There are two times each year when soccer Agents undertake most of their business – during the Transfer Windows.Each country is permitted by FIFA, soccer?s world governing body, to promulgate two such periods and it is during these stipulated times that players can be bought and sold or loaned from one club to another.Players who are out of contract may move at any time.Here in the USA, the MLS mid-season Transfer Window is rapidly approaching and I have been busy preparing for what always promises to be a hectic schedule.The Window is open from June 15th – August 15th.In terms of what an Agent does immediately preceding this time, I can of course only speak from my own experience. Here is an overview:Confirmthat all the Representation Agreements between Agent and player areup-to-date.Speak tothe players and ensure they are happy where they are, or, if there aregrievances, listen carefully and present them with realistic careeradvice.Ensure thatall Resumes are current. He runs his own California-based company, Max Eppel Soccer Agency LLC. For more information please visit . While Donaghy’s claims that NBA refs conspired with league officials might sound like a desperate attempt to avoid jail time by an admitted felon, it still warrants investigation.According to ESPN , officials working the 2005 NBA playoffs received instructions to “enforce the screening rules strictly against that team four (ed Houston Rockets) player (ed. Yao Ming).”During those playoffs, Jeff Van Gundy (Houston’s coach) claimed he was approached by a working ref and told just that.
The league denied any such tampering and promptly fined Van Gundy $100,000.Another incident took place during the 2002 playoffs when Donaghy alleges that two officials (described as “company men”) conspired to extend a playoff series to seven games.The game in question is game six of the Western Conference finals between the Lakers and Kings (with the Kings leading 3-2 at the time).According to Donaghy, “Personal fouls (resulting in obviously injured players) were ignored…referees called made up fouls on team five (ed Sacramento Kings)…favoring of team six (ed L.A. Lakers) led to that team’s victory…” See full document.Overall, the Lakers did attempt more free throws than the Kings, 40-25 for the game, with an incredible 27 attempts coming in the fourth quarter.The disparity in foul calls even prompted consumer advocate and occasional presidential candidate Ralph Nader to write a letter to NBA commissioner David Stern asking for a review of the officiating in that game (USA Today).While box scores never truly tell the tale of a game, the Kings seem to have had the better night. They made more FGs (38-34), shot better from three (8 of 19 to the Lakers four of 15), had more steals (9-3), and fewer turnovers (14-10).The Lakers did shoot a higher percentage (.459 to .413) and out rebounded the Kings (45-44), but the major disparity seems to have come at the line.These are certainly not the first whispers of wrongdoing by the league. There is the infamous “frozen envelope” that supposedly handed Ewing to the Knicks and Jordan’s “secret suspension” for gambling. Clearly, the league has been down this road before.These latest allegations, however, put the league in a much more difficult situation. Not to say no one would care if Jordan was secretly told to play baseball for a while to avoid a public gambling suspension, but these claims, if proven, compromise the very core and integrity of the game.They would impact every single team, player, fan, marketing partner, and investor. . OK, pigskin fans.
We all say we don’t care about preseason polls, that they mean squat and are nothing more than exercises in mental masturbation.Yep, and then we eat it up like Roger Clemens’ little black book. We can’t help ourselves.We stop and gawk at traffic accidents. We cover our eyes during tense or scary moments of a movie, but peek to see what we missed.We use the cheat phone number when we get stuck on a NY Times crossword puzzle, then brag about how we completed it. In pen.Yep, we are hypocrites.College Football fans, rejoice the sports “bibles” are out.Feast on them Gorge on them Debate them to no end. It’s what keeps us busy until August 28th.We will bicker and argue about them if our team isn’t highly ranked, and pronounce them geniuses if our team is ranked number one. First up: Athlon Preseason College Football Rankings1-Florida2-Ohio State3-Oklahoma4-USC5-Georgia6-Mizzou7-West Virginia8-Auburn9-LSU10-Clemson11-Texas12-Wisconsin13-Kansas14-BYU15-Arizona State16-Illinois17-Tennessee18-Texas Tech19-Oregon20-South Florida21-Va Tech22-Rutgers23-Penn State24-Wake Forest25-Fresno State Some interesting selections, for sure.While I emotionally love the Gators as the No. 1 pick (chomp chomp), I am hesitant (insert logical mind here) to totally agree with that pick Offense wins games, but defense wins championships. No doubt Florida is stacked in the offense, but the D is suspect especially in the secondary.The Buckeyes are No.
2, but for some reason, the defending champs, LSU, weren’t afforded the same courtesy to be No 1. Fair? Maybe, since they lost Flynn, Perrilloux, and Dorsey, to name a few. But the Bucks return everybody, so they get the high ranking.Here’s what I want to know though: how come USC is ranked lower than the Bucks when SC smoked the Bucks’ only loss in the Rose Bowl?Is it setting up the big showdown between OSU and USC on September 13th? Oh yeah.If SC wins, they will leapfrog everyone in front of them to steal the No 1 spot. The logic is simple if USC beats Virginia and Ohio State, then Florida’s projected wins over Hawai’i and Miami will not hold as much weight.Love the Sooners, Trojans, and Bulldogs as the next three picks. You could actually interchange them all, and it would still be fine.Mizzou as No 6 is a solid pick. Chase Daniel will be chasing the Heisman, and it will all come down to the conference championship game.
The Tigers tasted “almost” last season, and now they want more if the Sooners cry “uncle.”West Virginia as No. 7 why not? They have Pat White, and don’t really get tested until October 4th hosting Rutgers.Auburn and LSU sit No 8 and No 9 I’m on the fence on these teams LSU should be No 1 I’m one of those believers who says you are No. 1 until defeated.While Les Miles may not be the most popular coach around, he is certainly a winner. The QB situation could be problematic, but then again, Coach Miles is pretty smart. He’ll figure it out.As far as Auburn well, their schedule isn’t the most favorable.
