NEW ORLEANS - The New Orleans Pelicans and Louisiana-based Smoothie King have reached a 10-year agreement to rename the New Orleans Arena as the Smoothie King Center. Pelicans President Dennis Lauscha said such a deal had been a "gigantic" piece of owner Tom Bensons business plan since he bought the long-struggling small-market franchise from the NBA in the spring of 2012. "Finding a naming rights partner was key to the long-term financial viability of this franchise in this market," Lauscha said. Benson, who has owned the Saints since 1985, purchased citys NBA franchise — formerly called the Hornets — for $338 million and has consolidated the headquarters and many of the business operations of both clubs. The hope was that with the two franchises sharing resources and cross-promoting one another, the region could better support two major professional sports teams. Officials with both the club and Smoothie King declined to release financial terms of the deal, which also gives Smoothie King an option for a 10-year extension. Smoothie King owner Wan Kim said sponsoring an NBA arena in New Orleans helps his company demonstrate its commitment to the community where it is based while promoting its brand globally. Smoothie King, founded in suburban New Orleans in 1973, has 674 locations in 31 states and in Asia, and is looking to expand both nationally and overseas, Smoothie King President Tom OKeefe said. Of 30 NBA cities, 21 currently have Smoothie King franchises, he said. The arena is officially being renamed on Thursday, in time for next weeks NBA All-Star festivities in New Orleans. Kim, a native of South Korea who attended college and business school in the United States, bought the company in July 2012. He said he initially considered moving its headquarters to Atlanta or Dallas. "I started to realize a lot of people who live in New Orleans, for them, its very difficult to leave the city," Kim said. "Its a very different city. Its very unique, culturally, and I did start to see why people didnt want to move. "At the same time, I did feel our root is here and I shouldnt give up on that," Kim said. "Not only did we decide not to move out, but we are pretty much telling you (with the naming rights deal) that our group is here and we are sticking with it." As part of the agreement, Smoothie King will be airing commercials during Pelicans broadcasts, as well as sponsoring pregame and postgame segments. The companys smoothies will also be available at concession stands around the arena. Team officials said there were "two or three" other candidates for a naming rights deal, but that Smoothie Kings interests seemed most aligned with the Bensons goals of promoting the business climate in his home state. "Theres no more perfect story to say how businesses can root themselves in New Orleans and grow," said Rita Benson LeBlanc, Bensons granddaughter and a part owner of the Pelicans and Saints. She added that the agreement is "a testament to how New Orleans has recovered (from Hurricane Katrina) and how Louisiana is redefining itself as an economic development engine." The deal might have been completed before this season began, but because Smoothie King products contain nutritional supplements, NBA rules required that all of the companys products be tested to ensure there were no banned substances. LeBlanc said that process took about eight months. "We couldnt have any question as to what are the contents of the products that Smoothie King actually offers," LeBlanc said. Wholesale Washington Redskins Jerseys . They know how difficult it is to beat the San Antonio Spurs. 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NEW YORK -- Baseball writers could elect a quartet of players to the Hall of Fame for the first time in more than a half-century. Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Frank Thomas appeared to be on track to gain election from the Baseball Writers Association of America on Wednesday, and Craig Biggio could join them. The last time four players received the required 75 per cent was in 1955, when Joe DiMaggio, Gabby Hartnett, Ted Lyons and Dazzy Vance all got in. Surprisingly, it was the third ballot appearance for DiMaggio, who fell 81 votes short in 1953 and 14 shy the following year. When he announced his retirement in December 2008, Maddux wouldnt talk about the Hall. "I think theres a lot of good players in there," he said. "Dont really have any thoughts on it." Maddux could break the mark for highest percentage (98.84), set when in 1992 when Tom Seaver topped the record Ty Cobb set in 1936. "I just have just never come across any human being, whether theyre a voter or just a fan, that doesnt think Greg Maddux is a Hall of Famer and one of the greatest pitchers who ever pitched," The Boston Globes Nick Cafardo said Tuesday. "I cant imagine someone not voting for him. So I would guess that hes going to break Seavers record." Maddux is among three high-profile players on the BBWAA ballot for the first time, joined by his former Atlanta teammate Glavine and Thomas. Holdovers include Biggio, who topped voting at 68 per cent last year, 39 votes short of the 75 per cent needed for election. It was only the second time in four decades the BBWAA failed to elect anyone. Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, a former reporter for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, said Tuesday the only player he voted for was Jack Morris, on the writers ballot for the 15th and final time after falling 42 votes shy last year. "To me, I didnt exclude Maddux. I excluded everybody from that era, everybody from the Steroid Era," Gurnick said. "It wasnt about Greg Maddux, it was about the entire era. I just dont know who did and who didnt." Gurnick said Morris also was the only player he voted for in 2013 and added he intends to abstain in future elections. "SSome people quibble over when the era starts, but the bulk of his career was in my opinion well before all of the widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs," Gurnick said.dddddddddddd Given that 569 ballots were submitted in 2013, Maddux likely could be omitted from six this year and still break the record set by Seaver, who received 425 of 430 votes. Seaver was left off by Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News, Bob Hertzel of The Pittsburgh Press and freelance writer Bob Hunter. They all submitted blank ballots to protest the decision by the Hall of Fame board of directors to bar Pete Rose from the vote because of his lifetime ban from baseball following a gambling probe. Retired writers Deane McGowen and Bud Tucker also did not vote for Seaver. "If it had cost Seaver anything, yeah, I probably would regret it at some level, but it didnt really cost him anything," Hagen, now with MLB.com, said Tuesday. "He still got the highest vote (percentage) total ever, and he wouldnt have been unanimous anyway." The Steroids Era has impacted the vote totals of players with stellar statistics. In initial appearances last year, Mike Piazza was at 57.8 per cent, Roger Clemens at 37.6, Barry Bonds at 36.2 and Sammy Sosa at 12.5. Mark McGwire received 16.9 on his seventh try. The Baseball Think Factory website compiled votes by writers who made their opinions public, and with 194 ballots had Maddux at 99.5 per cent, followed by Glavine (95), Thomas (90) and Biggio (78). The websites count had Piazza (69), Morris (61) and Jeff Bagwell (58) falling short along with Tim Raines (54), Bonds (42), Clemens (41), Curt Schilling (37) and Mike Mussina (26). McGwire (11) and Sosa (8) had little support. Approximately 600 writers who have been members of the BBWAA for 10 consecutive years at any point considered the 36-player ballot. Next years ballot could be even more crowded when Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, John Smoltz, Carlos Delgado and Gary Sheffield become eligible, five years after their retirements. The BBWAA last month formed a committee to study whether the organization should ask the Hall to change the limit of 10 players per ballot. 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