Some of the Latest

Whats up! I hope things are good.

I first off want to congratulate my former teammate Tyler Johnson and his Norfolk Admirals on their victory in the Calder Cup (the AHL championship for those not in the know). He won the Memorial Cup in junior and the Calder Cup now. The only thing left for him is the Stanley Cup.

Congrats are also in order for the LA Kings. As someone who loves the game of hockey, it has been unbelievable to see how hockey has set Southern California on fire. The Lakers and Clippers were out, leaving LA with only the Kings to watch. Hopefully we see a boom in the number of kids enrolling in youth hockey. This can be bigger than the Gretzky generation here in So-Cal.

Since my last post, there have been two drafts, both the MLB and NHL. The MLB draft is much different now than it has been in the past. Because of the new CBA, teams are capped as to how much money they can spend in the first ten rounds of the draft. Teams are penalized extremely heavily for going over that limit. The MLB recommends slotted values for each of the picks, although teams do not have to adhere to each suggested value. However, since teams are capped on their spending, agents like Scott Boras, although very skilled at maximizing value for his clients, cannot take teams to the cleaners. MLB also moved up the signing deadline to July. I think these draft changes in the CBA will have a positive impact, making it easier for teams to sign their players and get them on the field faster.

The NHL draft was a couple days ago. Number one pick Nail Yakupov should be a great scorer in the league. Edmonton will be very good in a couple years, but I predict that the success will come with serious salary cap problems. It was very interesting to see the run on defensemen that took place in the early to mid first round. A premium has been placed on the blueline and for good reason. Teams are finding out that defense wins championships. Once again, the CHL dominated the draft. It truly is the best and most competitive option for 15-20 year olds trying to play at the highest level.

Thanks for reading. I hope to have something good for you soon.

What a week!

Well this past week has been outstanding. Productive doesnt even begin to explain how I’m feeling right now. Here are the highlights.

Saturday

On Saturday morning, Katie and I went over to Jim’s house for the third day of the NFL Draft. It was time to confirm our expectation that his client, Jerome Long would be drafted. It was a very good time. Although Jerome and his fiancee Kalynn were nervous, I thought they held it together quite well considering what was at stake. As we watched, Jim was constantly on the phone making calls and texting GMs. And with the 11th pick of the 7th round, Jerome’s dream came true as he was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. I think this is a perfect fit and that there is a significant level of comfort between Jerome and the Chiefs. We all put so much work into this moment and it was just pure bliss. It was great to see that the hard work of Jerome, Kalynn, Jim, and myself had finally paid off.

The next day, we went to Jerome’s draft party. It was an awesome celebration right on Mission Beach. The people were great and the food was outstanding.

Later Saturday evening, Katie and I drove up to LA to see the debut of Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals phenom outfielder). Thanks to that LA traffic, we missed the first four innings. Although it was very frustrating at the time, it wasnt too big of a deal because nobody had scored yet. It was Strasburg for the Nats and Billingsley for the Dodgers. Stephen Strasburg is as good as advertised, almost unhittable. Harper lived up to the hype as well. For his first hit Harper lined one for a double off the center field wall. His speed on the bases was incredible. He later hit a sac fly and gunned a guy down at home (catcher dropped the ball, so the runner was safe). This kid may be the most gifted player Ive ever seen, a five tool player for sure. The game itself was great. There was a streaker who ended up getting tackled by police, the Dodgers came back, and in the bottom of the 10th inning Matt Kemp hit a walk-off home run.

Last Night

After about a half year of waiting impatiently, I found out that I have been accepted into San Diego State’s MBA program. This was first off a significant weight off my shoulders. I can now plan out with clarity my academic path for the next three years. I couldnt have done it without my family, specifically my wife Katie. She is so supportive and encouraging. She is the best wife a guy could ask for. Im thrilled to be an Aztec!!!

Up Next

Coming up over the next couple weeks are my finals for the spring semester. I cant believe how quickly the semester has gone by. It will be two weeks of agony followed by 3 months of bliss. Also, coming up in early June are primary elections for San Diego County. I have been steadfastly working and will continue to work towards getting Jim elected to the Superior Court.

Exciting Times

Its a great time to be a sports fan. Last night, Coach Cal and the Kentucky Wildcats wrapped up the school’s 8th national championship, first since 1998. What a great start to the week.

Nike just unveiled a new line of NFL uniforms. Everyone wants to be like the Oregon Ducks.

Although the Mariners and the As played a couple last week, Major League Baseball opens up officially tomorrow night. It should be a fun year at Petco Park watching the new and hopefully improved Padres compete in the NL West. I’ll put it on record right now saying that the Angels will win the World Series this year. Stay tuned.

The NHL is in it’s last week before the playoffs begin. There is nothing like the chase of Lord Stanley’s Cup. My Red Wings better keep healthy if they plan on making a run at the Cup.

Congrats to friend and former teammate Tyler Johnson on winning AHL player of the month for March.

The Masters is this weekend. Although Tiger finally got that W, smart money is on the field.

Finally, with the SDSU pro day over, we’re working very hard, making countless phone calls, and pestering scouts and coaches to get Jerome Long (DE, San Diego State) drafted as high as possible. The draft is later this month and I’m getting antsy. I cant wait!

Purpose

I’m new to this whole blogging thing. The reason I’m doing it is to have a forum to share my thoughts and journey as I begin a career in professional sports. Even if nobody reads or cares, it will be nice to document.

I guess I’ll have to catch you up on where I’m at thus far, my “resume.” I graduated from Eastern Washington University with a B.A. in Business Administration, majoring in marketing and finance, and minoring in economics. I’m currently a first year law student at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, waiting to hear back on my application for admission into the JD/MBA program.

Ive interned for two sports agents (one of them currently). I had a small role in promoting a player who was a 5th round selection in the 2009 NFL Draft, and I’m currently assisting with a player for this year’s draft (check back later for draft results). I volunteered for the 2009-10 season keeping in-game statistics at Spokane Chiefs games in the Western Hockey League. I also volunteered for the Seattle Thunderbirds, doing some confidential research.

Now that all that is over with, I hope you enjoy my work-in-progress blog.

-Ryan
www.twitter.com/ryan_31088