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Agents? Who needs 'em Catching up with the agent for Venus and Serena Williams Chat Day: Interact with top agents and Arli$$ producer Robert Wuhl Sound off: Readers react series, show

Let's have fun.

Miles Davis: What can we expect in the upcoming season? Any new themes, characters?

Robert Wuhl: There might be a new character added. You'll see themes that deal with child athletes, health issues, the Christian Coalition, Arliss's ego (as usual), how far owners will go to sign a client, Rita's falling in love with the wrong people, Kirby's holding on to his ex-athlete celebrity status vis-a-vis his car wash. We're doing a Marge Schott type of character, a Garth Brooks type of character -- an entertainer who tries out for a team, in other words.

Patchy: Do Jonathan Silverman and Beverly Johnson really play roto, as they did in an Arli$$ episode?

Robert Wuhl: I don't know what Beverly and Jonathan do. Jonathan happens to be a terrific baseball player, though -- he's in all these celebrity games. Beverly, I don't know. Beverly looks good in a dress.

Ben in Atlanta: After playing the role of a sports agent, do you have any more or less respect for the profession?

Robert Wuhl: More. You have to. Agents -- I have respect for anyone who does a job well, any profession. An agent by nature is a parasitic profession because they take a percentage of what a person makes. However, if he does a good job of selling his client and deals well with the psyches of young, insecure people, I have great respect for him.

Moderator: And the players on your rotisserie team.

Robert Wuhl: Yes. Of course.

Mark in Dallas: What was your favorite episode, and why?

Robert Wuhl: Good question. I have a few favorites. From the first year, there was a Mickey Mantle-esque character who was an alcoholic and an idol of mine. I tried to get him work and sold his sperm on the home shopping channel. I liked the rotisserie episode a lot, too.

From the second year, I liked the one in which Rita had an affair with a golf pro. I also liked the steroid episode a lot. I liked the affair with the player's wife; I liked the one when Rita became an agent. I liked the one about the scab ballplayer who comes to have me represent him.

This year, I very much like the first episode a lot. It's called "Cause and Effect" and includes Roger Clemens, Keith Olbermann, George Steinbrenner, Tonya Harding and Cheryl Miller. I don't want to give away too many of the details, though.

Workday: What is your personal opinion on the greed of today's athletes.

Robert Wuhl: It's no different than the greed of anywhere else. It's like two people who are offered two jobs, with the money being vastly different ... they probably would do the same thing. And some athletes don't always take the most money. Ken Caminiti took less money, Maddux took less money to stay in Atlanta. It's not a blanket thing.

Rod: OK, Here goes! Prize fight, Main Event: Arli$$ Vs. Jerry Maguire! Who wins and in what round?

Robert Wuhl: They're two fictional characters. He's gets the girl, I get laughs.

Rod: Robert, you seem to have a natural proclivity for playing sports-oriented roles. Are you a frustrated former athlete, or are you just a sports nut?

Robert Wuhl: I played some ... mostly intramurals. But I like sports, especially baseball. And I enjoy athletes. It's a great skill, a great competitiveness, they have.

For Bull Durham, it was strictly an audition with (director) Ron Shelton. Then he wrote the character for me in Cobb. Arli$$, I've written myself. I guess sports is something I know about.

Workday: Who was the biggest problem getting on your show?

Robert Wuhl: There are certainly people I'd love to have on the show ... Michael Jordan, Martina Navratilova and Muhammad Ali. But it has a lot to do with availability.

Thanks for the questions. Have a good day.