NEW YORK -- Renee Brown has been at the WNBA since its inception. Twenty years after joining the league, the WNBAs chief of basketball operations and player relations is stepping down this month.Its probably one of the most difficult decisions I made in my life, Brown told The Associated Press in a phone interview Monday. I love the WNBA and was fortunate 20 years ago that Val [Ackerman], David [Stern], Russ [Granik] and Adam [Silver] allowed me to come in at the start of this league. Walking away, its sad but yet joyful at the same time.Brown is one of a handful of people who have remained involved in the league since its beginning in 1997.Twenty years in, people didnt think wed be here, Brown said. I knew we would be. Its been fun watching the talent grow. I think the WNBA has been in great shape from the minute we came here. A lot to do with what the NBA gives the WNBA. From the beginning, I was very confident once the NBA allowed us to put the W in front of its name, wed be well taken care of.In her current role and through her work with the WNBAs competition committee, Brown has directly influenced how the game is played. This season, teams set records for points per game, field goals made and attempted, field goal percentage, free throws made, free throw percentage, and assists.Brown has also been involved with USA Basketball since 1996. She has served on its board of directors and chaired the selection committee of the senior national team.Renee has selflessly served USA Basketball as a coach, committee member and passionate supporter, said Carol Callan, director of womens basketball for USA Basketball. She first served as an assistant coach during the historic 1995-96 USA national teams yearlong preparation for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.The U.S. hasnt lost in the Olympics since Brown got involved, winning six consecutive gold medals.Any time I put on a USA T-shirt or a sweatshirt, I put it on with so much pride recognizing were all representing our country, she said.Brown said she let WNBA president Lisa Borders know of her decision at the start of this season.Renees contributions to the WNBAs growth have been immeasurable, Borders said. It has been a pleasure working alongside her during this landmark season, and I will continue to rely on her expertise. She will always be part of the WNBA family.Brown said she will continue to be involved in basketball, joining the Jr. NBA Leadership Council. The Nevada native plans to stay in New York for now.My goal is to stay in New York and look for other opportunities involved in the game, sports or women empowerment, Brown said. Take the skills Ive learned here and use them somewhere else. Its an exciting time for me. I thought Id be here three to four years. Twenty years later, Im here and its been great. Im looking forward to my next journey. Air Jordan Outlet . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. Jordan China .com) - Christian Ponder will get another chance to prove himself for the Minnesota Vikings, with head coach Leslie Frazier announcing Wednesday that the struggling quarterback will start this weekends game against the Green Bay Packers. https://www.jordanchina.us/ . Carey Price didnt, but he still came out on top against one of his rivals for the No. 1 job at the Sochi Games. The Anahim Lake, B.C., native was stellar in making 39 saves in his home province and Lars Eller got credit for a bizarre short-handed winner as the Canadiens defeated the Canucks 4-1. Air Jordan Discount . Arsenal failed to take full advantage of its main rivals stumbles on Saturday as substitute Gerard Deulofeu levelled with a hard shot from a tight angle in the 84th minute to give Everton a deserved point. Ahead of a crucial fortnight that will see them play against Napoli in the Champions League, Manchester City and Chelsea, Arsenal leads by five points ahead of Liverpool and Chelsea. Clearance Air Jordan Store . Roman Josi had a goal and an assist to lead the Predators to a 4-1 victory over the Dallas Stars on Monday night. CHICAGO -- For the first time in four years, the American League representative at the World Series had to play its designated hitter, Carlos Santana, in left field Friday night. But commissioner Rob Manfred said he is not in favor of playing the World Series under a single set of rules in future years.I think the problem is picking what that one set of rules is, Manfred told ESPN.com, following Friday nights presentation of the Roberto Clemente Award.The National League plays without a DH all year. Their team is built to play without a DH. Its the opposite in the American League. And I think the competitive ramifications of picking a single set of rules would be significant.Both teams have to adjust. Each of them has to adjust at some point in the series. And given that we play the game two different ways during the year, that makes some sense to me.While the commissioner has expressed an openness to changing the game in many other ways, he has consistently said he is in favor of keeping the DH rule. So he doesnt believe in changing that, even though having different sets of rules presents a major impact on baseballs most important games of the year.Honestly, I remain of the view that the principal value of the difference in rules is the conversation that it generates, Manfred said. Even in a week where we have two unbelievable story lines [involving each team], most of the last 24 hours have been consumed by conversations about the designated hitter. And when people are talking about the game, I think thats a good thing for the game.Indians manager Terry Francona admits he is biaseed, but he believes American League teams are penalized by the inability to use their best lineups.ddddddddddddI dont think it makes it a bad game, he said before Game 3. I just dont necessarily agree with this. I just think you set your team up the way you set it up, and then you get to the most important games and youre doing something different.Cubs skipper Joe Maddon, a former manager for the ALs Tampa Bay Rays for nine years, told the Chicago Tribune in September hed prefer the MLB move to eradicate the DH as opposed to including the DH in the National League.Its a better game, a more interesting game, Maddon said. If you want to teach the game to young people trying to understand and learn our game and are really into the nuances, the NL game is a lot more of that.Now having had a chance to do both, theres no comparison with these two games.?Manfred understands that the risks the Indians had to take in playing Santana in the outfield gave more ripple effects than an ordinary DH-rule conversation.But I also believe that unless youre going to play by a single set of rules all year long, theres no way you can take the World Series and say were going to use the American League rules or were going to use the National League rules, because somebody is disadvantaged, he said. Both teams -- the National League team when theyre in the American League park and the American League team when theyre here in the National League park -- have to make an adjustment. ' ' '