NEW YORK -- Bud Selig took over a sport with $1. Nike Air Max On Sale Cheap .7 billion in revenue, four teams in each years post-season, economic disparity among the clubs and a fixation on sticking with traditions that dated to the 19th century. After a decade of maintaining his departure was imminent, the 79-year-old baseball commissioner put his exit plans in writing Thursday and said in a statement he will retire in January 2015 after 22 years -- the second-longest term behind Kenesaw Mountain Landis. His revolutionary reign produced an $8 billion industry, interleague play, an expanded post-season and two decades of labour peace. But, he also presided over a cancelled World Series and long-running drug scandal. "Hes been the voice of baseball. Some people liked his voice. Some people didnt," Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I have a lot of respect for the guy." Selig has been a bit of the Boy Who Cried Wolf in the past when it came to his retirement. He said in 2003 that he would step down at the end of 2006 but has repeatedly accepted new contracts. Some owners -- even his wife -- had been skeptical in the past that he really would quit, but this marked the first time he issued a formal statement that he will give up the sports top job. He even gave an exact date: Jan. 24, 2015. "I look forward to continuing its extraordinary growth and addressing several significant issues during the remainder of my term," he said. Seligs length of service and impact on his sport matches those of Pete Rozelle, the NFL commissioner from 1960-89, and David Stern, who is stepping down in February after 30 years as NBA commissioner. Selig said he will soon announce a transition plan that will include a reorganization of central baseball management. Rob Manfred, baseballs chief labour negotiator, has gained increased influence in recent years, but its not clear whether Seligs successor will come from within the commissioners office. Many had speculated Selig wanted to surpass the term of Landis, who served from November 1920 to November 1944. Perhaps the biggest mark on Seligs tenure was the prevalence of performance-enhancing drugs. Management didnt have a drug agreement with its players from October 1985 until August 2002, and drug testing with penalties didnt start until 2004. Selig has repeatedly defended his record, saying baseball acted as fast as it could in a matter that was subject to bargaining with players. "The game has grown under him tremendously. Hes made every effort to try to clean the game up," New York Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. "Hes left his mark on the game. Theres no doubt about it." Seligs tenure also included splitting each league into three divisions instead of two in 1995, when wild cards and an additional round of playoffs were added. Wild cards doubled to four last year, when the post-season stretched to four rounds. Expansion teams in Arizona and Tampa Bay started play in 1998, raising the major league total to 30. Interleague play began in 1997 along with revenue sharing, which allowed the smaller-market clubs a better chance to compete. Jackie Robinsons No. 42 was retired by Selig for all of MLB that same year, and other initiatives followed. Major League Baseball Advanced Media launched in 2000, the World Baseball Classic in 2006, limited video review of umpires calls in 2008 and the Major League Baseball Network in 2009. Owners have repeatedly praised his financial stewardship, which has led to record franchise values as shown by the $2 billion sale of the Los Angeles Dodgers last year. The average player salary has tripled under his tenure to more than $3 million. Seligs critics said he moved cautiously -- a characterization even he sometimes agreed with. Running baseball from his longtime home in Milwaukee, he worked to build consensus rather than dictate to owners in the manner of Peter Ueberroth. Selig used a grandfatherly charm to get what he wanted. "Everythings been a success overall," Toronto general manager Alex Anthopoulos said. "Youre going to have your detractors, that goes without saying." Selig became a baseball fan when his mother took him to games as a child. Working in the family auto-leasing business, he became a minority investor in the Milwaukee Braves and tried to stop the teams move to Atlanta for the 1966 season. As a stopgap measure, he arranged for the Chicago White Sox to play nine regular-season games at Milwaukee in 1968 and 11 the following year. Just before the 1970 season, he bought the Seattle Pilots in bankruptcy court, moved the franchise to Milwaukee and renamed it the Brewers. Mentored by Detroit Tigers owner John Fetzer, Selig became a leading owner by the early 1980s in his role as chairman of the Player Relations Committee, which determined labour policy. He was part of the group that wanted major changes in the sports lab contract with players and forced the resignation of Fay Vincent, who had been in office for three years. Selig took over as acting commissioner on Sept. 9, 1992, in his role as chairman of the executive council. While he presided over a 7 1/2-month strike in 1994-95 that led to the cancellation of the World Series for the first time in 90 years, following eight straight work stoppages owners and players reached agreements without interruption in 2002, 2006 and 2011. Although Selig repeatedly said he would not take the job full time, he was formally elected commissioner July 9, 1998. He turned running the Brewers over to daughter Wendy Selig-Prieb, but the Selig family did not sell the franchise until 2005. Selig agreed to a new contract as commissioner in 2001. He first announced his planned retirement in 2003, telling a group from Associated Press Sports Editors he would leave in 2006. "For a guy who took it in Sept. 9, 1992, and I told my wife it was two-to-four months -- 14 years later ... I think that will be enough. Theres no question, because there are other things I really would like to do." Asked again if this was his final term, Selig responded; "Oh, theres no question." He then agreed to new contracts in 2004, 2008 and 2012. Selig has said he wants to write a book. He has taught at the University of Wisconsin and Marquettes law school. "We look forward to working with the commissioner over the next 15 months," union head Michael Weiner said in a statement. "Then, we hope the commissioner enjoys his retirement and wish him well." Wholesale Air Max Australia .C. -- Steve Spurrier was much happier about South Carolinas improved performance than about his lastest career milestone. Cheap Nike Air Max Australia . Colton Sissons also scored for Milwaukee (19-12-8), which went ahead with a two-goal third period. Wade MacLeod and Greg McKegg replied for Toronto (23-12-4). http://www.wholesaleaustraliaairmax.com/ . Erik Cole scored on a breakaway with 4:49 to play, and the Stars rallied to defeat the Minnesota Wild 4-3 on Saturday night. INDIANAPOLIS -- The Wizards were tired of getting shoved around in the Eastern Conference semifinals. So on Tuesday night, Marcin Gortat and his teammates pushed back hard. Gortat delivered the best playoff game of his career, 31 points and 16 rebounds, and John Wall scored a playoff-best 27 points as Washington routed the Indiana Pacers 102-79 to cut the Eastern Conference semifinals deficit to 3-2. "We dont have anything to lose now," Gortat said. "We play desperate. At the end of the day, we might lose. We have to play every minute of every game like its the last one of the season." The Wizards made a stunning turnaround after losing three straight, two on their home court in incredibly demoralizing fashion. Washington scored a franchise-low 63 points in Game 3 and then blew a 19-point, second-half lead in Game 4. Washington refused to let it happen again this time, earning a trip home for Game 6 on Thursday. The difference was obvious. Wall broke free, Gortat dominated the middle and the motivated Wizards were simply overwhelming inside with a 62-23 rebounding edge. Gortat produced more points and rebounds in 36 minutes than he had in the previous two games combined (six points and 13 rebounds). He was 13 of 15 from the field, 5 of 7 from the free-throw line, tied his career-best point total and finished with playoff career bests for points and rebounds. "I was a decoy in Game 3 and Game 4," the 30-year-old Polish native said. "(Tuesday) was the time for me to perform. At some point in the second half, it was just fun to be in the game." Wall seemed to enjoy himself, too. The much more aggressive point guard went 11 of 20 from the field and 3 of 6 on 3s, finishing with five rebounds, five assists and five turnovers as he sliced through the Pacers defence. "They didnt stop me from being aggressive on both ends," Wall said. "But the biggest thing was just the way we played in the third quarter. They outscored us by like 40 in the other four games, so the third quarter was big for us tonight." The 31-14 disparity during those 12 minutes completely changed the game, putting talk about the presumed conference finals rematch between Indiana and two-time defending NBA champ Miami temporarily on hoold. Nike Air Max Wholesale Australia. One possible explanation for what happened to the Pacers was fatigue. Four of Indianas five starters played at least 39 minutes in Game 4. Coach Frank Vogel was concerned enough that he gave the Pacers a day off Monday. David West led Indiana with 17 points and six rebounds, but Paul George struggled after playing 46 minutes in Game 4. He was 5 of 15 from the field with 15 points, one rebound, two assists and four turnovers. But the problems went much deeper that weariness. West was only the starter to grab more than two rebounds, Washington held Indiana to 39 per cent shooting and they continually beat the Pacers to loose balls. This was not what Indiana expected. "We didnt show up to play. I dont know if we just thought we were going to come in here and these guys were going to roll over or what. They just played at a different level than we did all night," West said after Indianas second-worst home playoff loss in its NBA history. "Its a tough situation. We have to be able to handle these moments. We had no zip. We have to play. If we want this series, we have to take it." Washington was the team doing that Tuesday. The Wizards used a 15-6 run to close the half, turning a 32-30 deficit into a 45-38 lead. In the disastrous third quarter, Indiana was outrebounded 18-4 and the Wizards made them pay time after time. Washingtons 6-0 run extended the lead to 11, a 9-2 spurt pushed the margin to 60-45, and when the Wizards closed the third on a 10-3 charge, it was 76-52. Washington led by as much as 30 in the fourth, and the Pacers didnt even start cutting into the deficit until Vogel pulled his starters midway through the quarter. "Theyre not ready to go home," coach Randy Wittman said. "It said 3-1, which doesnt sound very good, but in our minds, were very close to it being something else. They dont want this (season) to end." Notes: Washington is 5-1 on the road and 1-3 at home in this years playoffs. ... Indianas worst home playoff loss came April 30, 2005 when Boston won 110-79. ... The Wizards have won two of their last three in Indy despite coming into the series with 12 consecutive losses at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. ... Indianas 23 rebounds were a franchise low in the playoffs. Authentic Nike Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Tennessee Titans Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Washington Redskins Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Arizona Cardinals Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Denver Broncos Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Green Bay Packers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Los Angeles Chargers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike New England Patriots Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Oakland Raiders Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Seattle Seahawks Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Carolina Panthers Jerseys Cheap Authentic Nike Cleveland Browns Jerseys Cheap Cheap Throwback Baseball Arizona Diamondbacks Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Atlanta Braves Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Baltimore Orioles Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Boston Red Sox Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Chicago Cubs Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Chicago White Sox Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Cincinnati Reds Jerseys Cheap Throwback Baseball Cleveland Indians Jerseys ' ' '