s all contributing to more possessions, which equals more offense.What shes most proud of from a cultural standpoint is that young female players now have so many women role models to follow.When you ask a player who she wants to be like, Brown said, its great to hear them say someone like Diana Taura

TORONTO -- Dario Franchitti was delighted after winning yet another pole at the Honda Indy Toronto. That didnt ease his anxiety about what will be an unusual start to the race. Franchitti led qualifying for the second straight year Friday, marking the fifth time he will start first at the race as he chases a fourth career win at Exhibition Place. But winning Saturdays 85-lap race, the first of weekend doubleheader, will mean surviving IndyCars first standing start since 2008. Several drivers expressed anxiety about the change, which is different from the rolling starts drivers are used to. Just being on pole isnt calming Franchittis nerves. "If you stall, youre screwed anyway," said Franchitti. "But were starting in the right place, I would say." Franchitti, who led qualifying with a lap of 59.6756 seconds on the 1.75-mile street track, previously won the event in 1999, 2009 and 2011. Hell start ahead of Sebastien Bourdais, who won Toronto in 2004 and was second in qualifying with a lap of 59.7701. Will Power starts third. "It feels good to get our third pole of the year," said Franchitti, who opened the day by popping his front tire after brushing the wall during practice. "I made it difficult this morning, I made a little mistake at Turn 5 there, took the right side off the car so the guys had to repair the car. "But the Target car was good ... I was able to find it a little bit every lap." It was a disappointing day for Canadian drivers. James Hinchcliffe of Oakville, Ont., just missed out advancing past the first round of qualifying and will start 14th. Alex Tagliani of Lachenaie, Que., who also failed to get past the first round, starts 17th. "This is certainly not the way we wanted qualifying to go," said Hinchcliffe, who will get another shot Saturday morning during qualifying for Sundays race. "I feel bad for all the fans here. (They) deserved better than that, but well put our heads down tomorrow. Its a long race, and I know well have a good car." Concern and confusion over the standing start dominated what should have been relief among the top qualifiers. Tony Kanaan, who qualified fourth, was surprised to find out the standing start -- wherein cars begin the race from a stationary position on the grid and is best known for its use in Formula One -- was scheduled for Saturday. The popular Brazilian said he hadnt participated in the format since 1993. Hes not a fan. "Because IndyCar for me, its always been about rolling starts," said Kanaan. "Were talking about tradition and stuff. Maybe tomorrow Ill end up in the end of the race saying I love it. Thats just because of the tradition. Thats my preference. "Im not against it. Its just you guys asked my opinion. I said I dont like it." The regular rolling start returns Sunday. Franchittis last standing start didnt go so well. He was participating in the Australian V8 Supercar championship in 2010 when he crashed into the first turn with Power. Jacques Villeneuve of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., spun and clouded the grid in smoke, and Franchitti reversed right into current teammate Scott Dixon. "Hopefully tomorrows standing start goes a bit smoother than that," quipped Franchitti. Not likely. The first turn, which Franchitti said couldnt be more slippery, and the hairpin at Turn 3 proved difficult for drivers throughout the day. Power said he was lucky to finish third after running into a tire wall in practice then struggling to keep pace through qualifying. "Very difficult out there. The car, bloody hard to find a balance around this place. Track keeps getting worse every year," he said to laughter. "The cement in the middle of the corners gets more slippery and its quite bumpy. Makes for a bit of character, you could say. Ring the cars neck to get some lap times." Series champion Ryan Hunter-Reay, who won Toronto last year, will start sixth behind Dixon and just ahead of points leader Helio Castroneves. Hunter-Reay had the poor luck of being just outside of qualifying in Round 2 when Takuma Sato crashed into a wheel barrier and effectively ended the round. Its the second time this week Sato has inadvertently got in Hunter-Reays way. Sato ran into the Andretti Autosport driver in pitlane at Pocono on Sunday, ending the race for both drivers and injuring Hunter-Reays thumb. "Id like to thank Sato for knocking us out of the session again today," said Hunter-Reay. "Its unfortunate, but well be fighting again tomorrow, well be fighting again Sunday." Notes: James Jakes, who qualified fifth, will start 15th after incurring a 10-spot grid penalty with an unapproved engine change after Pocono. ... Newly acquired Toronto Maple Leafs Dave Bolland and David Clarkson will serve as grand marshals for the pair of races. ... 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Rose tore the meniscus in his right knee at Portland in November and was ruled out for the remainder of the season by the Bulls.Renee Brown recalls getting her job with the new WNBA in 1996 and almost immediately hopping on a plane for Europe to sign up players for the leagues 1997 launch. She has some funny stories of tracking down people in those olden days before everyone was constantly accessible by cell phone.Brown, the leagues chief of basketball operations and player relations, knows the history of the WNBA because she lived at the epicenter of it. Now, after 20 years, Brown is leaving the league, and its important to both applaud her contributions and also think about what qualities the WNBA should look for in her replacement.The timing is perfect for me, Brown said Tuesday in regard to ending her tenure after the WNBAs 20th anniversary season. She started as director of player personnel, and then her duties expanded. In 2005, the title of chief of basketball operations was added. Brown also has had a longtime association with USA Basketball, including as a coach with the 1996 Olympic team.As congenial as she is, Brown doesnt often share much in-depth with the media. When asked Tuesday some of the bigger challenges she has faced in her time with the WNBA, Brown didnt offer any insight.Nothing, really, she said. Its all been so enjoyable for me to go to games, watch players get drafted, be a part of USA Basketball. Running camps and clinics for young people. Ive been very, very blessed.Brown also didnt give specifics on what she planned to do next. She said she wanted to stay involved in womens sports and womens empowerment, and would leave her options open. For now, though, she said her entire focus is on the on-going WNBA playoffs.This is all understandable; Brown doesnt want to talk about anything that might detract from whats happening on court. But this year has been one of transition for the WNBAs leadership: Lisa Borders became president in February, and former Phoenix Suns/Mercury executive Jay Parry was named senior vice president/chief operating officer in April. Now a new person will be taking over Browns high-ranking spot.Brown said she will help in the search for her replacement. As for what qualities are most needed, Brown said it depends on how the job will be defined going forward.Ill have to take Lisas lead in regard to what does she want in this role, Brown said. But I think the main part of it is theyve got to be passionate about wanting to help improve and continue the success of our league.Again, this is vague. But to some degree the WNBAs upper management always has had an element of vague to it. If you ask around the WNBA teams, youll find that communication between the league office and each franchise isnt always clear, or even frequent enough. Brown has worked many years at trying to fill in those gaps, but she also has had to wear multiple hats.The areas that Brown oversaw are things that, in the NBA, might be split among a few different people. Of course, the NBA is a much bigger industry, with 30 teams as opposed to 12. Its doubtful that the WNBA front office will be expanding soon, so knowing how much there is to do in Browns job impacts the kind of candidates the WNBA should interview.It has to be someone who works very well and is trusted by Borders, but who also develops a strong relationship with each of the 12 franchises. And be someone whom the plaayers, their union, and their agents feel they can talk to as well.ddddddddddddeah, thats a lot to do. Which means a multitasker with great people skills who is also not afraid of confrontation and mediation. It also should be someone who is already familiar with the WNBA and can take the handoff from Brown and hit the ground running. As opposed to spending a year or two just figuring out stuff that everybody whos in or around the WNBA already knows.Brown didnt talk about the challenges, but theyre not a mystery. They include scheduling/travel, balancing the demands of players overseas careers, and dealing with how the franchises are run differently.The latter is true in any professional league; there are always teams that have better ownership and management than others. But there is also a standard that leagues try to enforce with all their teams.The WNBA has some teams that are affiliated with NBA teams, and some that arent. There can be pluses and negatives to both. Teams have different housing/practice facility situations. Some teams have longtime pros in media, community relations and ticket sales, while others have more of a revolving door in those roles.Thats not to suggest theres any magic wand or mandate from above that will easily equalize everything. But Brown surely has had to deal with the specific concerns that each franchise has, and thats a crucial ongoing task for her replacement.Due diligence in hiring for this job would include talking to retired players, including recent retirees such as Tamika Catchings. Also to people like Dan Hughes and Lin Dunn, who had experience in both coaching and in the front office in pro basketball. Get insight from people still in the league and those who have stepped away.Brown was asked about the changes in the WNBA that have happened in her tenure in regard to the product put on the court, which I think is now consistently very good.She pointed to things such as the 8-second back-court violation, the 24-second shot clock, and the reset to 14 seconds after an offensive rebound as all contributing to more possessions, which equals more offense.What shes most proud of from a cultural standpoint is that young female players now have so many women role models to follow.When you ask a player who she wants to be like, Brown said, its great to hear them say someone like Diana Taurasi or Lisa Leslie or Maya Moore. It warms my heart and is very meaningful to me.Brown is from Henderson, Nevada. She played at UNLV, then got into officiating, and then became a coach, starting at the junior high level. When she looks back on how her path led to the WNBA, she feels like it was serendipitous. She recalls getting involved in USA Basketball just by going to a practice in Colorado Springs run by current Rutgers coach C. Vivian Stringer, and waiting to talk with her.Ive been fortunate that every step along the way has been a step of growth and opportunity, Brown said. So much of my career came from people recognizing my love of the game.That love has been a guiding force in the WNBA. As the league starts its next chapter, it needs someone with the same commitment to keep building on what Brown has done. ' ' '