After Steinbrenner dies, maybe, but for that to happen now is not realistic. I find it hard to understand anybody dreaming that it could happen. Conflicts of interest The strange happenings at SFX Entertainment could have implications that range far beyond Mariano Rivera's postponed arbitration hearing. The list includes Rivera, Pedro and Ramon Martinez, Larry Walker, Vladimir Guerrero, Jim Thome, Andres Galarraga, Rafael Palmeiro, Moises Alou and Pedro Astacio, along with dozens of others. Having already lost Juan Gonzalez to rival agent Scott Boras last summer, Bronner and Gilhooley face the prospect of a non-compete clause that runs through February 2006.
Baseball players can change agents as often as they like.
The Players Association requires only that they file a designation form listing their choice of a certified agent. Then there's the question of an alleged conflict of interest involving Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks. Clear Channel also owns small shares of the Rockies and Devil Rays, which creates a tangled web of questionable alliances. Galarraga, for instance, signed as a free agent this winter with Hicks' team. Considering the SFX tie-in, the Big Cat was already playing for the Texas billionaire even before joining the Rangers.