Michele Roberts has watched basketball for as long as she can remember. Larry Bird Jersey . It was an easy choice growing up in a home with one TV and two older brothers. When she saw an interview last year with an NBA player and noticed how passionately he talked about trying to improve his embattled union, she wanted to be more than a fan. She wanted to be involved. Now the Washington trial lawyer is the first woman to lead a North American pro sports union. Roberts was elected Tuesday as executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, and shes eager to provide the leadership it needs after a few difficult years. "They were looking for, not a man, not a woman, they were looking for a personality," Roberts said in a phone interview. "I think Im that personality and I intend to be what I have been in my entire practice, singularly devoted to this union. And thats what they were looking for. "Someone, whether it be a boy or a girl, who understood that this was their union, and they intended to run it, and they were looking for someone who appreciated that and was not going to deviate from that." Roberts received 32 of 36 votes at a meeting of players in Las Vegas, defeating tech industry CEO Dean Garfield and Dallas Mavericks CEO Terdema Ussery in the final vote. It capped a long and arduous process to replace Billy Hunter, who was ousted in February 2013. Roberts was one of the finalists initially offered to the rank-and-file during All-Star weekend in February, but the process was re-opened under another search committee at the urging of some players and agents. More than 100 players reconvened in Las Vegas this week, and after some tense moments leading up to the vote, Roberts emerged as the winner. "Obviously, I wouldve preferred that it happen sooner rather than later, but I completely understood when there were questions raised about the process," Roberts said. "Frankly, I would not have wanted them to ignore those questions and not affirmatively address those concerns. I wanted the job in February, but I wanted the job where there would be no questions about the fairness or the process, so I completely endorsed the executive committee to address these questions, and they did and now best I can tell theyre very pleased." The players considered more than 300 candidates during their 17-month search before picking Roberts, who has been called the finest trial lawyer in Washington by "Washingtonian Magazine." She said her new job will feature straight, honest talk, just like she delivers to a jury, and the strategizing that made her such a successful lawyer. The search to replace Hunter, who led the NBPA from 1996 until a review of the union was critical of his business practices, leaves players with less than two years to prepare for the next potential collective bargaining talks. Either the union or the league can opt out of the current agreement in 2017. The union has struggled for years with in-fighting and a lack of organization, and the players took a significant cut in their guarantee of basketball-related income -- 57 per cent to about 50 per cent, a drop of hundreds of millions annually in salary costs -- in the contentious lockout in 2011. League revenues are on the rise, a new TV contract is set to be negotiated in 2016 and franchise valuations are skyrocketing. "As far as Im concerned, preparations for CBA negotiations started yesterday," Roberts said. "Its at the top of my list of things that Ive been instructed to begin the process of preparing for, and sure its a lot to do, but Ive never been shy about hard work and long hours, so well get it done. Well be ready." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver congratulated Roberts in a statement, saying he looked forward to working with her "to ensure the continued health and growth of our game." "The partnership between our players and teams is the backbone of the league, and we are eager to continue working with the Players Association to build this relationship," Silver said. The fallout from the lockout and the Hunter ouster left the union reeling. But it also made Roberts want to get involved, which will bring the New York native back home. "The more I thought about it," she said, "the more I thought that would be a great opportunity to do something really important." Gordon Hayward Jersey . Minutes after the previously winless Colts got their first win, 27-13 over Tennessee, team vice chairman Bill Polian said the four-time league MVP will not play this season though he has begun throwing to teammates at the team complex. Bill Russell Jersey . The visitors missed a host of good chances to win the game, and were left to rue substitute Ivo Ilicevics strike against the crossbar in the 86th minute, when he only had the goalkeeper to beat. http://www.authenticcelticsproshop.com/Marcus-Morris-Jersey/ . Brooks replaces right-hander Yordano Ventura, who left his last outing with a sore elbow. Ventura is expected to miss one start. Brooks has made one relief appearance for the Royals this season, allowing six runs in two innings in a May 3 loss to Detroit.Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - Not many players are successful in defending their title in golf tournaments. Ryan Moore joined that club on Sunday at the CIMB Classic thanks to some perfectly executed strategy. Moore entered the final round tied for the lead but quickly found himself two strokes behind playing partner Kevin Na. Na birdied three of the first four holes, while Moore had birdied the second. Moore inched within one as they headed to the back nine and the two were tied with five holes to play. At the driveable par-4 14th, Moore teed off first, and curiously choose to lay up off the tee. Na blasted his drive just over the green, but seemingly had the easier chance at birdie. It was Moore who made birdie, which helped him pull away from Na. Moore nearly holed his second as his approach shot landed within a foot of the hole just right of the cup and stopped about a foot away on the left side. Na, whose chip shot on the 14th ran well by the hole, failed to make his birdie putt and fell one behind when Moore kicked in his short birdie try. It was the perfect match play strategy, and that was how the final few holes were shaping up, a match play battle. On 14 there, Kevin hit a great drive that looked almost like a 2-putt for birdie and I had laid up, but that was my strategy all along. Thats where I was comfortable with that pin, and to hit a great wedge shot in there was a perfect, Moore explained. I laid up exactly where I needed to - perfect, full sand wedge (distance). Just couldnt have had a nicer shot and almost ended up making that one. The strategy for Moore was to put pressure on Nas chip and with his near- perfect approach shot, that is exactly what he did. Moore made it two in a row as he also birdied the 15th. After a bogey at 16, Moore stuffed his second shot at the 17th within a foot once again. That birdie pushed him four clear of Na, who made double-bogey at the 17th as his tee shot was never found right of the fairway. Reverting to a match play mind-set is easy for Moore, who had one of the great summers an amateur golfer can have in 2004. Among his match play victories that summer were the U.S. Amateur Championship, the U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship and the Western Amateur Championship. He was the first player ever to win the U.S. Amateur and Public Links in the same summer. The mind-set in match play is to put pressure on your opponent. Moore executed his plan too precision on Sunday. Red Auerbach Jersey. Maybe hell get a chance to do the same one day at the Presidents Cup or Ryder Cup. RARE FINISH ON THE LPGA It is a rare occurrence when the top-three players in the world rankings are playing in the same event. It is an even rarer occurrence when they finish 1-2-3 on the leaderboard. On the PGA Tour, you might see the top three together at 11 events a year - four majors, three World Golf Championship and four FedExCup playoff events - but not many more than that. The current top three in the mens world rankings have played 11 events together this season, though not the aforementioned 11. The top-three ranked LPGA Tour players - Inbee Park, Stacy Lewis and Lydia Ko - have been among the top three spots in the world rankings most of the season. There are no WGCs on the LPGA and no playoffs, either, but there are five majors. The five majors were among the 16 times those three players have played the same event this year. However, the Fubon LPGA Taiwan Championship was the first time this season they finished first, second and third on the leaderboard. Park, Lewis and Ko have all had such stellar seasons. In the 16 events they have all played in, the trio have all finished in the top 10 at five events. The closest they had been to finishing 1-2-3 was at the Swinging Skirts LPGA Classic, where Ko won, Lewis finished second and Park tied for third. Being among the top finishers every week helps, too. Lewis, Park and Ko are first, second and tied for third among top-10 finishes on the LPGA Tour this year. Lewis is the old lady of the group at the ripe of age of 29. That means the LPGA Tour is in good hands for many years to come. MINI-TIDBITS - According to a Golf Channel report, members of this years losing U.S. Ryder Cup team have contacted Fred Couples to ask him to be the next captain. Couples has gone 3-0 as the Presidents Cup captain and is a past major champion. He fits the old criteria the PGA of America used to look for in its captains, so well see if this happens. Truthfully, there is no reason it shouldnt happen. - Miguel Angel Jimenez had a Tin Cup-like moment this past weekend at the BMW Masters. The Spaniard rinsed four shots in the water on the par-4 ninth. Jimenez posted a 9-over 13 on that hole en route to a 16-over 88 in the final round. He did win three times earlier this year, twice on the European Tour and once on the Champions Tour. Wholesale Authentic Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2018 Cheap Jerseys Store NFL Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys Wholesale China Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Jerseys From China ' ' '