Yesterday, MLB Trade Rumors reported that Josh Hamilton had switched agents, moving from Sosnick Cobbe Sports to Moye Sports Associates because he “wanted to be with a Christian stable.”

This made me curious. Christian sports agents? I did a quick google search and couldn’t find a website for Moye Sports Associates (Note to Hamilton: it is NOT a good sign when your agent doesn’t have a website). I did find an address and phone number:

Moye Sports Associates, Inc.: 5400 Laurel Springs Pkwy Suite 401 Suwanee GA, 30024-0000 (404) 577-3700.

Suwanee, Georgia. One of the top 10 places in America to live, according to Money Magazine. And a darn good place to locate a sports management company, if you ask me.

A little more research revealed that Moye Sports Associates is run by Mike Moye and former pitcher Scott Sanderson. The firm last made headlines in 2001 when they dropped their biggest client, White Sox slugger Frank Thomas, after he skipped a few workouts to protest his contract.

Here’s what Moye had to say about Thomas at the time:

“From the beginning of our involvement with Frank this off-season, we have consistently advised him to honour his contract, perform to the best of his abilities on the field and address any issues he might have with the White Sox privately,” his agents said in a statement. “Based on recent discussions with Frank, we have concluded that we have divergent views on certain principles that we believe are fundamental in the representation of our clients.”

Former major leaguer Sanderson became a partner at Moye Sports after a long and distinguished playing career. He earned an All-Star selection in 1991 and finished with a 163-143 record, a 3.84 ERA and 1,611 strikeouts with seven different teams.

But baseball isn’t all Sanderson is interested in. He also fancies himself a bit of a journalist:

“I’m the youngest of five children. I’m not impulsive,” he said. “I don’t react quickly to things I don’t investigate. I did some investigative journalism and found out that the claims Jesus Christ made were correct. Shortly thereafter, I asked Christ to come into my life.”

No word on whether Sanderson adhered to the “three source rule” when investigating Christ’s claims (He has yet to publish his findings), but Sanderson is relishing the opportunity to “counsel his clients in a broad range of issues like handling success and failure on the field, dealing with a difficult manager and playing through injuries” – all for a mere 10 percent (give or take).

Today, Moye Sports Associates’ clients include Boston ace Josh Beckett, Houston first baseman Lance Berkman and Colorado first baseman Todd Helton, as well as Detroit Lions quarterback Jon Kitna and U.S. Olympic sprinter Allyson Felix.

Now you can add Josh Hamilton, a former heroin addict with colorful tattoos and 65 RBI, to that list. And now that Hamilton is on board, it’s about time to negotiate a long-term, multimillion dollar deal. Because, after all, what would Jesus do?

Solomon Torres wants to be traded from the Pittsburgh Pirates. He says they lied to him when the two sides negotiated Torres’ contract this spring. It’s all very complicated, really. Torres says the Pirates renegged on a promise to invest in one of his Dominican baseball academies. The Pirates say they never promised anything. It’s a mess.

But if there’s one lesson that we can take away from Torres’ story, it’s this: Torres acted as his own agent when he negotiated his contract, and players should never, ever, act as their own agent.

Another player who has acted as his own agent is Curt Schilling, who asked the Red Sox for a $13 million contract extension at the beginning of the season. The team said no. Now Schill is on the DL with shoulder soreness he says reminds him of how felt right before his last major shoulder surgery. Will he get his $13 million? Don’t hold your breath.

It’s certainly noble that players are willing to cut out the middle man, to try and negotiate with teams in a straightforward fashion. But the MLB players union should tell rookies two things at their orientation: 1. Never walk into a courtroom without a lawyer and 2. Never negotiate a contract without an agent. These rules should never be broken.