Amazing that I arrive in New Orleans when the city happens to be the coldest it has been this entire Winter. Oh well. At least The Big Easy has been a great time thus far, and I have really enjoyed serving as a arbitrator at the Tulane Law Baseball Arbitration Competition. Many thanks to everybody helping run the fantastic event, and a special thanks to Armando Velasco and Professor Gabe Feldman for being great hosts and making this a truly enjoyable getaway. It was rather interesting to have a long conversation with Larry Silverman, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the Pittsburgh Pirates, not long after he and his club became the first team to lose an arbitration hearing this year (to Ross Ohlendorf). While he was certainly disappointed, it was nice to see him still able to smile. Well, I have been busy eating po’ boys and beignets, which I will have to burn off in the gym in the coming week. Here are some stories I was not able to cover in depth:
Football
- Already a lawsuit being planned [Super Bowl: NFL Does Noble Job Recovering From Ticket Snafu].
- Any agent who suggest to his client that he should not attend the NFL Combine in order to “prove something to the NFL” should receive a letter in the mail saying the agent is hereby terminated [Union, agents considering boycott of combine, draft activities].
- The NFL owners cannot only lockout Brett Favre [NFL Lockout: The Legal Issues Behind the NFL-CBA Negotiations].
Baseball
- Hunter Pence wants $6.9 million; Astros provided a number of $5.15 million [Pence, Astros set for arbitration on Feb. 18].
- Swish’s new agent, Scott Boras, has to love this article [Yankees’ Swisher Takes Center Stage].
- So long to what would have been the most interesting arbitration hearing of 2011 [Rangers, Josh Hamilton Agree To Two-Year Deal].
Basketball
- Whether it is called a F.A.T. clause or a B.A.T. clause, make sure to get it in your international players’ contracts [For Americans Overseas, a Referee for Paychecks].
Sports Business
- A search to find the best methods to becoming a successful agent [TSBX Special Report: So You Want To Be a Sports Agent].
