MLB, players agree to expand drug testing

(Reuters) - Major League Baseball and the players' union have agreed to expand their drug program to include random in-season blood testing for human growth hormone and a new test for testosterone, they said on Thursday.
The advanced testing will start this season, in what will be the sternest doping program in major North American professional sports.
"This agreement addresses critical drug issues and symbolizes Major League Baseball's continued vigilance against synthetic human growth hormone, testosterone and other performance-enhancing substances," MLB commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement.
The new steps moved baseball well ahead of the National Football League (NFL), which does not test for HGH or have a similar test for testosterone.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) challenged the NFL Players' Association (NFLPA) to follow suit in agreeing to such tests.
"This is a strong statement by the players and the league not only confirming the scientific validity of the HGH blood test and the benefit of longitudinal testing, but also the importance of clean athletes' rights and the integrity of the game," USADA said in a statement.
"This agreement, following the recent Congressional hearings on testing in the NFL, leaves no reason for the NFLPA not to step up and implement the same to give its players an equal level of protection and confidence that they deserve a level, drug-free playing field in the NFL."
Michael Weiner, executive director of the MLB Players' Association, said Major League players supported the expanded program.
"Players want a program that is tough, scientifically accurate, backed by the latest proven scientific methods, and fair," said Weiner in a statement.
"I believe these changes firmly support the players' desires while protecting their legal rights."
The announcement came one day after the players' union criticized results of the balloting for the Baseball Hall of Fame, in which no one received enough votes for enshrinement in what appeared to be a referendum on widespread doping during what has become known as the game's 'Steroids Era'.
All-time home run king Barry Bonds and seven-time Cy Young winning pitcher Roger Clemens, have playing records that would have ordinarily made them certain Hall of Famers.
But both players have been linked to performance enhancing drugs and punished by voters, receiving about half the ballots required for election.
Major League Baseball, striving to remove the stain of doping, was the first major sport in the United States to test for HGH in an agreement with the union in November 2011.
MLB has been conducting random blood testing for the detection of HGH among minor league players since July 2010 and had previously been testing major leaguers during spring training and off-season.
To detect testosterone use, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-accredited Montreal laboratory will establish a program in which a player's baseline testosterone/epitestosterone (T/E) ratio and other data will be maintained in order to enhance its ability to detect use of the drug and other banned substances.
Christiane Ayotte, the Director of the Montreal Laboratory, praised the steps baseball has taken.
"The addition of random blood testing and a longitudinal profiling program makes baseball's program second to none in detecting and deterring the use of synthetic HGH and testosterone," she said in a statement.
Doping in baseball has not disappeared.
In the last year, Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants, who was leading the league in batting average, and Oakland A's pitcher Bartolo Colon tested positive for testosterone and were suspended.
"I am proud that our system allows us to adapt to the many evolving issues associated with the science and technology of drug testing," Selig said. "We will continue to do everything we can to maintain a leadership stature in anti-doping efforts in the years ahead.

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Baseball-Japan to stick with lucky 'Spiderman' pants

TOKYO, Jan 14 (Reuters) - Japan will stick with their lucky red Spiderman-style pants in their bid to win a third successive World Baseball Classic (WBC) title, head coach Koji Yamamoto said on Monday.
"We'll be wearing the red pants," Yamamoto told reporters, looking forward to his side's opening game against surprise qualifiers Brazil on March 2 in Fukuoka.
"Brazil have good pitching. The first game will be extremely important."
Brazil join the defending champions, powerhouse Cuba and China in Pool A after stunning Panama in qualifying.
Despite opting for the snazzy 'superhero' look, Yamamoto warned his players to dress conservatively and keep the lid on the hair dye during the March 2-19 tournament.
"You can see by the way they're preparing for the WBC that this is a serious bunch," the 66-year-old added. "They represent Japan and their appearance should reflect that."
Yamamoto has already given a warning to Nippon Ham Fighters outfielder Sho Nakata, who began New Year workouts with his hair bleached.
"If he comes to camp like that I'll hit the roof," said the 'Samurai Japan' skipper, who has not selected any Major League Baseball (MLB) players for the 16-team competition.
Japan, whose chances of a hat-trick of victories has been weakened by the absence of players such as Ichiro Suzuki and Yu Darvish, almost pulled out of the event after a row over sponsorship revenue.
Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) warned that a player boycott would be frowned on at home after the 2011 tsunami and nuclear crisis and the threat was averted.
Japan have a history of discontent regarding the issue of sponsorship rights, threatening to organise an Asian boycott of the inaugural 2006 tournament. (Reporting by Alastair Himmer; Editing by John O'Brien)

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Japan to stick with lucky "Spiderman" pants

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan will stick with their lucky red Spiderman-style pants in their bid to win a third successive World Baseball Classic (WBC) title, head coach Koji Yamamoto said on Monday.
"We'll be wearing the red pants," Yamamoto told reporters, looking forward to his side's opening game against surprise qualifiers Brazil on March 2 in Fukuoka.
"Brazil have good pitching. The first game will be extremely important."
Brazil join the defending champions, powerhouse Cuba and China in Pool A after stunning Panama in qualifying.
Despite opting for the snazzy 'superhero' look, Yamamoto warned his players to dress conservatively and keep the lid on the hair dye during the March 2-19 tournament.
"You can see by the way they're preparing for the WBC that this is a serious bunch," the 66-year-old added. "They represent Japan and their appearance should reflect that."
Yamamoto has already given a warning to Nippon Ham Fighters outfielder Sho Nakata, who began New Year workouts with his hair bleached.
"If he comes to camp like that I'll hit the roof," said the 'Samurai Japan' skipper, who has not selected any Major League Baseball (MLB) players for the 16-team competition.
Japan, whose chances of a hat-trick of victories has been weakened by the absence of players such as Ichiro Suzuki and Yu Darvish, almost pulled out of the event after a row over sponsorship revenue.
Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) warned that a player boycott would be frowned on at home after the 2011 tsunami and nuclear crisis and the threat was averted.
Japan have a history of discontent regarding the issue of sponsorship rights, threatening to organize an Asian boycott of the inaugural 2006 tournament.

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Venezuela holds symbolic inauguration for Chavez

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Nothing shows the extent of Hugo Chavez's grip on power quite as clearly as his absence from his own inauguration Thursday.
Venezuela gathered foreign allies and tens of thousands of exuberant supporters to celebrate a new term for a leader too ill to return home for a real swearing-in.
In many ways, it looked like the sort of rally the president has staged dozens of times throughout his 14 years in power: The leader's face beamed from shirts, signs and banners. Adoring followers danced and chanted in the streets to music blaring from speakers mounted on trucks. Nearly everyone wore red, the color of his Bolivarian Revolution movement, as the swelling crowd spilled from the main avenue onto side streets.
But this time, there was no Chavez on the balcony of Miraflores Palace.
It was the first time in Venezuela's history that a president has missed his inauguration, said Elias Pino Iturrieta, a prominent historian. As for the symbolic street rally, Pino said, "perhaps it's the first chapter of what they call Chavismo without Chavez."
Yet in the crowd outside the presidential palace, many insisted that Chavez was still present in their hearts, testifying to his success in forging a tight bond of identity with millions of poor Venezuelans.
The crowd chanted: "We are all Chavez!" Some wore paper cutouts of the yellow, blue and red presidential sash to show they were symbolically swearing in themselves in, in Chavez's place.
Those in the crowd raised their hands and repeated an oath after Vice President Nicolas Maduro, Chavez's designated successor: "I swear by the Bolivarian Constitution that I will defend the presidency of commander Chavez in the street, with reason, with the truth!"
"Viva Chavez!" Maduro said. He called for a round of applause for the president's Cabinet ministers, saying they were starting a new term, and he said of Chavez, "he's in a battle."
The Venezuelan leader, normally at the center of national attention, is so ill following a fourth cancer surgery in Cuba that he has made no broadcast statement in more than a month, and has not appeared in a single photo. Officials have not specified what sort of cancer he suffers or which hospital is treating him.
Yet the opposition, limping off of two recent electoral defeats, seems powerless to effectively challenge him, and critics see their impotence in the battle over his new inauguration as an example of how the president and his allies have, both previously and now, bent the country's democratic system to suit their purposes.
Despite opposition claims that the constitution demands a Jan. 10 inauguration, the pro-Chavez congress approved delaying the inauguration and the Supreme Court on Wednesday endorsed the postponement, saying the president could be sworn in before the court at a later date.
Opposition lawmaker Maria Corina Machado called that a "well-aimed coup against the Venezuelan Constitution" and echoed other critics' suspicions that foreign allies are influencing events in Venezuela: "It's being directed from Cuba, and by Cubans," she told The Associated Press.
Opposition leaders called for protests on Jan. 23, the anniversary of the fall of the country's last dictatorship in 1958.
But it is unclear how much support the opposition's complaints can generate amid an outpouring of public sympathy for the ailing president, and with Latin American neighbors either supporting the government's stance or reluctant to step into Venezuela's domestic affairs.
The government invited foreign leaders to add political weight to Thursday's event, and they filled a stage in front of the presidential palace as Maduro addressed the crowd and called it a "historic event."
A recording of Chavez singing the national anthem suddenly appeared, and his followers sang along. At the end, his voice boomed: "Long live the Bolivarian Revolution!"
Sitting beside Maduro were presidents including Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua, Evo Morales of Bolivia and Jose Mujica of Uruguay. The government said officials from about 20 other nations were on hand.
Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman said President Cristina Fernandez was traveling to Havana on Thursday to see Chavez.
Some raised the possibility of Chavez's death, though no one uttered the word.
"There's a man who's fighting a battle for his life, who is in all of your hearts," Mujica told the crowd. "But if he isn't here tomorrow, unity, peace and work, dear friends."
While the visiting leaders spoke, fighter jets thundered overhead, flying low. Members of the Cabinet waved to them, and the crowd went wild waving flags. One of the warplanes did a roll.
Militia troops in fatigues stood in formation. Soldiers and police guarded street corners while hip-hop artists performed in the morning on stages set up along the avenue.
The mood was festive as Chavez's followers blew horns and held up posters reading: "Now with Chavez more than ever."
"We came to show support, so he knows his nation is with him," said Anny Marquez, a secretary and voluntary member of a civilian militia that Chavez has built in recent years. "We're with him in the good times as well as the bad."
It was one of the largest rallies for Chavez in recent years. Public employees joined the president's supporters, and some arrived in government buses after traveling for hours across the country.
Chavez has undergone repeated surgeries, chemotherapy and radiation treatments since June 2011 for an unspecified type of pelvic cancer.
Information Minister Ernesto Villegas reiterated on Thursday that Chavez is "in a complex and difficult situation" due to a severe lung infection that led to a "respiratory deficiency." He didn't give details.
Many in the crowd said they were praying for the president.
Yet while Chavez's followers projected confidence in the resilience of their socialist movement, some also acknowledged the possibility of changes ahead.
"It's possible he may die," said Jaime Salcedo, a farmer who traveled across the country for the event. "But his death wouldn't be the end of the revolution. Of that I'm sure. Look at all those people in the street today.

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Lawmakers release documents on Wal-Mart bribery

 Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s CEO Mike Duke found out in 2005 that the retailer's Mexico unit was handing out bribes to local officials, according to emails obtained by lawmakers.
The lawmakers say the emails contradict earlier claims by Wal-Mart that executives weren't aware of bribes being made by the company.
Democratic Congressmen Elijah E. Cummings and Henry A. Waxman, who are investigating bribery charges at Wal-Mart's Mexico division, on Thursday released emails that indicate that Duke and other senior Wal-Mart officials were informed multiple times starting in 2005 about bribes being made in the country. U.S. law forbids American companies from bribing foreign officials.
The lawmakers shared the emails, which they say they got from a confidential source, with Wal-Mart on Wednesday, and sent a letter to Duke asking for a meeting to discuss them.
"It would be a serious matter if the CEO of one of our nation's largest companies failed to address allegations of a bribery scheme," according to the letter written by Waxman and Cummings to Duke.
Brooke Buchanan, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman, said on Thursday that the letter that Waxman and Cummings wrote to Duke "leaves the wrong impression that our public statements are contradicted by the information they released today."
Allegations first surfaced in April that Wal-Mart failed to notify law enforcement that company officials authorized millions of dollars in bribes in Mexico to speed up getting building permits and gain other favors. Wal-Mart has been working with government officials in the U.S. and Mexico on that investigation.
The company has been conducting an internal investigation into the matter. And last November, the retailer said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that it was looking into potential U.S. bribery law violations in Brazil, China and India.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Wal-Mart said that it has been providing information to the Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the documents that were released by lawmakers on Thursday. The world's largest retailer also said that it is exploring other ways to make additional information available
"We are committed to having a strong and effective global anti-corruption program everywhere we operate and taking appropriate action for any instance of non-compliance," said Buchanan.
The bribery allegations were first reported by the New York Times. Last month, the paper published another story focusing on how Wal-Mart's Mexico division offered large payoffs to get things that the law prohibited.
The story focused on how Wal-Mart paid $52,000 to secure approval to build its store in Teotihuacan on the site of ancient ruins. Although local zoning would have prohibited Wal-Mart from building its store, the Times reported that the company allegedly bribed local officials to have that map redrawn.
In the Times article, Wal-Mart spokesman Dave Tovar denied that executives in the U.S. knew anything about the alleged corruption involving construction of the store in Teotihuacan. Buchanan, the Wal-Mart spokeswoman, said Tovar's comment in the Times article was focused on events in 2004.
The emails released Thursday include an email from November 2005 from Maritza Munich, then general counsel of Wal-Mart International, to Duke and other senior Wal-Mart executives. The email informed them of charges related to bribes paid to obtain permits for a store in Mexico.
The email contained a forwarded summary of an interview with Sergio Cicero Zapata, the former in-house counsel for Wal-Mart de Mexico who oversaw obtaining building through permits throughout Mexico.
The lawmakers also made public another email that Wal-Mart General Counsel Thomas Mars sent on Oct. 15, 2005 to Duke and Tom Hyde, the executive vice president of Wal-Mart. That email referenced to bribes paid to obtain permits for the Teotihuacan site.

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Thousands hold street inauguration for Chavez

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Thousands of chanting supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez rallied outside his presidential palace Thursday in an exuberant alternative inauguration for a leader too ill to return home for the real thing.
Backers wearing T-shirts with the slogan "I am Chavez" waved flags while upbeat music from Chavez's last presidential campaign blared from speakers, proclaiming: "Chavez, heart of the people!"
The government organized the unusual show of support for the cancer-stricken leader on the streets outside Miraflores Palace on what was supposed to be his inauguration day. A swearing-in ceremony has been indefinitely postponed, despite opposition complaints.
"We came to show support, so he knows his nation is with him," said Anny Marquez, a secretary and voluntary member of a civilian militia that Chavez has built in recent years. "We're with him in the good times as well as the bad."
The government invited leaders from across Latin America and the Caribbean to add political weight to the inauguration without an inauguree, while the domestic opposition demanded details about Chavez's state and called the delay of the formal swearing-in a violation of the constitution.
Presidents attending from allied countries included President Jose Mujica of Uruguay, Evo Morales of Bolivia and Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua.
Vice President Nicolas Maduro, whom Chavez designated his chosen successor last month, hosted a televised meeting with visiting leaders to discuss the Chavez-launched Petrocaribe program, through which the OPEC nation provides fuel under preferential terms to allies. Maduro said heads of state, foreign ministers and other officials from 19 countries had come to Caracas.
Maduro said the leaders would go to the presidential palace in the afternoon for the "main event." He said earlier that even though it wasn't an official swearing-in, Thursday's event still marks the start of a new term for the president following his re-election in October.
"A historic period of this second decade of the 21st century is starting, with our commander leading," Maduro said.
But glaring above all in the at times surreal event was Chavez's absence from the balcony of the presidential palace where he has so often spoken for hours to similar crowds, chiding his opponents and called for a socialist revolution.
As in past rallies before the president himself, Chavez's face beamed from shirts, signs, banners and murals. Nearly everyone wore the color of his Bolivarian Revolution movement as the swelling crowd grew into a sea of red.
Hundreds of National Guard troops and police stood guard on street corners while hip-hop artists performed on stages set up along the avenue leading toward the presidential palace. Many in the crowd held up posters reading: "Now with Chavez more than ever."
"We're all Chavez," said Rafael Colmenares, a street vendor selling caps and shirts with images of Chavez. "That's why we're here, to show the world that Venezuela loves Chavez.

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PREVIEW-NFL-49ers' Kaepernick move gets test against Packers

Jan 10 (Reuters) - A bold mid-season quarterback change will get a high-profile test when Colin Kaepernick leads the San Francisco 49ers against Aaron Rodgers and the visiting Green Bay Packers in the NFL playoffs on Saturday.
Kaepernick replaced signal caller Alex Smith, after the former top draft pick came out with a concussion in Week 10 and San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh decided to make the switch permanent, putting his faith in the second-year player.
A playoff baptism under fire awaits 25-year-old Kaepernick, who makes his National Football League postseason debut against reigning NFL most valuable player Rodgers, who two years ago led the Packers to the Super Bowl title.
Kaepernick, like some of the other new breed of quarterbacks that have hit the NFL, features running skills that have made him the 49ers' second-leading rusher with 415 yards and a 6.6 yards-per-carry average that includes five rushing touchdowns. He has also thrown for 10 scores.
"He's improved in all phases. Not dramatically because I think he was good to start with," Harbaugh said of Kaepernick.
Smith, who helped take the Niners into overtime of the NFC title game last season, was playing at a high level when he was sidelined but the 28-year-old top pick of the 2005 Draft does not have the arm strength or running speed of Kaepernick, who went 5-2 after taking over as starter.
The teams met in their season opener with San Francisco (11-4-1) prevailing 30-22 over the Packers (12-5) in Green Bay, but that was with Smith calling the plays.
ODD TWIST
In an odd twist, the two quarterbacks grew up rooting for the teams they will be facing for a berth in the NFC title game.
Rodgers grew up in Chico, California, about three hours northeast of San Francisco and has never played a regular season game or playoff contest in the City by the Bay.
"A lot of good memories growing up watching Steve Young and Joe Montana on TV and the Super Bowl wins," Rodgers told reporters. "Being a 49er fan, that was a team I enjoyed watching and dreamt about playing for."
Kaepernick, who was born in Wisconsin before his immediate family moved to California, said he grew up a Packers fan.
"They were the only team I watched. I remember growing up watching Brett Favre every Sunday. He was just a playmaker. He wasn't afraid to take chances," Kaepernick said.
While Green Bay boasts a more explosive aerial attack, the 49ers boast one of the most fierce defenses in the league.
"It's one of the top defenses in the league, if not the best," said Rodgers, who threw for 39 touchdowns and just eight interceptions during the regular season.
"A lot of play makers all over the field at every level. They make a lot of plays on the football, fly to the football, tackle well, get after the passer.
"It's a big-time defense.

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49ers' Kaepernick move gets test against Packers

(Reuters) - A bold mid-season quarterback change will get a high-profile test when Colin Kaepernick leads the San Francisco 49ers against Aaron Rodgers and the visiting Green Bay Packers in the NFL playoffs on Saturday.
Kaepernick replaced signal caller Alex Smith, after the former top draft pick came out with a concussion in Week 10 and San Francisco coach Jim Harbaugh decided to make the switch permanent, putting his faith in the second-year player.
A playoff baptism under fire awaits 25-year-old Kaepernick, who makes his National Football League postseason debut against reigning NFL most valuable player Rodgers, who two years ago led the Packers to the Super Bowl title.
Kaepernick, like some of the other new breed of quarterbacks that have hit the NFL, features running skills that have made him the 49ers' second-leading rusher with 415 yards and a 6.6 yards-per-carry average that includes five rushing touchdowns. He has also thrown for 10 scores.
"He's improved in all phases. Not dramatically because I think he was good to start with," Harbaugh said of Kaepernick.
Smith, who helped take the Niners into overtime of the NFC title game last season, was playing at a high level when he was sidelined but the 28-year-old top pick of the 2005 Draft does not have the arm strength or running speed of Kaepernick, who went 5-2 after taking over as starter.
The teams met in their season opener with San Francisco (11-4-1) prevailing 30-22 over the Packers (12-5) in Green Bay, but that was with Smith calling the plays.
ODD TWIST
In an odd twist, the two quarterbacks grew up rooting for the teams they will be facing for a berth in the NFC title game.
Rodgers grew up in Chico, California, about three hours northeast of San Francisco and has never played a regular season game or playoff contest in the City by the Bay.
"A lot of good memories growing up watching Steve Young and Joe Montana on TV and the Super Bowl wins," Rodgers told reporters. "Being a 49er fan, that was a team I enjoyed watching and dreamt about playing for."
Kaepernick, who was born in Wisconsin before his immediate family moved to California, said he grew up a Packers fan.
"They were the only team I watched. I remember growing up watching Brett Favre every Sunday. He was just a playmaker. He wasn't afraid to take chances," Kaepernick said.
While Green Bay boasts a more explosive aerial attack, the 49ers boast one of the most fierce defenses in the league.
"It's one of the top defenses in the league, if not the best," said Rodgers, who threw for 39 touchdowns and just eight interceptions during the regular season.
"A lot of play makers all over the field at every level. They make a lot of plays on the football, fly to the football, tackle well, get after the passer.
"It's a big-time defense."

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AP Sources: Browns meet 2nd time with Whisenhunt

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Browns are taking a second look at former Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt, who could rejoin Cleveland following a stint as an assistant 14 years ago.
Two people familiar with the meeting said Whisenhunt had a second interview with the Browns on Thursday.
Whisenhunt, recently fired after six seasons with the Cardinals, visited the Browns away from their headquarters in Berea, Ohio, said one person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the search.
The team met with Whisenhunt last week in Arizona, where Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and CEO Joe Banner are known to have conducted interviews with at least four other candidates. Whisenhunt went 45-51 in six regular seasons — he was 4-2 in the playoffs — and led the Cardinals to their only Super Bowl appearance.
The Browns are expected to interview Indianapolis offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. The Colts granted permission for the Browns to speak with Arians, who was released from the hospital on Wednesday after being treated for an inner ear infection that forced him to miss last week's playoff loss in Baltimore.
Already during the second week of their search, the Browns have interviewed Montreal Alouettes coach Marc Trestman, Carolina offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski and Cincinnati defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. The team will not comment on any interview or candidates until they have an agreement with the 14th coach in team history.
The Plain Dealer was first to report Whisenhunt's visit.
A second interview would seem to indicate a strong interest in Whisenhunt, a former NFL tight end who worked as a special teams coach with Cleveland in 1999 — the Browns' expansion rebirth. He's the first candidate known to have a second interview with the Browns, who fired Pat Shurmur one day after completing a 5-11 season — their fifth straight with at least 11 losses.
The Cardinals also let Whisenhunt go on Black Monday, Dec. 31, cutting ties with the winningest coach in franchise history and the one who helped resurrected a sad-sack franchise.
Arizona started this season 4-0, but the Cardinals lost 11 of their last 12 and finished with the NFL's lowest-ranked offense.
Included in that season-ending slide, Arizona was shut out 58-0 by Seattle. Afterward, Whisenhunt apologized "to our fans and everyone associated with our organization. That was embarrassing."
The Cardinals have only had three winning seasons in 28 years, and two came under Whisenhunt, who had one year left on a $5.5 million contract when he was fired.
Whisenhunt spent six seasons as an assistant in Pittsburgh, the final three as offensive coordinator under Bill Cowher before he was hired by the Cardinals.
He inherited a team given little chance to compete and turned them into a .500 squad in his first season. The next year, with Kurt Warner at quarterback, the Cardinals made an unexpected run to the Super Bowl, where they lost a 27-23 thriller to the Steelers.
Arizona won a franchise-record 10 games the next season and beat Green Bay 51-45 in an overtime playoff classic. But the Cardinals were routed the next week by New Orleans and Warner retired.
Warner's departure began Whisenhunt's slide in the desert. The Cardinals went 5-11 in 2010 and 8-8 in 2011.
As a former minority owner with Pittsburgh, Haslam is very familiar with Whisenhunt, who would come in with an understanding of the AFC North.
Last week in Arizona, the Browns interviewed Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton, Oregon coach Chip Kelly, Syracuse's Doug Marrone and Penn State's Bill O'Brien.
Kelly was once thought to be the top name on Cleveland's list, but the club backed off because he seemed uncertain about jumping to the NFL. Marrone was hired by Buffalo and O'Brien, the Big Ten's coach of the year, returned for a second year with the Nittany Lions.

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LG kicks off CES with 55-inch 'ultra-HD' TV

LAS VEGAS (AP) — LG unveiled a 55-inch TV that sports "ultrahigh-definition" resolution with four times the sharpness of regular HD television sets, kicking off what is likely to be a mini-obsession with the latest super-clear format at the annual International CES gadget show.
The model announced Monday is the smallest in a 2013 lineup that includes 65-inch and 84-inch versions. But the smaller size — and smaller price tag — begins the parade of TV makers that are seeking to bring ultrahigh definition to the masses.
Also known as "4K," ultrahigh-definition screens are 3,840 pixels wide and 2,160 pixels tall, or more than 8 million in all. The higher resolution will let TV screens get larger without degrading picture quality, though initially the price tag will limit those sets to technology's early adopters.
LG said the 55-inch and 65-inch versions will be available later this year in the U.S. No price was announced, but it will be less than $10,000. The 84-inch version that went on sale late last year cost $20,000.
For a few years, though, there won't likely be a mainstream standard for getting native ultra-HD movies and TV shows to the screen either by disc or broadcast.
LG Electronics Inc. said these new TVs will have upscaling technology that takes images of lesser quality and renders them in high detail. The Korean electronics maker also said it has formed an ultra-HD content agreement with Korea's top broadcaster, KBS, and is seeking out deals with other global content providers. The company offered no specifics.
LG said that with an ultra-HD TV, it will be possible to play phone games with very sharp resolution and in 3-D. The company said it has been possible to hook up smartphones to the TV to play games with current sets, but the resolution isn't good.
Along with the lineup of higher-resolution TVs, LG unveiled a new Magic Remote, which acts like a wand that is sensitive to motion and is used to navigate on-screen menus. LG said the new model responds better to natural speech and can be controlled with a single finger rather than "very tiring arm gestures." It also lets you change the channels by writing numbers in the air.
The company also touted the ability to tap different devices so they can share data. With that capability, you'd be able to see what's inside your refrigerator while shopping, and you'd be able to monitor how clean your house is getting with cameras on a robotic vacuum. Washing machines will also have such capabilities.
Also at the gadget show, rival Sharp Corp. introduced two super-clear TVs and one ultra-HD computer monitor. The 32-inch monitor uses Sharp's IGZO technology, based on a semiconductor material called indium gallium zinc oxide. The monitor, planned for launch in February, responds to 10 points of contact at once — one for each finger.

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Sleek new Sony Xperia Z phablet leaks ahead of CES debut

Sony’s (SNE) CES 2013 press conference is scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m. Eastern on Monday evening, but one of the stars of the show is anything but a mystery. Press images and even a full review of Sony’s upcoming Xperia Z phablet already hit the Internet last month, and now a fresh round of leaked images has been published by Chinese gadget site Digi-wo.com. Xperia Z spec highlights include a 1080p HD display, a quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, a microSD slot and a 13-megapixel camera, and Sony is expected to announce launch details during Monday night’s event.

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Samsung Says It's Making More Money Than Apple, Now

Riding the wave of gadget goodness from the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Samsung released a pretty impressive set of fourth quarter earnings estimates, including a record high profit. The South Korean electronics manufacturer says that it will make $8.3 billion in profits on $52.7 billion in revenue. That's a shade better than Apple's own record high profit of $8.2 billion on just $32 billion. Now, we could all day about the devilish details in the earnings reports and differences between the two companies revenue streams, but one things is brutally clear: Samsung is making more money than Apple, now. At least if its estimates are correct, they are.
RELATED: The Proliferation of MacBook Ripoffs
Tim Cook and company can't be thrilled about this news. Apple's very publicly struggled with Samsung's roaring success in the smartphone business, so much so that it has peppered its competitor with patent litigation lawsuits around the world in an attempt to get its products pulled from shelves. Though Apple won a big decision in the United States last fall, Samsung's been doing pretty well in the appeals process, and it's increasingly looking like Apple will not have its ban.
RELATED: These Are the Samsung Products Apple Wants Banned
Meanwhile, Samsung is still knocking the socks off of consumers. Just hours before releasing the glowing Q4 earnings estimates, the company pulled back the curtain on some pretty mind-boggling new TVs that will probably cost as much as a car but also shows that they're on the right side of the innovation curve. That would be the lucrative side.

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Wall Street rises after Alcoa reports earnings

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. stocks rose on Wednesday, rebounding from two days of losses, as investors turned their focus to the first prominent results of the earnings season.
Stocks had retreated at the start of the week from the S&P 500's highest point in five years, hit last Friday, on worries about possible earnings weakness.
Shares of Alcoa Inc were down 0.5 percent to $9.08 after early gains, following the company's earnings release after the bell on Tuesday. The largest U.S. aluminum producer said it expects global demand for aluminum to grow in 2013.
Herbalife Ltd stock rose 4.2 percent to $39.95 in its most active day of trading in the company's history after hedge fund manager Dan Loeb took a large stake in the nutritional supplements seller. Prominent short-seller Bill Ackman had previously accused the company of being a "pyramid scheme," which Herbalife has denied.
Traders have been cautious as the current quarter shaped up like the previous one, with companies recently lowering expectations, said James Dailey, portfolio manager of Team Asset Strategy Fund in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Lower expectations leave room for companies to surprise investors even if their results are not particularly strong.
"The big question and focus is on revenue, and Alcoa had better-than-expected revenue," which calmed the market a little, Dailey said.
Overall, corporate profits were expected to beat the previous quarter's meager 0.1 percent rise. Both earnings and revenues in the fourth quarter are expected to have grown by 1.9 percent, according to Thomson Reuters data.
The Dow Jones industrial average gained 61.66 points, or 0.46 percent, to 13,390.51. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index rose 3.87 points, or 0.27 percent, to 1,461.02. The Nasdaq Composite Index gained 14.00 points, or 0.45 percent, to 3,105.81.
Facebook Inc shares rose above $30 for the first time since July 2012, trading up 5.3 percent at $30.59. Facebook, which has been tight-lipped about its plans after its botched IPO in May, invited the media to its headquarters next week.
Clearwire Corp shares jumped 7.2 percent to $3.13 after Dish Network bid $2.28 billion for the company, beating out a previous Sprint offer and setting the stage for a takeover battle for the wireless service provider that owns crucial mobile spectrum.
Apollo Group Inc slid after heavier early losses, a day after it reported lower student sign-ups for the third straight quarter and cut its operating profit outlook for 2013. Apollo's shares were last off 7.8 percent at $19.32.
Volume was below the 2012 average of 6.42 billion shares traded per day, as 6.10 billion were traded on the New York Stock Exchange, NYSE MKT and Nasdaq.
Advancing stocks outnumbered declining ones on the NYSE by 2,014 to 963, while on the Nasdaq advancers beat decliners 1,603 to 859.

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News Summary: Report says SEC probes Herbalife

SEC SEEKERS: The Wall Street Journal reports that the Securities and Exchange Commission has launched a probe into Herbalife Ltd. The newspaper cited an unnamed person close to the inquiry.
TIP OF THE PYRAMID? Herbalife has been facing investor questions about its business model. Last month, Pershing Square Capital Management's William Ackman said he was shorting the stock for several months after concluding that the company is a pyramid scheme.
APPEAL TO ANALYSTS: Herbalife vehemently denies that it is a pyramid scheme. It plans to meet with analysts and investors Thursday to discuss its business model.

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Asia stocks rise on positive start to US earnings

BANGKOK (AP) — A positive start to U.S. corporate earnings season helped boost Asian stock markets Thursday.
Major regional benchmarks rose on the heels of a handful of better-than-expected results that also lifted Wall Street.
Consumer products maker Helen of Troy, whose brands include Dr. Scholl's and Vidal Sassoon, reported a 15 percent profit increase. Electronic payments processor Global Payments said its fiscal second-quarter earnings rose nearly 15 percent, beating Wall Street expectations.
After markets closed Tuesday, Alcoa Inc. predicted rising demand for its aluminum this year and topped revenue expectations for the fourth quarter. Earlier in the day, agricultural products giant Monsanto said its profit tripled and raised its guidance for 2013.
Japan's Nikkei 225 index rose 0.9 percent to 10,677.74. Hong Kong's Hang Seng gained 1 percent to 23,439.46. South Korea's Kospi added 0.7 percent to 2,005.39 and Australia's S&P/ASX 200 advanced 0.4 percent to 4,725.80.
The European Central Bank will meet later Thursday to set monetary policy for the 17 countries that use the euro. It is expected to keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at the record low of 0.75 percent even though the eurozone economy as a whole is back in recession. Investors are also awaiting the release in the U.S. of weekly jobless claims.
On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 0.5 percent to close at 13,390.51 on Wednesday. The Standard & Poor's 500 rose 0.3 percent to 1,461.02. The Nasdaq composite index rose 0.5 percent to 3,105.81.
Benchmark crude oil contract for February delivery was up 33 cents to $93.44 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract fell 5 cents to close at $93.10 per barrel on the Nymex on Wednesday.
In currencies, the euro fell to $1.3047 from $1.3053 while the dollar rose to 88.05 yen from 87.75 yen.

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Play or Sit: the coaches' quandary

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NEW YORK (AP) — At some point, an injured player, even a star like Robert Griffin III, is too hampered to help a team. Deciding when enough is enough is the problem.
Redskins coach Mike Shanahan became the target of widespread criticism after Griffin reinjured his right knee in Sunday's 24-14 wild-card loss to Seattle. The questions have ranged from whether Shanahan made his sensational rookie's health his No. 1 priority to whether the protocol for dealing with injuries was followed.
Coaches who have been in such tricky situations say the solutions aren't complicated.
"You have to rely on the doctors, the health always has to come first," said Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy. "If the doctor says he can go or he can't go, you don't argue, there's not even a discussion.
"If the doctors say, 'Here are the limitations, he can go,' then you have to judge for yourself. How is he mentally? How limited is he physically?"
Dungy recalls many times when players wanted to go and he had to say no. While coaching the Buccaneers, Dungy told Warren Sapp he wouldn't be suiting up for a national TV game against Miami because Sapp had cracked a bone in his hand.
Sapp wanted to wear a splint, but team doctors said it was too soon for him to play.
"Warren was upset," Dungy said.
"If you ask the player, it means nothing. It's rare a player will tell you he can't do this or this or that."
Shanahan said Monday that Griffin will see renowned orthopedist James Andrews for more examinations on the knee, leaving open the possibility the quarterback will be sidelined for a lengthy period.
Shanahan added he thought he made the "right decisions" and it would be "crazy" to think he would purposely sacrifice Griffin's career to win a game.
But Shanahan admitted he did not talk to team doctors initially after Griffin was hurt in the first quarter.
"I went up to Robert. I said, 'You OK?'" Shanahan said. "And he said, 'I'm fine.'"
Not exactly the way some coaches would have handled it.
"You never put a player in harm's way," said Herm Edwards, who defended how Shanahan handled the situation during his ESPN show.
"It starts with the medical staff on the sideline. They advise you if a player is able to go back in. If they say, 'Yea,' you put him back in. If he can play, you keep him on the field."
Players don't ever want to come out, and Dungy says some will even try to hide medical problems. Or at least minimize them.
San Francisco tight end Vernon Davis suffered a concussion on Dec. 23 at Seattle and returned to play in the season finale against Arizona. He admits to being a little "woozy" during his limited reps, but insists sitting should not have been the first option.
"You trust the player. A player knows his body better than anyone," Davis said. "If he's feeling a certain way, then I don't think you can go against that. He knows he can play."
But he could be placing himself in greater jeopardy, whether in the short term or for his entire career. For every Adrian Peterson and Jamaal Charles who makes a stunningly quick recovery, there are dozens of players who are never the same.
Some don't even get back in uniform again.
Or they come back too quickly, as Griffin's teammate, cornerback DeAngelo Hall, did in 2010.
Hall missed practice leading up to a game against the Colts. Usually, Shanahan bars players from suiting up when that happens, but Hall was allowed to play.
"I gave up a couple of touchdown passes," Hall said. "And Mike was just like, 'That's my fault, you shouldn't have been out there. I respect you wanted to be out there, but I could tell you just couldn't go.'
"You always want to be out there. It's nothing against the guys behind you, but just that competitiveness in you. You want to compete, you want to be a part of it, especially this run we've had.
"Man, it would have been hard for that guy (RG3) to say, 'Nah, coach I can't go' or 'pull me.' Everything was going so special, he wanted to be a part of it."
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Colts' Arians returns to Indy after hospital stay

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians returned to Indianapolis on Monday night after being released from a Baltimore hospital following a 36-hour stay for an undisclosed illness.
Team owner Jim Irsay told The Associated Press in a text message that Arians was accompanied by two team doctors, had been medicated and appeared to be on the mend.
"He was in good spirits (and) is trending (in) right direction," Irsay wrote.
Arians was admitted to the hospital Sunday morning after complaining he felt ill at the team breakfast. Without Arians, quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen called the plays in the 24-9 season-ending loss to the Ravens.
Doctors ran a series of tests. Head coach Chuck Pagano acknowledged earlier Monday that although each of the tests was negative, the doctors decided to keep Arians in the hospital until his blood pressure stabilized.
"Whatever he's dealing with, they would have let him come home early this morning, but whatever he's dealing with affected his blood pressure and they're not going to release him until they get the blood pressure under control, which they will," Pagano said during a regularly-scheduled afternoon news conference.
The Colts couldn't wait to get Arians back in town.
They're next task is keeping him in the locker room — though players and coaches believe Arians has done enough to warrant getting a head coaching job. It's a delicate balancing act for the Colts, who have given permission to at least two teams, Chicago and Philadelphia, to speak with Arians about their coaching vacancies.
There has been speculation that Cleveland and San Diego are also interested in Arians.
Teams seeking a younger, more image-conscious coach may not be interested in the 60-year-old Arians, who has a penchant for telling it like it is and in a folksy way. His only previous head-coaching experience came during a six-year tenure at Temple in the 1980s.
But it's hard to argue with the rest of his resume.
After Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia in September, Arians became the interim coach and guided the Colts to a 9-3 mark. That tied the NFL record for most victories after a midseason coaching change.
He mentored Peyton Manning, Tim Couch, Ben Roethlisberger and now Andrew Luck. He won two Super Bowls as an assistant in Pittsburgh, served on Paul "Bear" Bryant's staff at Alabama and has had a big part in two of the biggest turnarounds in NFL history — the 10-game improvement of the 1999 Colts and Indy's nine-game improvement this year.
Clearly, the Colts (11-6) want him to come back, but they also understand why he's a hot commodity on the coaching carousel only one year after he was nearly forced into retirement.
"We do not want to lose Bruce," Pagano said. "He is so valuable to this organization and what he means to this organization and what he's done. You want the best for Bruce. I want the best for Bruce. I want the best for his family. I want him to achieve and reach any goals that he has for himself throughout his coaching years, things like that. It's a hard spot. Again, people are going to go after good people and this is just a byproduct of the success that we've had here."
Luck said he wants Arians back, too.
"Selfishly, I hope he doesn't go anywhere," Luck said before jokingly reiterating what he said last week — that if teams asked him for a recommendation he would say terrible things about Arians to keep him in Indy.
He's not the only one at the team complex trying to do that.
"We will just use social media. We will get on the Internet, just like they do around draft time with all the players, all the baggage starts to come out," Pagano said, drawing laughter. "We won't do it here. We will just wait until later this evening, the next couple of weeks and start putting all that stuff out if it gets serious."
The likelihood is that those talks will get serious.
Arians has repeatedly told reporters in Indy that he will only leave for the right fit and that wherever he lands, he still wants to call the plays — even if that means staying in Indy, where the entire offense would like to have him back for Year 2 of the Colts' reconstruction project.
"I want to be selfish but I can't," tight end Dwayne Allen said. "Bruce is such a great guy and what he did for us this year, the job as a head coach and an offensive coordinator was just unbelievable and he deserves an opportunity if he wants to. Hopefully he decides to stay with us because we'd love to have him but if we have to part ways, then so be it."

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UPDATE 2-American Football-Alabama crush Notre Dame to win championship

MIAMI, Jan 7 (Reuters) - Alabama's 'Crimson Tide' swept aside Notre Dame in the BCS Championship game on Monday, dominating the 'Fighting Irish' 42-14 to win their third college football title in four years.
Notre Dame, 12-0 in the regular season, had been looking for their first national title since 1988 but were all at sea against irresistible Alabama, who set the tone of the game with an utterly one-sided 28-0 first half.
Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron threw four touchdown passes and finished with 264 yards through the air, while running back Eddie Lacy and receiver Amari Cooper had two scores each as the Crimson Tide claimed back-to-back titles.
The victory confirmed Nick Saban as the most successful active coach in college football with four national titles, taking him within two of Alabama great Bear Bryant.
The one-sided nature of a game featuring the top ranked Notre Dame will inevitably lead to further criticism of the ranking system, though a new system is to be introduced in 2014 that will see four teams battle it out for the crown at the end of the regular season.
Regardless of the system, few would argue that Alabama, beaten only by Texas A&M in the regular season, are worthy national champions - a status acknowledged before the game by Las Vegas bookmakers if not the rankings.
The matchup had been described as a return to the pinnacle of college football for Notre Dame but it ended in embarrassment for the team in shiny golden helmets, who have won 11 'consensus' national titles but endured some lean years of late.
The chance of a first title since the introduction of the BCS championship game in 1998 drew a huge Notre Dame following to Miami where they made up the bulk of the record 80,120 crowd at the Dolphins' Sun Life stadium.
PULSATING ATMOSPHERE
After marching bands had whipped up the atmosphere, it was quickly apparent that the smaller but wildly enthusiastic Alabama support would be heading home happy.
Alabama's first drive ended in a 20 yard touchdown run from the powerful Lacy, ably assisted by an imposing offensive line that swiftly establish supremacy.
McCarron then found tight-end Michael Williams with a three yard pass as Alabama took a 14-0 first quarter lead.
The second quarter saw a one yard rushing score from T.J. Yeldon and then Lacy collected a pass from McCarron and ran into the end-zone for an 11 yard score.
Alabama's power in the running game was evident in the yards put up by their two main backs - Lacy rushed for 140 yards and Yeldon 108.
Receiver Amari Cooper was left wide-open to score on a 34 yard McCarron pass in the third before Notre Dame gave their fans something to cheer with quarterback Everett Golson running the ball in from two yards out.
McCarron and Cooper combined again for a fourth quarter score before Notre Dame's Golson found Theo Riddick with a six yard pass to make the final score 42-14.
With the game already won and three minutes left on the clock, Saban sent out back-up quarterback Blake Sims and other reserves to get a taste of the glory. (Editing by Peter Rutherford)

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ING Bank may cut more costs as bad loans weigh

Dutch banking and insurance group ING said it may need to cut more costs to cope with new regulations and high provisions for bad loans, highlighting the pressures on banks to shrink their businesses.
Banks globally are facing higher capital requirements to satisfy regulators at a time when a weak economy is reducing demand for investment banking and credit services, forcing them to reduce costs by cutting operations and jobs.
Deutsche Bank in September announced a plan to cut bonuses, axe more jobs and sell assets to meet tougher capital rules, while Swiss bank UBS is cutting 10,000 jobs as it winds down its fixed-income division.
Nomura Holdings Inc , Japan's biggest brokerage, will make cuts in its equities and investment banking businesses, with its loss-making European operations taking the biggest hit.
ING, which is dismantling its banking and insurance model after needing 10 billion euros ($13 billion) of state aid in 2008, said on Monday the weak economy would continue to have an impact on operations.
"Risk costs for the bank have been increasing amid the economic downturn, and we don't foresee an immediate improvement," Chief Executive Jan Hommen said in a New Year's speech to his employees.
Risk costs are provisions for loans that are not expected to be repaid or not repaid fully because borrowers are in financial trouble or are going bankrupt.
"While we have initiated steps to reduce expenses, we are also confronted with headwinds including higher regulatory costs and the Dutch bank tax, and we must continue to align our cost structure to a leaner operating environment," Hommen said.
In November, ING announced a second round of job cuts, axing 2,350 mostly European jobs. That followed a plan in 2011 to cut 2,700 Dutch jobs to cope with deteriorating markets.
ING employed 86,881 people at the end of September.
ING shares were up 2.9 percent at 7.60 euros by 1010 GMT, in line with increases in the share prices of other European banks after regulators eased global bank liquidity rules to enable lenders to issue more credit to help struggling economies grow.

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Japan to compile 12 trillion yen extra budget: sources

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's government will compile a 12 trillion yen ($136.30 billion) extra budget with up to 10 trillion yen set aside for economic stimulus, several sources told Reuters on Monday.
The government will sell more than 5 trillion in new bonds to fund the budget, the sources said. The remaining funds will come from unspent money from last fiscal year's budget and money originally allocated to servicing existing debt, the sources said.

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