Summer is quickly winding down. I will be in Orlando this weekend at the Disney Wide World of Sports complex watching some of the next big basketball stars take the court. A week later, I'll be back up in Gainesville, moving into a house right across from the law school and getting ready for my 2L year. This past week has been very exciting. Norm Duke won an ESPY, Dynasty signed a new Entertainment client, we are in discussions to sign another baseball client, information is starting to be sent overseas for the 8+ guys we are trying to place with a basketball team, etc. And I still love Jordan Farmar (in a totally heterosexual way). Here are some links I missed over the past week:

Baseball

* The Nationals had no problem signing its top draft picks last year, but this year, no such luck thus far [Top Five Picks, Team at Odds Over Bonuses].

* Goodbye to a man who opened up a new market for agents recruiting foreign clients [Nomo's impact hit Majors like a 'tornado'].

* We've discussed buscones before. Here is one tied to our boy, Michael Inoa [Ties between Dominican prospects and bookie raise concerns for MLB].

* I am still not convinced that Gus is guilty [Despite smuggling conviction, agent has no regrets].

Basketball

* The Vegas Summer League has experienced tremendous growth [Summer League on firm ground].

* Is there a higher valued position player than a superstar point guard right now? [Report: Jazz, Williams agree to four-year, $70M extension].

* adidas better get ready to send me a pair [Bulls' Rose gets shoe deal].

Football

* The other Long has signed, meaning that the top 4 picks are with their respective teams for the start of training camp [Rams first-round pick Long agrees to six-year deal].

* Jason Taylor to the Redskinsa€¦ Jeremy Shockey to the Saints. Two of my favorite players no longer playing for my favorite teams.

* Brian Urlacher has the potential to make $43.5 million between now and when he turns 35-years-old [Sources: Urlacher to get raise with revised contract].

* The Chargers are showing a lot of faith in someone who is injury prone [Chargers DE Castillo gets $43M in 5-year extension].

I have discussed it as a guest on various radio shows, have thrown the idea back and forth among my colleagues, and have written about it on this blog: Will going overseas to play basketball become more of a common occurrence among some of basketball's great players? When foreign born players decide to stay overseas after NBA teams have shown enough interest to select them in the NBA Draft (see: Fran Vasquez, Rudy Fernandez, Tiago Splitter, Goran Dragic, etc) and American born ballers give up NBA offer sheets that exceed thirty million dollars in favor of playing in Europe, I would have to say that cable companies better start negotiating with European television stations to air games from the top leagues.

For years, players who could not cut it in the NBA or NBDL decided to go overseas and collect a larger paycheck than if they were to try to make it with a Continental Basketball League (CBL) or International Basketball League (IBL), to name a few lower class American leagues. Now, many players consider the NBDL to be an afterthought. An athlete who can make it in the NBDL and does not mind relocating to a country across the Atlantic or Pacific ocean will often make a much larger salary, as long as the foreign team makes good on its contract. But who would have thought that players would start picking foreign leagues over an NBA career?

Brandon Jennings did not have much of a choice. He could not enter the NBA Draft, being that he had not yet been one year out of high school. He also did not have the requisite scores to enroll in The University of Arizona, even though coach Lute Olsen continues to cry foul about the whole situation. Jennings is a pioneer, though. He will be going overseas for a year and will tear apart the one-and-done rule if he succeeds in his short stint in Rome. If Jennings is a pioneer, then Josh Childress and to a lesser extent, Bostjan Nachbar, are revolutionaries.

Josh Childress has left the red and white of the Atlanta Hawks for the red and white of Olympiakos S.F.P. Pireus, also known as Olympiakos for short. He joins a team headlined by Yotam Halperin (a tremendous baller from Israel) and Papaloukas Theodoros from Greece. Olympiakos has made the Euroleague Quarterfinals for the past three years and are hoping that Childress will make the team more competitive, earning them a spot in the Euroleague Championship Game. Why not go from an Atlanta Hawks team that cannot get past the first round of the playoffs to an international team that constantly has itself in the running for the championship? Additionally, after taxes, Childress will make $20 million over three years and may opt out of the deal after any year. For a young guy, why not take the offer, play for a competitive team, and enjoy a few years of your life abroad?

"I've talked to a few guys, and it could become a trend," Childress said on a conference call about other Americans following his lead. "I'm not so sure it won't. It's different. We thought out of the box a little on this one."

And what about the strength of the Euro versus the American Dollar? That could lead more players to follow Josh Childress to foreign destinations. Darren Rovell thinks so, and also accurately notes that, the NBA is made up of Josh Childresses. LeBron James will not be wearing Maccabi Tel Aviv's jersey any time soon, but I could definitely see a player like Ben Gordon getting upset with coming off the bench and going overseas for more money.

Quote from the Mercury News:

"[ Barry Bonds] has nothing to prove there," Jeff Borris told the Associated Press. "He doesn't need to go to an independent team and hit two home runs a night hoping to get attention to prove that he still has the skills that would warrant him playing at the major league level."

Well now that you put it that way, Mr. Borris, I challenge you to put Barry Bonds on an independent league team. I will bet that he does not average two home runs a game in however long his stint is with that organization. Long Island DucksJust because your client cannot find a single team to pay him a low six-figure salary for the remainder of this season (even the Yankees are balking on him), you have to go out and attack independent leagues like the Atlantic League?

In fact, I am not even sure that Barry Bonds would have a spot on the Long Island Ducks starting roster. Their outfielders include Carl Everett, Nook Logan, and Richard Hidalgo.

It feels like basketball never leaves. With the NBA finals wrapping up just over a month ago, the Summer Leagues are in full swing. Whilst not every team competes in Vegas, it gives the teams an opportunity to work out who they drafted, and also a few other players who dream of playing in the NBA. But there is a harsh reality to this league and others.

Most of the players playing will not be on their team rosters for next season. So what happens to them? Enter The Summer League Reality. Despite many of the players already knowing before they go that there is a minimal chance they will be signed, they still participate. Why? Because it may garner them a contract in other leagues around the world, most notably, Europe.

Managers and scouts from the best leagues around the world attend Summer League games, hoping to snare the signature of talented players who just can't make it at NBA level.

Josh ChildressIt is obvious that they are working their hardest whilst at a team, but they should not despair if they are not selected. A good performance in the Summer League can mean a significant difference in money, as the article suggests. A player should not discount playing professionally overseas, as he can still make a small fortune. As reported numerous times on this site and others, the salaries being paid in Europe may mean a player will make more money in Europe than the NBA.

Let's take the example of Atlanta forward, Josh Childress (pictured right). According to Hoopshype, he would have been due to make just under $5m next year. However, as we all know, he just signed a contract to play overseas in Greece for much more money.

The bottom line is that just because you're not part of the richest basketball league in the world, doesn't mean you still can't get a share of the riches.

A-Rod was discussed earlier today, so let's keep the trend going. Luckily, or unluckily, most agents will never deal with an issue like that which Alex Rodriguez is currently wrapped in.

Lies, deceit, and public infidelity.

It is not something that the average man doesn't deal with on a daily basis, but fans do not view one of the world's most highly paid and skilled athletes as an average man.

A-Rod is having a reputation crisis in the world's biggest media market.

Is it impossible for A-Rod to fix his current situation? At this point, no. The point in reputation monitoring and reputation is to catch and address issues early. You break the news and you take the power away from the new media and citizen journalist.

So what steps could A-Rod have taken if he was monitoring his reputation online?

1. Address the issues of extra-marital relations in his own words. Is it true? Is it not true? Andy Petitte is currently the poster boy for telling the truth in a sticky situation and having it blow over due to honesty. You will be found guilty in the court of public perception regardless. Humility and humanity can go a long way.

2. Approach the divorce from his wife in a manner in which squelches rumors. If this is an amicable split, put out a united front. If it is not, get your side out in your words. Be honest, transparent. Show your humanity and take the ammo away from the press.

This situation is an extreme. There are few people on the level of A-Rod in the sports world. But these concepts translate to all athletes.

You need to 1) monitor your reputation and 2) react in a transparent fashion to what you find.

How do you respond? Take some premeditated strikes.

1. Start a blog for your athlete. This will give him a platform to humanize himself and address public issues.

2. Create some market contacts with niche sports editors and forum moderators. This will allow you to spread your message easily. Have your athlete be readily accessible to the Internet media and citizen journalist.

3. Setup a strong reputation management system using various monitoring methods. Approach positive and negative sentiment.

I know that so much of this seems counterintuitive to what have been long held principles. But the new media environment will change your business, whether you want to change or not. The key is learning how to bend and not to break.

Gerard Haran

Gerard Haran was put back in the lineup after his brief rest period. In his return, Gerard came back in style by going 1 for 2 with 2 RBIs and 1 run. With Gerard's help, the Bears managed to squeeze by Southern Maryland in the bottom of the 9th by a score of 5-4. Oh ya, did we mention Gerard's hit was also a home run?

Robert Lara

Robert Lara and the AZL Padres had Wednesday the 23rd off. They will now be playing on 7 games in the next 8 days.

Dan Leatherman

The Hagerstown Suns continue to play without asking for the help of Dan. They did manage to pull out a 4-2 win against the Greenville Drive, though, with Kyle Gunderson getting the save. You may start to hear Gunderson's name more often around these parts. Anyway, after three days rest for Dan, we should be expecting to see him play soon.

I really did not want to get involved in the whole nasty A-Rod divorce. It is not our business to dip into such topics around here; I was going to leave it to sites like Deadspin to make sure that the public knew every place that Rodriguez took Madonna. But then came word that A-Rod's longtime pal and agent who he would not speak to for a while, Scott Boras, had come to the rescue to help settle Rodriguez's martial problems. Baseball agent, mediator, what is next for Mr. Boras? Finding the cure for cancer would be nice.

But the big A-Rod headline this week has been his signing with William Morris Agency (WMA) to handle all marketing-based initiatives. Do not get confused, this has absolutely nothing to do with A-Rod trying to separate himself from Boras Corp. On December 20, 2007, I reported that Alex had dropped Boras as his marketing agent and signed Madonna's agent, Guy Oseary, to negotiate his marketing/business affairs (who knew it would involve an affair with Madonna?). So all you Boras sympathizers need not cry, Boras has been unaffected by the addition of WMA to A-Rod's corner.

But the battle between WMA and CAA continues. WMA undoubtedly adds a marquee client to its sports/entertainment profile, but by all accounts, CAA is still the leader of the industry. How can anybody beat Peyton Manning's Mastercard commercials, afterall? Darren Rovell is not impressed with WMA's addition of Rodriguez, and I guess that the $2 million or so that he brings in endorsements per year is not all that much to such a large corporation. I would definitely be happy with my 20% cut on that figure, though! :)

When it comes to sports collectibles, I am not one to heavily marvel over an autograph from a superstar. Instead, I enjoy pictures of athletes and sports landscapesa€¦they truly do tell a thousand words. There is nothing quite like getting that perfect picture, paying the money to get it nicely framed, and then throwing it up on your wall. With that thought in mind, the people over at Church Hill Classics have developed a new line of college frames that do the work of taking the excellent pictures for you. But the best part of the package is the custom frames that add extra flavor to your favorite University's display.

At AthleticFrame.com, an individual looking for a great wall-piece or an athletic program interested in purchasing in volume will find three different types of frames. There is the Fanfare Sports Frame, Dynasty Sports Frame, and Legacy Sports Frame. The Fanfare Sports Frame is the most basic and least expensive, option. It is a 12a€³x14a€³ frame with a black moulding and a small school logo below the main picture. The Dynasty Sports Frame (Dynasty = brilliant name choice!) is a large step up from the Fanfare. It is much cleaner looking, includes a brief history of the school, has a better quality logo, but has the same type moulding. It has slightly larger dimensions as well. My suggestion is to pay the extra money and go for the Legacy Sports Frame and choose the Encore mahogany moulding. At 17a€³x29a€³ it is quite large and honestly, gorgeous. There are two information panels that may be customized with the school's athletic program history, summary of a winning season, season stats, fight song, etc.

South CarolinaChurch Hill Classics was nice enough to send me two frames to review: the Fanfare Sports Frame and Legacy Sports Frame. If they were not so beautiful, I would probably burn them (I was sent one for South Carolina and Louisiana State Universitya€¦two of UF's rivals). The Fanfare Sports Frame (pictured right) dons the crimson and black of South Carolina University. To be quite honest, I was not as blown away by this particular product as I was by the Legacy. The frame was of high quality, and is quite beautiful, but sitting next to the Legacy Sports Frame, it gets lost in the shuffle. Whatever is lacking in the Fanfare Sports Frame is made up, and then some, with AthleticFrame.com's Legacy Sports Frame.

LSU frame

Check out the LSU Legacy Sports Frame that I received in the mail (pictured left). Take a look at the gloss cherry finish and black accents that make the frame stand out in any setting. As previously noted, I am not an LSU fan, but I can assure you that this item will make a perfect gift to someone who is. Most NCAA football and basketball programs can be applied to the frame. I can only imagine how beautiful it would look in orange and blue.

I also prefer the center image in the Legacy Sports Frame over that of the Fanfare, but those images are entirely customizable by the purchasing customer. Instead of a stadium, you have the option of inserting a player photo, game tickets, pieces of uniforms, etc. It truly is a gift that lasts forever.

You can feel confident when purchasing from AthleticFrame.com. The website is a subsidiary of DiplomaFrame.com, which is the leading producer of diploma frames and has been in business for over seventeen years. Some reasons to purchase an athletic frame are, as a player gift, MVP gift, donor gift, coach award, sports banquet item, and stadium concession product. If you decide to purchase one, go ahead and take a picture of it and link to it in the comments section.

If you are interested in having your product reviewed on this website, please contact us for further information.

Better being a couple of days late on this story than never announcing it. A member of Dynasty's family won an ESPY! Congratulations to Norm Duke for winning an award that he definitely deserved. Here is the press release put out by the PBA:

Norm Duke won the Bowler of the Year Excellence in Sports Performance Yearly (ESPY) Award at the 2008 ESPYS presented by Hummer in Los Angeles which aired on ESPN on Sunday, July 20.

The ESPYS celebrate the top moments, most emotional stories and best performances of the past year in sports. Online voting determined the ESPY winners as fans were able to vote for their favorite athletes in each category. Duke beat out fellow PBA stars Chris Barnes and Walter Ray Williams Jr.

"To receive recognition for the efforts required to compete on the highest level in any sport is always meaningful and I am thrilled," Duke said. "The opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments of great athletes, and to be alongside those athletes, is one that I will never take for granted. It's a special night for sports and I would like to thank ESPN and the PBA for making it possible."

Duke, who won the Bowler of the Year ESPY in 1995 and 2007, won the final two Majors of the '07-08 season to secure a three-season exemption despite battling injuries earlier in the season. His victories in the Denny's World Championship and the 65th Denny's U.S. Open made him just the sixth bowler in history to win back-to-back Majors and the 10th to win two Majors in a season.

Not too long ago, I wrote about the deal I secured for my sports Artist, Alvin Fall, with the Tampa Bay Rays. Two days ago, Alvin met up with Carl Crawford during BP at Tropicana Field. I wanted to share some of the pictures of Carl Crawford posing for a picture with Alvin and signing the original illustration as an endorsement. It's too early to let the cat out of the bag, but there may be some more good news to share shortly. Enjoy!

After a couple of commentators showed displeasure in my softness for not probing Leland about the contract he negotiated for Ricky Williams, I decided to reach back out to Mr. Hardy to see if we could follow up with a quick Q&A. Leland welcomed the opportunity and the result is now at the end of Interview With The Agent: Leland Hardy. Leland did not back away from the question, and provided a very lengthy, no-holds-barred response.

News on Dynasty bowler, Norm Duke, to come in a future post later today.

Gerard Haran

Gerard Haran took advantage of the break he's been given and enjoyed watching his Bears dominate the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs by a score of 12-3.

Robert Lara

Robert Lara is back to his successful ways as he had a stellar day for the Padres Tuesday. In the game against the Angels, he went 1 for 2 with 2 walks, while also getting a run and 2 RBIs.

Dan Leatherman

Dan continued getting rest from his weekend save only to have to watch the Hagerstown Suns continue to struggle. Tuesday, the Greenville Drive led throughout the game and ended with a final score of 7-1.

Over at MarketingProfs.com (great website, by the way), there is an interesting thread titled, Marketing For a Sports Agent. The topic was started by a person who potentially may pick up a Sports Agent client and he/she wonders what advice should be given in terms of marketing strategy. I believe that the best response was given by Frank Hurtte, who says,

I suggest a return to basics.

1) How do we make money?

2) Who are the best prospects for making money?

3) what do these people value?

4) where do they "live"?

5) how can we best get our message to them?

6) once they come to us how do we convert them to customers?

It is always important to sell your company as a part of the individual or corporation that you are trying to reach. If you only care about sending out your company's message without fine tuning it towards your audience, then you probably won't have much luck no matter what profession you are in. And in today's day and age, if you want to compete with the best, I suggest learning a bit about online marketing through social networks and Web 2.0 opportunities.

Last week, we saw Joe Linta negotiate a 5 year deal for his client and Ravens first round draft pick, Joe Flacco. This signing will also allow Flacco to compete for a wide open starting quarterback job.

Getting Flacco signed and in camp on time was essential if Flacco is to have any shot at winning a starting quarterback job. Last summer we witnessed Brady Quinn sit out more than 2 weeks due to a contract dispute. Not only did it set him back in regards to learning the offense, it may have cost him from ever stepping onto the field in a Browns uniform.

With Joe Flacco signed, there is now a realistic chance he wins the starting quarterback job. He will be competing against Kyle Boller and Troy Smith; neither of which have been able to establish themselves as a starting quarterback in the NFL.

The Brady Quinn contract debacle last summer was proof of how important it is to get a quarterback in camp on time. Sometimes it's worth sacrificing a few dollars to ensure your client a shot at a starting position. The sooner Flacco wins the starting quarterback job, the sooner he will earn incentives and endorsement deals.

Linta, realized Flacco's unique opportunity and did everything possible to give his client a shot at being the starting quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens.

Right after the Miami Dolphins (I forgot to mention that I sat behind Don Shula on my way to Jacksonville for a business meeting this Tuesday), my favorite team is the New York Giants. I went wild at Club ESPN in Disney World when the Giants had the miraculous fourth quarter that ended up knocking off the New England Patriots to win the Super Bowl. To top it off, one of my good friends is a die hard Patriots fan, and ended up jumping in a huge lake and getting scalded by Disney employees. I would not have had that much fun had the Giants been without Plaxico Burress.

Jason Cole, an excellent writer at Yahoo! Sports known mostly for his deep investigation in the Reggie Bush drama, spent some time with Burress after the Super Bowl, learning about his past and turning his recordings into a book titled, GIANT: The Road to the Super Bowl. Even though Jason Cole wrote the book, it truly reads like Plaxico is telling you the entire story. In fact, some of the grammar is so bad that I would not recommend it to a child still developing reading skills. But for us older folk, you can definitely get around the elementary writing and truly enjoy the story that Plaxico has to tell.

Hammerin' Hank, George Almighty and the Say Hey KidGIANT would not be complete if Plaxico did not discuss the Super Bowl and all of the events surrounding the main event; however, do not fear that the entire book is full of just that one event. Burress takes you back to his roots, growing up in a rough area of Virginia Beach with only his mom to care for him, often starving herself so that Plaxico would have enough food on his plate. His upbringing has played a huge role in his development as a football player and regular citizen, and he discusses his hometown and mother's influence at length.

But Plaxico Burress plays the sport of football, which is America's favorite, and you better believe that he has a lot to talk about. As a self-proclaimed talker on the field, Plaxico does not hold anything back in his interviews with Jason Cole. He calls out defenders, coaches (like myself, he is not a fan of Nick Saban), and more. GIANT goes through Plaxico's early life to his college days and then to playing for Pittsburgh and the New York Giants. Who would have thought that his best friend is Jeremy Shockey? I guess it makes sense, since they are both Rosenhaus clients, but Plaxico did not start out that way. He was originally signed with Leigh Steinberg, then switched to Mike Harrison, before he immediately dropped him and signed with Rosenhaus Sports Representation. I bet Plax is upset that Shock is now a New Orleans Saint.

I really enjoyed reading GIANT, because Plaxico Burress left nothing behind on the table. He was comfortable discussing burying his mother when he was only 25-years-old, talked about all of his injuries (there are a lot!), and even told the truth about where he truly wanted to play college ball. That's right, the University of Florida! He did not have the requisite grades, though, and ended up playing a year at a Prep School before thriving at Michigan State.

Take the journey through Plaxico Burress's life, if you dare, and pick up a copy of GIANT. Worst comes to worst, you will hate it and be done with it in a few daysa€¦I promise that it is easy reading!