"Mark is right, you will still get a sizable sum. As for endorsements… I remember you saying that you had another agent who secured you a deal with Nikey?" Barry said, sending Ken a sharp look. The man looked annoyed.
But Ken wasn't worried, in fact he was a little excited.
"Yes, Tara. She's a friend from college. She managed my social media accounts and is the main reason why I was able to get to 500,000 followers at all." Ken replied matter-of-factly, "I was actually hoping that you might take her under your wing once she graduates."
Barry raised his eyebrow. It was clear that he was not keen on the prospect, and seemed to be looking for excuses to decline already.
"Look Ken, I'm sure that she has a knack for social media, but this is no industry for the soft-hearted." He said, adjusting his glasses, "You see, I've been in this line of work for over 30 years…"
The man suddenly broke out into a monologue about the harshness of being an agent, dealing with brands and teams, the finesse required and the like.
Mark leaned into Ken and asked him in a hushed tone, "Would this Tara happen to be pretty?"
Ken raised his eyebrow, "Objectively, yes." He responded truthfully.
His grandfather grinned, "Do you have a photo of her? If so, show it to Barry."
Ken was a little taken aback, but he nodded, going through his phone. All the while, Barry was still giving his monologue.
Unfortunately, Ken was not really one to take photos, so he did not have any of the woman. But thankfully he remembered that she was likely on his on instagram.
After opening her profile, Ken paled. There were some photos of her in a bikini on holiday just a few weeks ago. He showed his grandfather, not sure if this photo would suffice, but the old man gave him two thumbs up.
"Ahem…" Ken coughed, interrupting Barry's monologue.
"This is my friend here, perhaps she could begin as an intern while you teach her the ropes." Ken said, turning the phone towards Barry to show the photo.
Barry looked annoyed to be interrupted, but he turned and adjusted his glasses, looking at the photo. He paused for a moment and then his jaw dropped. His face turned bright red and he quickly looked away.
"Ahem… She seems to be a capable person. I will consider it."
Ken stifled a laugh, putting his phone away. He had not expected the guy to completely change his mind after seeing a photo, but he was thankful that his grandfather's plan had worked.
'I just hope he's not sleazy or anything…' Ken thought.
Barry soon got back on track. "Your Nikey contract ends next week, I have reached out to a few other companies for endorsements. They will get back to me with a pitch soon, so you won't have to worry about it until after the draft."
Ken nodded. Tara and her mother had helped him with the last endorsement, thankfully they had advised him to only sign a 1 year deal. His worth would increase significantly after he was drafted, and even further once he played his first Major League game.
"Speaking of the draft, where will you be? The network will want to bring a small camera crew to film your reaction."
"I will probably be at home in Austin with my parents." Ken admitted. Ai would be coming back to the states in the next week to be with him when he got drafted.
Barry was thoughtful for a moment, "How many people? Just you guys?"
"I won't be able to make it." Mark said, his face showing some regret.
Ken placed his hand on his grandfathers arm, "It's alright, we'll see each other a lot in the future if Detroit drafts me." He said with a grin.
"It will just be my parents and fiance." Ken replied.
"That's not many people…" Barry said with a bit of a frown.
"Well most of my friends are back in Japan." Ken shrugged.
"Very well, it's not a big deal. But if you can get a few more people to share it with you, it would be for the best." He said.
"Now, we need to go over a few more things." Barry added, turning his body and facing Ken. "There's a good chance that whatever team you're in will put you into their single-A affiliate team. With your skills it shouldn't take you long to be called up, but I still need to let you know."
Ken nodded, "I had expected as much. As long as I'm signed, I'll work my way up to the major league, don't you worry about that." He said confidently.
"Mmm, I believe you." Barry replied.
"Another thing, what are your plans in the unlikely event that we can't come to an agreement with the club who wants to draft you?"
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Ken inquired.
"Well, if they try to give us a bad contract, or the terms aren't agreeable or in your favor, I will suggest not to sign it. Of course their can be revisions made, but only if the club agrees. I will work on getting you the most favorable deal possible, but some clubs are notorious to deal with." Barry added.
"Of course this is an unlikely scenario, but we need to have a plan just in case. Will you go back to school if it doesn't go through?" He asked.
Truthfully, Ken had not thought of this scenario. Just the thought of going back to Columbia for another year made him feel stifled. It would be like taking a big step back in pursuit of his dreams.
"Ideally I wouldn't go back to school. If anything, I would probably move back to Japan and train for a year, if not, join the NPB." Ken had blurted this out, but had surprised himself. Was this not an even bigger step back?