So Alex Rodriguez has signed with the William Morris Agency with hopes of improving his public image and repairing his reputation with the companies/business partners who are concerned about his ongoing and extremely public divorce from Cynthia.

Of course, it's easy to see why he'd aim for a makeover, even after considering that everyone wants to be viewed in a good light. When it comes to dominating one's sport, A-Rod is right alongside Tiger Woods and Kobe Bryant. But at the same time, he's not anywhere in the same neighborhood when it comes to endorsement deals and the mega-dollars they generate.

Heck, he's not even in the same city or state. According to SI's Fortunate 50 list, A-Rod's $6 million in sponsorships pale in extreme comparison to Tiger's $105 million and Kobe's $16 million. What's more is that A-Rod ranks well behind dimmer stars like boxing's Floyd Mayweather ($20.2 million) and basketball's Kevin Durant ($21 million).

Even Carmelo Anthony, who should be product poison by now, pulls in $9.5 million, clearly outpacing baseball's best player and making him look like a B-lister. 

That A-Rod ranks 20th in endorsement income when it comes to athlete income is obviously a cause for concern for the man himself. But it should also raise a red flag for Major League baseball, because the extremely marketable Derek Jeter also ranks below all the aforementioned athletes with only $8 million a year in advertising bucks.

In other words, it's not just A-Rod suffering from the contempt he receives for making the most money, playing for the New York Yankees and possessing the superficial cardboard sincerity of a politician running for local office.

Let me put it this way: When Torii Hunter, who has a smile straight off a Hollywood billboard and a personality to match it, is only pulling down $500K, you know there's a problem. 

Yeah, yeah. I know that golf offers up more affluent products and goofy gadgets to slap one's name on. I know that basketball hands out mega-million shoe deals to anyone who has a second to stop and sign a contract. I know that baseball hasn't helped itself with the steroid mess.

But why should baseball, which holds a coveted nostalgic position as America's pastime and shows off its players 162 times per year without hiding them behind masks or under helmets, be at such a disadvantage?

The answer is, it shouldn't, which is why when A-Rod heads over to William Morris for his first consultation, Bud Selig and his pals need to make sure they're riding shotgun. A-Rod's problem is baseball's problem.