replacing Gill as the top defensive line prospect in the Canadian

PHOENIX -- The Arizona Diamondbacks have extended the contracts of manager Kirk Gibson and general manager Kevin Towers. Contracts for both had been set to expire after the coming season. The team would not divulge the lengths of the contracts or even whether the lengths were the same for both. Team President Derrick Hall said after Mondays announcement that Gibson and Towers asked that the length of the deals be kept secret. "I dont understand why the contracts of people in management are public knowledge," Towers said. "Its between myself, Derrick, (managing general partner) Ken (Kendrick) and Gibby." Last October, the team declined to exercise options to extend both contracts, but Hall said he has felt all along that the Diamondbacks shouldnt go into the season with the two facing the last year of their deals. "Theres constant distraction and a labeling of whos on the hot seat," Hall said, "Are they feeling the pressure?" Besides, Hall said, "These are guys I have a lot of confidence in." In fact, Hall said he probably would have preferred to have the extensions in place sooner. He said that when the contracts werent extended last fall, it was with the understanding that there would be talks on a new deal for both. Gibson and Towers have had three full seasons together, and their most successful was their first. The Diamondbacks won 94 games in 2012 and took the NL West title before falling to Milwaukee in five games in the divisional playoffs. Arizona has gone 81-81 each of the past two seasons. "Im certainly very excited," Towers said, "as is Gibby. This is a place where we hope we get to spend the rest of our careers at." Gibson, a standout football player at Michigan State, played 17 seasons in the majors, 12 with the Detroit Tigers. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1988, earning the NL most valuable player award. In the playoffs that season, he hit one of the most memorable home runs in World Series history. Playing virtually on one leg because of a severe knee injury, Gibson hit a game-winning, two-run home run off Oaklands Dennis Eckersley in Game 1, limping around the bases and pumping his fist in triumph. The Dodgers went on to win the series. Gibson was hired as Arizonas bench coach in 2007 and was named interim manager when A.J. Hinch was fired on July 1, 2010. Towers, former GM of the San Diego Padres, came on board as general manager in September of that year, and one of his first decisions was whether to keep Gibson as manager. He did and the team went on to have that highly successful 2010 season. But the Diamondbacks stumbled the next two seasons in the vastly improved NL West, with pitching-rich San Francisco winning in 2012 and the just-plain-rich Dodgers taking it in 2013. Towers said he wants to develop "a ball club that not only has a chance to win the NL West but hopefully go deep into the post-season." "I dont take these things lightly," he said. "There are only 30 of these jobs." He said that the jobs "arent easy" and require the confidence of the clubs top executives and ownership. Towers said that going into the final year of a contract probably would have been more of a distraction for Gibson, given the high public profile of the managers job and his duties directing a teams day-to-day operation. Pitchers and catchers report for spring training at the Diamondbacks Scottsdale facility on Thursday. They are the first team to begin spring training because of Arizonas early season-opening two-game series against the Dodgers in Australia. Towers has said the team wants to acquire a No. 1 starter, but added on Monday "theres not too many of those guys out there." "The markets not the same as it was two months ago," he said. Thomas Welsh Jersey . 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Pinch-hitter Tommy Medica singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Padres beat the Seattle Mariners 2-1 in their first home game since Gwynn died of cancer Monday.With the 2014 CFL Draft set to take place next Tuesday in Toronto, CFL on TSN analyst Duane Forde breaks down the top prospects. Today, he looks at the defensive line. 1. Evan Gill (DT, Manitoba) You Should Know: He has grown up around the Bisons program, as his grandfather, Pat Gill, was the team manager for forty years and his mother, Denise, is the current manager.The Good: He had a tremendous season, earning one of two CIS invitations to the prestigious East West Shrine Game in Florida.The Bad: Expected to shine, his on-field performance at the CFL Combine was underwhelming. He had added muscle to his frame but seemed to lack his usual explosion. 2. Dylan Ainsworth (DE, Western) The Good: He is remarkably athletic for a defensive lineman, with his scores on the movement tests actually stacking up well against the top linebacker prospects. This should allow him to contribute immediately on special teams.The Bad: Hes a little light for a defensive end but currently lacks the experience playing in space to be a linebacker. Keep in mind, however, that theres plenty of time for development, as hes one of the youngest players in the entire draft class. 3. Quinn Smith (DT, Concordia) The Good: He turned in the breakout performance of CFL Combine weekend, running a 4.82 40-yard dash at 300 lbs., and completely dominating the one-on-one session.The Bad: A failed drug test at the Combine for the banned substance Stanozolol casts doubt on much of what he achieved that weekend. 4. David Ménard (DE/DT, Montreal) The Good: The 2010 RSEQ Rookie of the Year was third among draft eligible players in the 2013 CIS sack race (8 sacks in 8 games) and won the bench press competition at the CFL Combine (33 reps).The Bad: Although he posted solid numbers last season, his most productive college season was his first, raising the question of whether he is already approaching his ceiling. 5. Nigel Romick (DE, Saint Marys) The Good: Hes 65", 240 lbs. and moves very wellThe Bad: He may be the ultimate "tweener", with the body type of a defensive end, skill set of a tackle, and many scouts projecting him as a linebacker. Other Contenders:• Mathieu Girard (DT, Montreal) – 64", 290 lbs.; among national leaders with 16.5 sacks over last two seasons; missed CFL Combine due to injury; also a highly regarded long snapper• Dylan Roper (DE, Simon Fraser) – high motor; 6 sacks in 2013; 27 bench press reps at CFL Combine• Derek Wiggan (DE, Queens) – 61", 250; smart, technically sound player is a three-time OUA All-Star• Kirby Fletcher (DT, Acadia) – 63", 300 lbs.; two-time AUS All-Star• James Tuck (DE, York) – at 511", 225, a shift to LB is likely; athleticism and effort make him a strong special teams candidate Also on the Radar (alphabetically): Sanmi Adereti (St. Francis Xavier), Shaquille Armstrong (Concordia), Ranji Atwal (Manitoba), Michael Dadzie (Regina), Vincent Desloges (Laval), Adam Dickson (McMaster), Jeffery Finley (Guelph), Jean-Christophe Gagnon (Sherbrooke), Steven Giang (Alberta), Pacome Matulu (Manitoba), Stephon Miller (Windsor), Ryan Northfield (Western), Martin Pesek (Acadia), Ben Rush (Saskatchewan) Analysis: When news of Quinn Smiths positive drug test broke, the immediate question that arose was "How will this affect his draft stock?" The Concordia Stingers defensive tackle will likely be negatively impacted for two reasons – trust and doubt. In pre-draft interviews, teams frequently ask questions along the lines of "Would you ever use an illegal substance if you knew it would help you make the team?" or "Whats the biggest secret youve ever kept about yourself?" If Smith was, in faact, asked those questions, he likely didnt respond by saying, "Yes," and "I took Stanozolol," - a perceived deception that might lead to a lack of trust from some teams.dddddddddddd The second, and I believe far stronger, reason why this incident will hurt his stock is simply the doubt now cast upon a Combine performance that directly led to Smith replacing Gill as the top defensive line prospect in the Canadian Scouting Bureaus most recent rankings. Rest assured that all nine CFL scouting staffs have already asked themselves whether Stanozolol or hard work was the biggest contributor in Quinn Smith shaving three-tenths of a second off his 40-yard dash time and adding five reps to his bench press performance since last Mays East West Bowl. As for the question of how much his stock drops, I anticipate that teams will downplay the trust factor but will be left with no choice but to eliminate his CFL Combine performance from their evaluation of him. The net result would have Smiths stock landing right back where it was pre-Combine, which is as one of the top three defensive tackles on most boards. I dont envision him being "penalized" beyond that by a community of general managers who have historically welcomed players who have committed far worse transgressions. Another, less controversial discussion surrounding the D-Line group revolves around the difference between drafting tackles and ends in the CFL. The simplified explanation of this is that non-import tackles have a role on every teams defence, whether as starters or backups, and any potential to contribute on special teams is viewed more as a bonus than an expectation. In terms of projecting how a tackle prospect will fit into the CFL, there are always plenty of "comparables" among current or recently retired CFLers at that position to make the process easier. For Canadian defensive ends, like Dylan Ainsworth, however, things are a little more complicated. The main issue is that only a handful of CIS-trained defensive ends ever get the opportunity to play that position regularly in the CFL. There are, of course, exceptions but the concern is that typically, upon reaching the CFL, the top pass rushing ends in Canadian university football are considered either (a) not explosive/athletic enough to play end but too small to move inside to tackle or (b) too small to play end but not athletic enough to play in space as a linebacker. In fact, over the last 25 years, the only non-import draftees who have emerged as consistent impact players at defensive end are Leroy Blugh (7th overall, 1989 Draft), Brent Johnson (20th, 2000 as a redshirt junior), and Ricky Foley (4th, 2006). Considering that Johnson was selected after playing four years at Ohio State and Blugh was actually drafted as a linebacker and later moved to end, that makes Foley the lone CIS-trained defensive end to excel at the same position in the CFL. Revisiting the 06 Draft, part of Foleys value to the B.C. Lions, who selected him, was that they already had an established non-import starting end in Johnson. His backup, Nautyn McKay-Loescher was entering the option year of his contract so B.C. needed depth at the position. Other teams may have been less likely to pick him that early. In terms of size and athleticism coming out of the CIS, Ainsworth comes as close to Foley as any defensive end prospect in recent years and his draft stock will vary from team to team, like Foleys did, depending upon whether they project him as a future starting DE, a backup DE and full-time special teamer, or as a linebacker. In a draft where there are few certainties, I would anticipate Ainsworth being chosen in the Top 10 and given an opportunity to compete and develop as an end. 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