before putting them up on the big screen.But Fiur rec

Goalkeeper Jack Butland is close to agreeing a new long-term contract at Stoke City. The 23-year-old England international has been in fine form this season and Stoke are looking to tie him down to a new deal, which could be for as long as five years.Butlands current contract runs until 2019 but it seems Stoke want to reward him for his efforts during a campaign in which he has emerged as a genuine rival to Joe Harts position as England No 1. Butland has been capped three times, keeping clean sheets against Lithuania and France last autumn, and currently appears poised to travel to Euro 2016 as Harts chief back-up.He took over as the Stoke No 1 this season after Asmir Begovic joined Chelsea and has kept 10 clean sheets in his 30 matches, conceding 36 goals. Also See: Butland aims for Euro start Stoke City news Nike Sb Sale . Tests earlier this week revealed a Grade 2 left hamstring strain for Sabathia, who was hurt in last Fridays start against San Francisco. Its an injury that will require about eight weeks to heal. He finished a disappointing campaign just 14-13 with a career-worst 4. Cheap Nike Sb Shoes Online . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. http://www.cheapnikesbaustralia.com/ . -- The Sacramento Kings are set to become the first major professional sports franchise to accept Bitcoin virtual currency for ticket and merchandise purchases. Nike Sb Shoes Australia . After Mondays hard-fought loss, the wait seemed longer than usual. Getting set to go their separate ways for a short Christmas break, the Raptors coach credited his team for their effort on a seemingly impossible three-game road trip, urging them to build on that success when they get back to work at the end of the week. Nike Sb Clearance Sale . A knee to the thigh might have stung him the most, but his sixth straight double-double made up for the brief burst of pain. NEW YORK -- Its good to be Hilary Swank. And not just because that would make you a two-time Oscar winner for best actress.Swank -- or her assistant -- can pick up the phone and tell the USTA that she wants to spend finals weekend at the US Open. She can even specify that shes willing to dress well and sit in the Presidents suite on Sunday for the mens final. On Saturday, though, she wants to go more casual, so shed rather be placed somewhere else. Say, the Emirates suite.The USTA is happy to accommodate Swank in exactly that way this year. Swank is an A-lister with a great image. Not every celebrity has her degree of clout, but you can be sure that those whose faces you routinely see flashed up on the big screen at Arthur Ashe Stadium didnt buy a ticket, take the No. 7 train to the Mets-Willets Point station, and empty their pockets to walk through a metal detector.Celebrities are royalty in New York. But while Wimbledon has the formidable Royal Box, Gothams beautiful people are cleverly distributed in a number of locations when they visit the US Open -- the Presidents suite (extending up from the north baseline in Ashe), the Emirates, AmEx and a number of USTA suites.Some of the celebrities who show up are recruited by agents of the USTA, while others appealed directly to those agents or the USTA. If getting into the US Open required a passport, these folks would have protected celebrity status stamped on their visas.The man in charge of wrangling celebrities for the tournament is Michael Fiur, executive producer of entertainment for the US Open. He heads an office with a staff of over 50 people deep in the bowels of Arthur Ashe Stadium. He works hand in hand with Jim Mannino Public Relations in New York. Together, they reach out to celebrities while fielding and vetting requests for celebrity treatment. Part of their job consists of making sure that sponsors who want to have celebrities in their suites are satisfied.Its a two-way street, Fiur told ESPN.com. We need places to put people, and the suite owners often want to host famous people. It can get complicated, which is why we have a daily meeting at 3 p.m. to review where we stand with our obligations.As with all visas, some applicants are turned down. Some of the names that come up at our meeting have us scrambling for our phones to look up who they are, Fiur said. Not everyone makes the cut.The rush for special treatment at the Open has gotten so intense over the years that Fiur and Mannino now send out three different US Open invitations. One solicits celebrities for the annual Arthur Ashe Kids Day event that takes place the Saturday prior to the US Open. Another invites select individuals to the opening night ceremonies. The third invite is a save the date shotgun blast to numerous parties in the entertainment, sports and fashion industries containing the dates of the US Open. It provides contact info for those whoo would like to attend.ddddddddddddCelebrities at the US Open usually fall into one of two categories: guests of players for a specific match (as Jay Z and Beyonce were for Serena Williams second-round match) or general guests of the USTA. Its an important distinction, because while those in the former category may get free transportation courtesy of the USTA, theyre pretty much on their own otherwise. Guests of the USTA are in for the entire day or night session. They get perks including free food, drink and swag, but also assume certain obligations.They are expected to walk the blue carpet at the West Gate entrance to Ashe, where paparazzi lurk. They also are expected to make themselves available for a short video sound bite for use on the US Open website. Officials ask their permission to put their image and name up on the giant video screen. An interview with ESPN during the networks telecast is voluntary.Weve had some that didnt want to do any of the publicity stuff, and weve told them, Look, you may be the biggest thing out there, but if youre not willing to stop on the blue carpet and take a picture, you can go and buy a ticket for the day and find another way to get out here. Were not going to use up a valuable seat for you.Thats a pretty hardline stance, but then the requests of the USTA can hardly be called onerous. The hosts arent averse to getting the most for their investment in celebrities, either.Last year, Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon showed up late in Roger Federers quick, three-set blowout of Richard Gasquet. The minder with them asked Fiur if hed let the pair chill out a bit before putting them up on the big screen.But Fiur recognized a great opportunity when he saw it. He grabbed the phone and called Todd Noonan, the USTAs dedicated entertainment producer at Ashe, telling him, They just walked in, go for it.Noonan had his DJ cue up Beyonces Single Ladies. Timberlake had famously parodied the dance in that songs video during a Saturday Night Live skit. When Fallon and Timberlake, both good sports, got up and reprised the dance, the crowd went ballistic.Once theyre here, having them be part of the crowd, not just showing them and putting their names up there, thats a real plus, Fiur said.Then there are those celebrities who just dont want the attention. The most principled among them simply show up as regular ticket holders and sit in their seats like regular fans. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning does that. Last year, country star Dierks Bentley also chose to enjoy the US Open like a regular Joe, presumably shelling out nine bucks for a beer like all the other schmoes.Some people just have no desire to twerk for 23,000 tennis fans, even if it comes with a free ticket and a killer dinner in the executive dining room. ' ' '