you don't know what happened, here is a link with all the latest info. http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/minors/news/264517.html

I know from personal experience that it is almost impossible to get out of the way of screaming line drive. I got hit in the back of the elbow in junior college and was out for about two weeks. I know I will never forget that day. Everything was in slow motion from the moment the ball left the bat.

Last, I'd like to touch on the Major League Baseball race. There is some good baseball being played. L.A. Angels and Seattle battling it out west. Also Cleveland and Detroit going at it in the AL Central. Will the Yankees catch Red Sox? National league has some battles going on as well. Will the Cubs break that barrier this year?

Thanks once again for following my blog. Be safe and have a great week..

Kyle Monroe-Dison

Hi again all Yard Barkers. I know it has been about 2 weeks since my last post, but my rehab program has been pretty crazy. Before I go on, I want to thank everyone who supported me on my last post. With your support, my workouts have been taken to a new level and I put more energy into my normal day-to-day stuff. I know things have been pretty exciting this week at yard barker with the NBA Draft coming up. I wish fellow Yard Barkers, Greg Oden and Micheal Conley, Jr the best of luck coming up, and I hope everyone gives them their best.



So far my rehab has been going well. I have had good bullpen and regular throwing sessions. My last bullpen session was pretty successful. I feel like I am back to throwing at 100 percent. I was 87 - 91 mph in the 25 pitch pen session. The next day, I woke up with a little soreness, but came out and threw well once again. The rehab process has been getting faster and faster. Every time i throw, my arm keeps getting stronger. It will be a couple of weeks before I join a team and start putting some stats up, but I am very excited for the near future. My agents at Dynasty have also been in contact with some teams as of late, and it sounds like there is good news on the horizon.



I also want to take this time to ask bloggers what they would like to see athletes do as far as charities are concerned. I know that it is very important to me to give back. I feel that everyone deserves a chance to live out their dreams, and when I sign a contract (soon), I would like to be charitable right away.

Hello to all Yardbarkers. I would like to begin by thanking the Yardbarker staff for giving me this great opportunity. They have been more than generous by letting me share my world with you all. I also want to thank Dynasty Athlete Representation for helping me get to where I am today and believing in me. Darren Heitner and Matthew Vuckovich are a great team to have on your side and are going to be the best in the game.

Now that I have that out of the way, let me discuss a little bit about myself. I am a right-hand pitcher from from Abilene, Texas (the same city as the Anaheim Angels pitched and Official Yardbarker, John Lackey). I am in the process of making my way back form UCL replacement surgery (aka Tommy John surgery). It has been quite a battle from the beginning, but I'm getting my throwing arm back to where it was before injury, and improving each and everyday. I must say that the surgery has been a life saver for my career. I more than likely needed the surgery back in high school, but decided to wait on going under the knife.

I am joining this community in an effort to bring all of you into my world and watch as I successfully recover from a surgery that many pitchers must experience at some time in their life. I hope that you will follow my story from now until I rise to the top. I have many people that truly believe in my abilities and talent. It is time for me to start playing and display that talent. Very shortly, I will join an Independent League team. I know that joining a team will make me work that much harder and push me to be the best on and off the field. My plan is to move to organized ball within the next few months. I have already been told that there are various organizations waiting for me to play once my rehab from injury has passed and I am able to flaunt my stuff on the mound again.

I hope that you will follow my story as it develops more and more everyday. Please feel free to ask questions and leave comments. I am off to go run and get ready for my bullpen session in the morning. Thank you for your time!