Two dead, 23 hurt in Boston Marathon blasts

Two bombs exploded near the finish of the Boston Marathon yesterday, Cheap Wholesale Hats killing two people, injuring 23 others and sending authorities rushing to aid wounded spectators at America’s oldest and most prestigious marathon, race organisers and police said.

One runner, a Rhode Island state police officer, said he saw at least two dozen people with very serious injuries, including missing limbs.

About two hours after the winners crossed the finish line, there was a loud explosion on the north side of Boylston Street, just before the photo bridge that marks the line. Another explosion could be heard a few seconds later.

The Boston Marathon said that bombs caused the two explosions and that organisers were working with authorities to determine what happened. The Boston Police Department said two people were killed and 23 others injured.

Competitors and race volunteers were crying as they fled the chaos. Bloody spectators were being carried to the medical tent that had been set up to care for fatigued runners. Authorities went onto the course to carry away the injured while stragglers in the 26.2-mile (42-kilometre) race were rerouted away from the smoking site.

Roupen Bastajian, a 35-year-old state trooper from Rhode Island, New Era Flannel Snapbacks had just finished the race when they put the heat blanket wrap on him and he heard the first blast.

“I started running toward the blast. And there were people all over the floor,” he said. “We started grabbing tourniquets and started tying legs. A lot of people amputated. ... At least 25 to 30 people have at least one leg missing, or an ankle missing, or two legs missing.”

A Boston police officer was wheeled from the course with a leg injury that was bleeding.

“There are a lot of people down,” said one man, whose bib No 17528 identified him as Frank Deruyter of North Carolina. He was not injured, but marathon workers were carrying one woman, who did not appear to be a runner, to the medical area as blood gushed from her leg.

Smoke rose from the blasts, fluttering through the national flags lining the route of the world’s oldest and most prestigious marathon. TV helicopter footage showed blood staining the pavement in the popular shopping and tourist area known as the Back Bay.

“There are people who are really, really bloody,” said Laura McLean, a runner from Toronto, who was in the medical tent being treated for dehydration when she was pulled out to make room for victims of the explosions. “They were pulling them into the medical tent.”

Cherie Falgoust was waiting for her husband, who was running the race.

“I was expecting my husband any minute,” she said. “I don’t know what this building is ... it just blew. Just a big bomb, a loud boom, and then glass everywhere. Something hit my head. I don’t know what it was. I just ducked.”

Runners who had not finished the race were diverted straight down Commonwealth Avenue and into a family meeting area, according to an emergency plan that had been in place.

The White House said President Barack Obama has been notified about the explosions. The administration said it is in contact with state and local authorities and the president directed his administration to provide whatever assistance is necessary in the investigation and response.

Vice President Joe Biden was on a conference callNew Era Yums Snapback with gun control activists when staffers turned on televisions in his office Monday to view coverage of the explosions. Biden said during the call that his prayers were with those who suffered injuries.

British police said they were reviewing security plans for Sunday’s London Marathon, the next major international marathon.

Thousands of people compete in the London Marathon every year, thronging the city’s streets. London is also considered a top target for international terrorists.

A London Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed Monday that police are working with marathon officials to review security plans for Sunday’s event.

The London race’s chief executive, Nick Bitel, expressed shock and sadness about the situation in Boston, saying: “it is a very sad day for athletics and for our friends in marathon running.”

Runners who had not finished the race were diverted straight down Commonwealth Avenue and into a family meeting area, according to an emergency plan that had been in place.

The nearby Prudential Tower, the city’s second-tallest building with an upscale shopping mall on the ground, was evacuated, along with the luxury Mandarin Oriental hotel, according to media reports.

Race day got started with 26 seconds of silence in honor of the victims of the December school shooting in Connecticut. A little more than two hours later, the lead runners passed the Mile 26 marker, which was decorated with the Newtown, Connecticut, seal and dedicated to the memory of those killed there.

The annual 26.2-mile (42-kilometre) marathon takes place on Patriot’s Day, a state holiday that celebrates the evacuation of Boston by the British in the American Revolution.

SEC set to reveal plans for network with ESPN

The long-awaited announcement of the Southeastern Conference network is days away. The SEC says that it will hold a news conference with ESPN executives Tuesday in Atlanta. Cheap Hats Free Shipping The network is to be launched in a partnership between the SEC and ESPN.

Sports Business Journal reported Friday that the conference and the network would detail plans Tuesday to have the SEC cable channel up and running by August 2014. A person familiar with the announcement confirmed that to the AP on condition of anonymity because no details of the news conference had been made official. SEC Commissioner Mike Slive and ESPN President John Skipper will be among those in attendance. Slive said earlier this year NBA 47 Brand Snapback he expected an announcement on the network by the middle of April.

Sports Business Journal reported the SEC recently completed buying back some low-level TV rights from IMG College, Learfield Sports and CBS Collegiate Sports Properties, and that was the last step toward moving forward with ESPN. ESPN, which already has a long-term deal with the SEC, will own the rights for all SEC sports, except for the one-game per week deal the conference has with CBS, according to SBJ.

The network will have some similarities with the Big Ten and Pac-12 networks. The Big Ten Network has been on the air since 2007 and has turned into a cash cow for the conference after a rocky start. The Pac-12 Network launched last year and is still dealing with distribution issues that the Big Ten faced when its network started.

The SEC is hoping the conference’s popularity, New Era NFL 2012 Draft Snapbacks large and loyal fanbase, and the partnership with ESPN will be a recipe for better distribution right from the start.

Allan Massie: European Cups show veterans doing

THERE is life after international rugby; Mike Blair has just signed a two-year contract with Newcastle Falcons, a few months after announcing his retirement from the international game.

That announcement indeed makes him more valuable to a club. Cheap New Era Snapback Hats He won’t be away on Scotland duty in November, February and March. Of course, in the amateur days, it was quite usual for players to continue in club rugby, often for years, after the international selectors had lost interest in them, but there was an assumption that the rigours of the professional game would lead to burn-out and shorter careers. The reverse seems to be happening.

The former England and Lions lock, Simon Shaw, is still a member of the Toulon first-team squad at the age of 40, while Blair’s former team-mate for Edinburgh and Scotland, Nathan Hines, is an important figure in the Clermont-Auvergne XV bidding to win the Heineken Cup.

Indeed, wherever you looked last weekend in the Heineken and Amlin Challenge Cup matches, there were players retired from the international game, or deemed surplus to its requirements, plying their trade, and often shining. Who hammered the nails into Leicester’s coffin but Jonny Wilkinson? Ten years after he kicked England to World Cup glory with a drop-goal from his right – that is to say, wrong – foot, he finished off the Tigers in the same way. Meanwhile, a few hours earlier at The Stoop, Ronan O’Gara, whose rugby obituary was being pronounced by many, including myself, only a few weeks ago, was displaying all his old mastery as he steered Munster to victory over Harlequins. That match must surely have settled the Lions captaincy. Who can it be now but Paul O’Connell?

Sunday’s two Heineken quarter-finals showed once again that you don’t need tries to have a gripping match. Sadly, all four quarter-finals also showed that the readiness of referees to award a penalty to a scrum that is driving forward with no intention of releasing the ball to its backs is in danger of making a nonsense of the game.

The sooner the laws are adjusted so that we get back to theIn4mation Snapbacks Hat understanding that the scrum is a means of restarting the game, usually by heeling the ball, the better.

Incidentally, there was one moment in the Challenge Cup match between Gloucester and Biarritz which demonstrated the absurdity of current refereeing practice, or, if you prefer, the incompetence of some referees or their indifference to the laws of the game. A line-out throw by the Biarritz hooker was judged to be squint – which indeed it was, if only marginally so. A scrum was then called. The Gloucester scrum-half promptly fed the ball into his second-row, and the referee was happy to let this go. The second offence was more blatant than the first but went unpunished. Ridiculous.

Still, there was some lovely stuff in that match from both teams. I always take every chance on offer to watch Biarritz, if only to see Dimitri Yachvili in action. He has his bad days like almost everyone, but when he is on song he is a joy to watch. He seems to stroll through a game, controlling the action serenely, his reading of the play astute and usually a few seconds ahead of everyone else.

There were two lovely examples of his vision at Kingsholm: first, the sublime little chip which gave the Biarritz left-winger the easiest of tries – all he had to do was catch the ball; second, that moment when, from a turnover deep in the Biarritz 22, Yachvili spotted space on the right and slung out a pass that travelled more than 30 yards, to be collected by the flying Ngwenya, who galloped free and passed to Benoit Baby to score.

No doubt Yachvili spends time in the gym, but he has never bulked up. Indeed, he is one of those, like Mike Blair and Chris Paterson, whose body shape looks much as it did when he first played professional rugby more than a dozen years ago. He is a true master, and I would have young Sean Kennedy, the most promising scrum-half in Scotland, apply himself to the study of tapes or DVDs of Yachvili’s best games. He couldn’t fail to learn much about tactics, positional sense, the organisation of his forwards, and reading the flow of play.

On a final note: the Heineken is once again proving the most compelling of tournaments. Any of the four teams left in it might still win, though Clermont-Auvergne are deservedly favourites to do so.

Meanwhile, it is essential that some compromise New Era Flannel Snapbacks is found between the English and, to a lesser extent, French clubs who want the format changed, and the Rabo Pro12 clubs who are resisting their demands. We shall all be the poorer if this great competition is wrecked.

Louisville celebrates national title

They haven't stopped partying in Louisville.

The latest celebration Wednesday was a bit more structured as the NCAA champion Cardinals' men's team and runner-up women's squad received heroes' welcomes at the KFC Yum! Center. A near-capacity crowd awash in red thanked players and coaches for providing one of the most satisfying weeks ever with Wholesale Snapback Hats both playing for titles and the men delivering Louisville's first championship in 27 years.

Both Cardinals programs responded with short expressions of gratitude, allowing men's coach Rick Pitino to have the final word.

Hoarse from a whirlwind Final Four including his election to the Hall of Fame followed by his second title, Pitino drew a huge cheer by asking, "Wouldn't it be great if we somehow got back to Dallas?" for next year's championship.

That remains to be seen for Louisville's men, who were still digesting Monday night's 82-76 victory over Michigan in Atlanta.

In case they weren't sure of what they achieved, the stage featured tangible reminders. The NABC crystal ball trophy centered a display that included both of Big East championship trophies along with this year's hardware for winning it all.

The women's runner-up trophy was also displayed, symbols that elicited pride from university president James Ramsey.

"I've got a question to ask you: Is this a pretty good time to be a Louisville Cardinal?" Ramsey said to the first of many large cheers inside the arena that included a packed plaza of fans.

Athletic director Tom Jurich echoed that sentiment before yielding to players and coaches from both programs, who received rock-star introductions and several ovations.

One of the biggest was for Cardinals guard Kevin Ware, In4mation Snapbacks Hat whose horrific right leg break in the Midwest Region final victory over Duke made him an overnight sensation and the sentimental hero of Louisville's title run. He ambled up on the steps without crutches before grabbing them to walk to his chair, his words drowned out by a crescendo of cheers.

Guards Peyton Siva and Russ Smith drew their share of screaming as well -- particularly Smith, who wasn't scheduled to speak until fans began chanting "We want Russ!"

After Louisville's clinching victory, Russ Smith Sr. said his son plans to enter the NBA draft. The well-informed crowd's message was loud and clear as they greeted the Cardinals' leading scorer with chants of "One more year! One more year!"

Smith said nothing about his plans but seemed to thank fans for a body of work supporting him during his career.

"As far as myself, I just want to say thank you, guys, for a tremendous three years," Smith said. "I'll never forget this."

While many present were there to celebrate the men's national championship, there was plenty of love for the Cardinals' women.

Louisville's surprising run through the tournament positioned the Cardinals to win dual titles before Connecticut squashed that dream with a 93-60 rout Tuesday night in New Orleans. Fans didn't soon forget the fifth-seeded Cardinals' memorable charge, highlighted by a monumental 82-81 upset of defending champion and top-seeded Baylor in the regional semifinal.

Junior guard Shoni Schimmel led that run with shooting, penetration and confidence, all of which were shown on the video screen. One of many players wearing T-shirts saying "Party Crashers" on the back in reference to their unexpected presence in the Final Four, she hinted that a Final Four return was possible.

"Thank you for everything and we'll be back next year, don't worry," Schimmel said.

Pitino brought the official celebration to an emotional close by expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to work in a program that allowed him to achieve some personal milestones. Besides the Hall of Fame selection and becoming the first coach to lead two schools to national titles, last week saw his son, Mitchell & Ness Script Snapbacks Richard, hired as Minnesota's coach and a thoroughbred he co-owns qualified for the Kentucky Derby.

None of that compared to what he felt upon watching a replay of Louisville's victory in New Orleans while attending the women's final. Seeing Chane Behanan's rebounding performance in the men's final made the 60-year-old cry in a Bourbon Street bar, but he was all smiles in the arena that has fueled his success.

And he made sure fans remembered how the Cardinals' run has made them feel.

"Back-to-back Big East championships, back-to-back Final Fours, with a national championship," Pitino said. "It's time to celebrate."

Caroline Wozniacki caddies for Rory McIlroy at M

Caroline Wozniaki donned the traditional whiteWholesale New Era Snapback Hats boiler suit and green hat Wednesday to caddie for main squeeze Rory McIlroy in the traditional Masters par-3 contest, which takes place the day before play begins at Augusta National. When she was given the chance to take a swing off the tee, well, let’s just say she would have been better off hitting one of her famous moonballs. The form didn’t look half bad until she chunked it into the water.

“Well, it had spin on it. We can say that.” Gotta love the commentary.

When Tom Rinaldi asked Wozniacki how the idea came about, California Republic Collection the former No. 1 actually seemed a bit flustered. “Well … I don’t know. I just had a good deal with Rory. I get a really good paycheck out of this. I even gave him a special prize, you know?” I’m going to assume Caroline meant whatever is in this box.

It looks like a pretty low-stress job, particularly considering no man who has won the par-3 event has gone on to wear the Green Jacket that year.

The Masters - Preview Day 3

So it’s cool, Woz. You can sabotage Rory. In fact, Mitchell & Ness Vice Snapbacks you should. A putter from 90 yards? Go for it.

Inbee Park wins second Major at Kraft Nabisco Ch

Rolex Rankings No. 4 Inbee Park took her three shot lead into the final round of the Kraft Nabisco Championship (@KNCGolf) and never looked back. The South Korean continued her putting New Era Snapback Hats prowess she exhibited all week at the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club and carded a 3-under 69 on Sunday en route to the four-stroke victory and her second-career major title. The win marks the third-straight South Korean to win an LPGA Tour major championship and fifth of the last seven.

The five-time LPGA Tour winner came out of the gates hot on Sunday, carding back-to-back birdies on Nos. 1 and 2 while Lizette Salas, who trailed Park by three shots to start, double bogeyed the first for a three-shot swing.

“Well, that made my day much easier, that's for sure,” said Park. “I holed a long one on the first hole, and a birdie start is always a good thing, and I never really shot over par starting with the birdie, so that gave me a lot of confidence.”

No one came within four shots of Park throughout the day until fellow South Korean and close friend, Rolex Rankings No. 9 So Yeon Ryu (@1soyeonryu), birdied her final hole on No. 18 to post the low round of the week, a 7-under 65, to finish 11-under par for the tournament and runner-up honors.

On a run: With her win, Park is projected to take over the No. 2 spot in the Rolex Rankings on Monday, a spot that the South Korean has been eyeing for some time. It will be the highest ranking for the six-year tour member in her career. She’s has two wins in five starts already in 2013 and will be carrying a ton of momentum in the chase for No. 1.

“That's the place that I've always wanted to go, 10 Deep Snapbacks and I only have one more spot to go,” said Park. “That brings a lot of momentum, keeps momentum going for me, especially after this week. I feel a lot of confidence with my swing and with my putting. Everything has been going the right way this season, and it feels good.

“Well, I haven't really thought that far forward,” said Park. “Yeah, I've played five tournaments on the LPGA Tour, and I've won two of them, which is a very good start. It's pressure off me for the rest of the season. I'm just going to go out there and enjoy the season.”

Putting for dough. There’s no question Inbee Park’s putter was on fire this week as she sunk 20 birdie putts through four rounds en route to claiming the Kraft Nabisco Championship title. Practice partner So Yeon Ryu says Park’s impeccable putting derives from winning occasional wagers during practice rounds.

“Actually first of all, she really likes to gamble, so when I practice with her she always calls me to gamble like 10 bucks a hole, whatever,” said Ryu. “But she always makes the hardest par putts, like eight‑foot par putts, 16‑foot par putts. I can't win like 10 bucks. She always wins like 50 bucks. She always takes my money, so she always buys me dinner, lunch, whatever.

“Anyway, the important thing is she looks so easy, and putting is so easy. Sometimes my putting was really great when I was playing with her, but not enough.”

So, what’s her trick? Ryu says she Park gave her a simple tip that has helped her putting stroke as well.

“I think her tempo is really great,” said Ryu says of Park’s putting stroke. “Her tempo is always consistent. And what else? Oh, and she taught me that when she was putting, the weight is a bit on the left side. She looks like 70 and 30, and she says, before her weight was like 50/50, but now she changed it, and her weight has moved a bit more to the left side. She said that's really helped her putting.”

Trust yourself: Rolex Rankings No. 9 So Yeon Ryu started the final round eight shots off the lead and figured with how consistently solid her friend, Inbee Park, had been playing, her best goal for the day was to finish in the top 5.

“Well, it's hard to say, but I really wanted to finish strong, so I was just expecting to finish top 5,” said Ryu. “I couldn't expect winning because I know how Inbee is playing really consistently and I know how her putting was great, so I couldn't expect winning, but I really wanted to finish top 5, but I finished second, so I made it.”

Ryu had the low round of the week, New Era Flannel Snapbacks a bogey-free 7-under 65, but needed some extra encouragement from her swing coach leading into the season’s first major. The little boost of confidence seemed to make all of the difference.

“That's a really big key,” said Ryu. “But last week I worked with my coach like three days, four days, and he really highly recommended your game is really perfect, your swing is perfect, your stroke is perfect, just the problem is you didn't trust yourself. So this week I really tried to just trust myself, and I just believed what I practiced and how I dedicated about the golf. So I think that's really important key. So I just want to keep trusting myself, just keep enjoying this wonderful Tour.”

I’m feeling 32! Suzann Pettersen’s goal on Sunday was to celebrate her birthday by shooting double her age (32+32 = 64). Pettersen didn’t reach her exact goal but still managed to finish off her day in celebratory fashion by shooting a 3-under 69 to finish in a tie for third at 9-under-par at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.

The Oslo, Norway native was serenaded by the crowd with the singing of “Happy Birthday” as she walked up the bridge to the 18th green. It was a nice way to cap off her birthday.

Kings will carry new confidence to clash with Re

REJUVENATED after staging a remarkable comeback against the Brumbies, the Southern Kings will carry newfound momentum into their Super 15 showdown with the Rebels in Melbourne on Saturday.

Thanks to their gutsy 28-28 draw against the men from Canberra, Wholesale New Era Snapback Hats the Kings will fancy their chances of emerging with vital points against the struggling Rebels.

The Rebels are in 12th spot on the combined log after winning only two of their seven games, putting them only three points ahead of the Kings, who have played a match less.

However, the rookies are taking nothing for granted against the Melbourne-based side.

"We travelled to Melbourne on Saturday and we will do a bit of recovery and review the Brumbies game," Kings director of rugby Alan Solomons said.

"Then we can really get stuck in and have a full week to prepare for the Rebels — we are certainly not taking them for granted. They are … desperate to get their competition back on track and we know it is going to be a tough game.

"The identity of this Kings team is character, courage and commitment and that has been built on the back of potent conditioning and potent defence," he said.

Solomons said all credit had to go to the players, who had put on an incredible performance despite a few mistakes.

"We made mistakes, our discipline was poor and we gave away too many key penalties, one of which resulted in a try. Our kick execution from exiting our own half was poor between our Muki Snapback tryline and 10m line, and catching the halfway kick-offs was poor, which put us under a lot of stress," he said.

Despite the three points they earned against the Brumbies, the Kings are firmly rooted to the foot of the South African conference and will need to start winning games if they plan to avoid a promotion-relegation match against the Lions at the end of the season.

Kings chairman Cheeky Watson said he was delighted with the resilience and character the team showed against the Brumbies.

Asked whether he thought the game was a turning point, he said: "No, I think the turning point in the season came in the very first match when we beat the Force in Port Elizabeth.

"Now, when the team return from Australia, their first home game is against the Bulls on April 20 and I have no doubt the Nelson Mandela Stadium will be filled to its 44,000 capacity," Watson said.

Meanwhile, whatever effort the Stormers put into the remainder of their Super 15 campaign will have to be without gifted utility back Jaco Taute, while the availability of flyhalf Elton Jantjies and flank Siya Kolisi is also in serious doubt for next weekend’s clash against the Sharks.

Taute injured his right knee in the Stormers’ 26-24 defeat to the Cheetahs on Saturday and coach Allister Coetzee did not paint a rosy picture of his prognosis, saying: "Jaco’s injury looks like it could be long-term. He’ll go for a scan but it doesn’t look good. Siya injured his ankle and Elton also has a knee injury."

Captain Jean de Villiers was equally downcast. "We’re looking pretty thin at the moment. That will challenge the team," he said.

The fourth defeat of their campaign has lengthened the odds of Coetzee’s side making the playoffs. They now occupy 11th place on the log with just two wins from their six matches. They play conference leaders the Sharks next weekend before embarking on their overseas tour to take on the Hurricanes, Blues, Waratahs and Rebels.

The Stormers — last year’s conference winners —New Era Flannel Snapbacks have been well short of their ruthless, efficient best. Uncharacteristic errors blighted their performance against the Cheetahs and the coach and captain are at their wits’ end.

"We improve some areas but then we do poorly in others. We can’t seem to get everything to work together," lamented De Villiers.

The Stormers were impeccable in the line-out but their scrum was wonky and their handling poor.

All Black Faumuina in doubt for France Tests

 

All Blacks prop Charlie Faumuina will miss the rest of theWholesale Snapback Hats Auckland Blues' season with a calf injury and is in doubt for New Zealand's Test series against France, officials said Monday.

Faumuina, 26, tore a calf muscle against the NSW Waratahs last month and Blues coach John Kirwan said the latest medical advice was that he would take up to 14 weeks to recover.

That not only ends his season but would also sideline himBlank Snapbacks for the three-Test series against France in June, the first clash between the sides since New Zealand beat the French 8-7 in the 2011 Rugby World Cup final.

Kirwan said medics had advised Faumuina risked suffering a recurrence of the injury if he was rushed back too soon, so Sam Prattley had been called up to replace him on the Blues' playing roster.

He said losing Faumuina was a "major blow" for the Blues, who are seventh on the ladder after three wins and three losses, but bringing him back too early could jeopardise his long-term career.

"He needs to get on top of this injury so keeping New Era Zubaz Snapback Hats the team in mind and Charlie's future in mind we've decided to replace him," said Kirwan.

Can the Cincinnati Reds Afford to Sign Any More

Through the largesse of Cincinnati Reds owner Bob Castellini, the Reds have surpassed the $100 million dollar payroll threshold in 2013, making them a mid-market payroll team (14th in payroll overall) despite having a city population under 300,000. The regional population of Greater Cincinnati...a.k.a. Reds Country.... Cheap Hats Free Shipping boosts the population above the 2-miilion mark, but the small market cement that the Reds have to operate within will ultimately prevent them from ever producing enough revenue to compete with big market teams....at least in terms of payroll.
While Reds fans are currently enjoying a resurgence of past Reds success, the window of opportunity for the smallest of markets to succeed against the payroll odds will shatter at some point. First baseman Joey Votto, second baseman Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce will anchor the Reds through 2016, but beyond that the Reds will be forced to rely on their greatest asset -- developing young talent.
More committed payroll mean less margin for error, including the ability to effectively compensate for injuries to key players. The less financially flexible the team becomes, the more likely the small market fate becomes of watching star players sign with teams with ownerships that have more TV dollars than baseball sense.
Given such economics, it's unlikely that the Reds can afford much of a payroll increase, much less an increase anywhere near the 23-percent jump in payroll for 2013.
Reds Country will undoubtedly clamor for Reds ownership to somehow find a way to sign center fielder Shin-Soo Choo to a long-term deal, but if Choo keeps producing the way he has at the outset of 2013, he'll command upwards of $70-million over five years.

Unfortunately, that doesn't look doable based upon existing Maybach Music Group Snapback contract commitments and arbitration expectation for the Reds in 2014 and beyond.
Besides the star anchors of Votto, Bruce, and Phillips, a nucleus of the pitching staff -- Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Sean Marshall and Jonathan Broxton -- are under payroll control through the 2015 season.
Given these commitments, any contract extension in 2013 with more than an $8-million annual average seems unlikely for the Reds, and that could scratch impending free agent Bronson Arroyo and last-year arbitration eligible Homer Bailey.
On the other end of the spectrum, key players whose arbitration-eligible days are yet to come -- Todd Frazierand Zack Cozart -- have to be kept playing for relative peanuts until there is no other choice.
So who is left, or rather what is left?
There's only one player who the Reds should proactively try to sign to a long-term contract in 2013 -- Aroldis Chapman, whose contract ultimately guarantees that his last year for the Reds will be 2014.
Chapman's contract also guarantees that the money he makes will spike in 2014, potentially to the $10-million range once $3-miillion in bonus is converted when he's declared arbitration-eligible. To make matters worse, Chapman will draw an annual bonus of $1.25-million after the end of each season from 2014 through 2020, whether he's playing for the Reds or not.
The long and short of it is that the one contract extension that could gain the most value over the next five years is one extending Chapman.
In the short-term, Chapman will cost the Reds more if he remains a closer, but the time will come when The Cuban Missile will be a starter. Signing him to a contract extension to closer money (like Broxton's contract was thought to be) would be much more valuable if-and-when Chapman is an ace worth $24-million a year rather New Era Flannel Snapbacks than $24-miilion over three years that the Reds could extend him through 2017 now.
How the Reds can extend Chapman is a different matter.

Malzahn happy with how Auburn handled reports

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn said he thinks the administration responded well to two reports alleging misdeeds in the football program dating from the 2010 national championship season, while players say they've tried to ignore negative attention.
Malzahn, the offensive coordinator in 2010, referred to athletic director Jay Jacobs' statements disputing the reports' accuracy.
''The administration took care of it, and as a head coach I feel good about the way they handled it,'' he said after Saturday's scrimmage.
Asked if anybody had been distracted by the reports, New Era Snapback Hats he responded: ''Nobody.''
ESPN The Magazine and roopstigo.com had separate reports this week alleging the coverup of synthetic marijuana use to changing a player's grade to improper payments. Auburn has said it is investigating former players' claims of grade-changing and cash offers reported by roopstigo.com but doesn't think they have merit.
Auburn has disputed ESPN's report on players' use of a drug that was included as a banned substance in the school's drug policy starting in August 2011, saying that only three athletes have since tested postiive for synthetic marijuana. All three failed tests came that month, according to assistant athletic director Cassie Arner.
Malzahn was mentioned in the ESPN report by the father of Dakota Mosley, among four players dismissed after they were arrested on armed robbery charges. Harrison Mosley told ESPN The Magazine that Malzahn and then-coach Gene Chizik were part of a meeting on March 9, 2011, following the freshman tight end's seventh consecutive positive test for synthetic marijuana.
The report also said Malzahn set up a counseling session but Dakota California Republic Collection Mosley skipped it.
Mosley is scheduled for trial on June 10, while teammate Mike McNeil's trial begins Monday. Antonio Goodwin was sentenced to 15 years last June, while Shaun Kitchens is also awaiting trial.
Cornerback Joshua Holsey said the coaches haven't addressed the reports with the team.
''You really just don't pay any attention to it,'' Holsey said. ''You try to stay off the Instagrams and the Twitters and the ESPNs. You just try to block it out as much as you possibly can. It's really hard because there's so much of it, but you just try to do your best to not worry about it and focus on what you've got in front of you.''
The Tigers are trying to rebound from a 3-9 season that led to the firing of coach Gene Chizik. They played part of the 2010 season with an NCAA investigation into Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Cam Newton's recruiting - Auburn and Newton were cleared - dominating the headlines.
Holsey said he doesn't think the perception of the program nationally should be negative.
''I think we have a great group of kids here,'' he said. ''I know the coaches did exactly what they needed to do. From my perspective, we're all good guys here and all the coaches that we've got here, it's like a new day. We can't even worry about what happened in the past. We've got to move on to the next step and just worry about what we've got going on here now.''
Players asked about the allegations Saturday said they haven't been a prominent topic on the team.
''That's not even being talked about, it hasn't even been talked about in the locker room,'' defensive end Nosa Egaue said.
Added defensive back Jonathan Mincy: ''Those are distractions, and that's something I don't really try to feed into.''
Mincy said Malzahn has emphasized the importance ofNew Era Zubaz Snapback Hats character to players.
''That's something this team has really taken heed to,'' he said.