Colorful costumes, loud cheers and crushed tortillas marked the start of San Francisco’s zany Bay to Breakers footrace Sunday as thousands of runners surged off the starting line in a flurry of dizzying forward motion.

Participants—dressed as everything from cowboys to hot dogs with condiments—hit the streets early, with some donning race-issued pink T-shirts featuring the city’s iconic Painted Ladies houses. Others went all out in cartoon, comic book or spotted cow costumes and helmets.

The runners surged off the starting line in a flurry of colorful fabric and loud cheering, pounding hundreds of tossed tortillas into the tarmac beneath their feet.

From morning and well into the afternoon, it was prime time for people-watching.

Cowboys blurred into groups in orange prison jumpsuits or screenshot-perfect Oompa Loompa uniforms, with distracting touches like a little fluorescent green tulle here or a pair of inflatable chickens there.

As is so often the case in any public and free event, a hardy few joined the yearly rite by insisting on their right to wear as little as possible, with a few minor exceptions made for spandex or skivvies or by accessorizing with baseball hats, head coverings and race-appropriate footwear. Others mostly kept it moving and took it all in stride.

In addition to the spirits some spent valuable race time surreptitiously sipping on or openly guzzling, others’ spirits seemed to soar ever higher as the morning’s low clouds began to burn off, and thousands of people powered westward along closed-off roadways, accepting cheers and the odd orange slice or two from generous onlookers.

Showers of blown bubbles drifted into the air along Fell Street and came down equally atop a costumed swarm of bees, a walking watermelon slice, a spotted-cow-onesie sporting competitor.

By the time many reached the finish line, stiff breezes flew the state and U.S. flags and seemed to put wind into the sails of runners who powered across with uplifted arms and jubilant shouts.

The Denver Broncos have a few players with expiring contracts after the 2024 season. While the Broncos should be in a better position as far as the salary cap goes, they won’t be able to keep everyone.

In the coming weeks, I’m going to examine some of the Broncos players who are in the final year of their contracts and might be under consideration for a new deal. While not everyone I will discuss will get extended, they’re the team’s top candidates for a multi-year deal.

For each player, I will look at the arguments for and against extending the player, then consider what may matter the most to the Broncos when it comes to an extension.

We’ll continue this series with left tackle Garett Bolles.

Bolles, a 2017 first-round pick, has become the most consistent performer on the Broncos’ offensive line since 2019. Though his first two seasons were rough, mainly because of penalties, he reduced those flags over time and improved as a pass protector, while remaining consistent as a quality run blocker.

Bolles suffered a broken leg in 2022 but came back with a quality season in 2023. While there had been rumors that he might be traded, it never came to pass and Bolles demonstrated he could still play well.

We have seen other cases of offensive tackle who have been able to play for many years, proving they’re deserving of a third contract. One need only look at somebody like Andrew Whitworth, who played at a high level, even getting Pro Bowl selections and All-Pro awards, well into his mid-30s.

While it’s true that somebody like Quinn Meinerz is younger, it’s not difficult to find offensive guards in the draft. But when you have a quality offensive tackle, he can be difficult to replace. It would be better to commit money to Bolles than to Meinerz.

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There is no guarantee that Bolles will continue to play well beyond 2024. While there are examples of offensive tackles who have played for multiple seasons at a high level, others have declined markedly once they hit their mid-30s.

Bolles may be a good offensive tackle but he’s not an elite player. There may be an argument for keeping an elite offensive tackle around but if said tackle is good but not elite, it won’t be as difficult to replace him.

Meinerz may not play a premium position but he is a younger player with more upside. It’s better to pay the younger player with upside than to play the older player who may be good, but whose decline could come at any moment.

Finally, there is no guarantee that the Broncos will be able to keep Bolles at a reasonable cost. The top offensive tackles average at least $20 million per year. Is that the amount the Broncos should pay to a player who will be 33 years old in 2025?

What leads to an extension likely depends on two factors: How many years the Broncos believe Bolles has left in the tank before his play declines and how much money he wants in a new contract.

Bolles could be in line to seek an extension similar to what Dion Dawkins got from the Buffalo Bills, who gave him a three-year, $60.02M deal through 2029. Though Dawkins had three years left on his previous contract, the amount committed may represent what Bolles would get in an extension.

With that said, the Broncos also have to ask themselves about an extension for Bolles compared to other players, particularly Meinerz. It’s possible the Broncos could keep both, of course, but for now, fans should operate under the assumption that one of Meinerz or Bolles could be extended while the other will be allowed to leave after 2024, and later replaced through the draft.

There’s only so much cash and cap space to go around, after all.

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BALTIMORE (AP) — Gunnar Henderson hit his major league-leading 15th home run, Ryan O’Hearn also went deep and Corbin Burnes notched 11 strikeouts to help the Baltimore Orioles beat the Seattle Mariners 6-3 Sunday.

Baltimore Orioles 6, Seattle Mariners 3: Box score

Henderson’s fifth leadoff homer of the season was the first of nine hits against George Kirby (4-4) in the deciding matchup of the three-game series. Henderson homered in each game while going 5 for 12 with two walks and five RBIs.

Burnes (4-2) allowed one run and seven hits in six innings to earn his first win in five starts since April 20. The 11 strikeouts matched his season high, set on opening day against the Angels.

Craig Kimbrel, who lost his job as Baltimore’s closer after a series of ineffective appearances, returned to the role and got three straight outs for his ninth save of the season and 426th of his career.

Luis Urías drove in two runs and Luke Raley had three hits for the Mariners, who fell behind 5-1 in the third inning and could not make up the deficit. Seattle had won eight of nine series dating back to April 15.

Luis and Julio bring home ✌️ pic.twitter.com/Va1MWj8Z4T

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) May 19, 2024

Kirby gave up five runs over six innings. He entered with a string of eight successive scoreless innings, a streak that abruptly ended when Henderson ripped a 1-2 pitch over the center-field wall.

It was 3-1 before O’Hearn led off the third with a drive to right, and Cedric Mullins added an RBI single later in the inning.

After the Mariners closed to 5-3, Mullins singled in a run off Cody Bolton in the eighth for a three-run cushion.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Mariners: INF Jorge Polanco (hamstring) missed a fifth straight game, and the team will decide whether to put him on the IL after arriving at Yankee Stadium on Monday for a four-game series. “We will probably make a decision when we get to New York,” manager Scott Servais said. “He is feeling better. That is why we are holding off as long as we can.” … SS J.P. Crawford (oblique) has been working out in Seattle after getting hit in the hand with a pitch during his rehab assignment. Servais said Crawford could join the team in New York.

Orioles: RF Anthony Santander sat out the game with a bruised left knee.

UP NEXT

Mariners: Logan Gilbert (3-2, 3.07 ERA) starts Monday night against the Yankees in a battle of division leaders.

Orioles: Dean Kremer (3-3, 3.72) helps Baltimore launch a three-game series in St. Louis on Monday night.

More on the Seattle Mariners

• Mariners Injury Updates: The latest on Polanco and Crawford
• Is Mariners’ Scott Servais a good manager? MLB insider explains
• Ranked: 5 Mariners who need to step up
• Rost on M’s: What we’ve learned a quarter through the season
• Seattle Mariners the ‘team to beat’ in AL West? Why that’s now the case