Agents take different approach with players
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By Joe Conroy
Published: April 14, 2008
The first picture that enters most people’s minds at the mention of an agent is a person like Scott Boras or Drew Rosenhaus — guys that will do just about anything to make a buck for their clients.
That’s what they’re paid to do, make the most money for their stable of athletes. But you probably wouldn’t think about inviting them to that holiday party at your house.
Bill Rose, Mike Moye and Brian Doyle — who collectively represent Dale City native Mike Solbach — are just three of what you could call anti-agents in that they don’t fit that unsavory mold. The trio — with others in the merged companies of DRM Sports Management Group in Fort Lauderdale and Atlanta’s Moye Sports — is more focused on their player’s well-being than squeezing every last penny out of a team.
Rose met Doyle, a former major league player with the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics, at the Denny Doyle Baseball Academy (run by Brian’s older brother) and the two bonded over similar interests.
“I was looking for a baseball camp for my son that had Christian values and we found the Doyle camp,” Rose said.
Their shared beliefs and values led them to the Professional Athletes Outreach program, a group created by Norm Evans, a member of the 1972 Miami Dolphins team that recorded the only perfect season in league his-tory.
PAO brings players together and is committed to “equip[ping] professional athletes, coaches and their fami-lies to make a positive impact” according to the company’s Web site.
“It’s a really neat deal with great speakers,” Rose said. “We scholarship our players and take them there. It’s exciting ministry.”
Rose, who owns DRM, met Moye at a PAO conference a few years ago and the two eventually thought com-bining their companies would be a good way to utilize their skills to their maximum effectiveness — Rose finding young, draftable players and Moye versed in multi-year and multi-million dollar deals.
Between the two agents, the group represents players such as Josh Beckett (Boston), Todd Helton (Colo-rado), Lance Berkman (Houston), Chris Capuano (Milwaukee) and Jeff Karstens (NYY) among others.
Brian Doyle, also an associate preacher at First Baptist in Fort Lauderdale and part of DRM, brings experi-ence of playing at the major league level, offering evaluations on players’ mechanics and skills.
The group is mostly concerned with finding players that are willing to work hard and put time in to be suc-cessful than those looking for a big payday.
“They’re not all what you’d call true believers maybe,” Rose said, “but I would say all are character kids. We do what we say we’ll do and we just ask for loyalty. And we get that from our kids.”
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