BOSTON -- John Farrell sat in the visitors dugout at Fenway Park as talk intensified that he might be working in the other dugout next year. . The Toronto manager looked up at two dozen reporters a month ago and told them that as Bostons pitching coach for four years under Terry Francona he learned an important lesson: think of the players first in making managerial decisions. If you do that, he said, "you probably are guided in the right direction to do the right thing." Since that session before the opener of the Blue Jays three-game sweep of the Red Sox, Bobby Valentine has been fired as Bostons manager and Farrell has emerged as the leading candidate to take over. But he has a year left on his contract and the Red Sox would have to discuss compensation with the Blue Jays to make him available. Valentine didnt always make the players his top priority before he was fired on Thursday after going 69-93 in his only season, Bostons worst record in nearly 50 years. He said in April that Kevin Youkilis wasnt as physically or emotionally into the game as he had been, kept Jon Lester in a game long enough to allow 11 runs and said as the miserable season kept getting worse that the Red Sox had "the weakest roster weve ever had in September in the history of baseball." Valentines predecessor, Francona, rarely criticized players in public. Management likely is looking for the same from Valentines successor. Thats not the only difference in this years managerial search from last years, when Valentine wasnt hired until Dec. 1. That was 64 days after Bostons last game and 62 after Francona was let go. "Id prefer to have it done in less time," general manager Ben Cherington said of the current search, but its more important to get the right person. The Red Sox likely will look for a person with different attributes this time than they did during last years search, especially with a younger roster after the team traded high-priced, underperforming veterans Josh Beckett, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford to the Los Angeles Dodgers in August. "The team is in a different point than it was last year when we hired Bobby," Cherington said. "The roster was fairly mature and we felt, mistakenly in retrospect, but we felt at the time, that we had a chance to win and the team was ready to win and were now at a different point." But he refuted the suggestion that the Red Sox arent ready to win next season. "To be elite again we needed to make more than cosmetic changes," Cherington said. "So now were very early in the process of doing that and were going to work our tails off to put the best team we can out there in 2013 and build the next great Red Sox team. We dont know exactly when that will come to fruition." Others who could be candidates for the job are Cleveland interim manager Sandy Alomar Jr., Detroit third-base coach Gene Lamont and Toronto first-base coach Torey Lovullo, a former manager of the Red Sox Triple-A team at Pawtucket. All were interviewed by the Red Sox last year before Valentine was hired. Boston bench coach Tim Bogar and Baltimore third-base coach DeMarlo Hale, Franconas former bench coach, also could be considered. The Red Sox wanted to talk with Farrell last year but were rebuffed. The Blue Jays may be more willing after his second losing season in his two years in Toronto. Farrell was Bostons pitching coach from 2007, when the Red Sox won the World Series, to 2010 and helped Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz develop into productive pitchers. Hes also familiar with many veterans and minor leaguers in the Red Sox system. And, as Clevelands director of player development from November 2001 to the end of the 2006 season, he worked with current Boston assistant general manager Mike Hazen, who held scouting and player development positions with the Indians from 2001 to 2005. Farrell also worked with many current members of Red Sox management. "Not only are they professional colleagues, on some level they became personal friends and we had success," he said on Sept. 7 as he sat in the third-base dugout. "We shared a lot of challenges along the way." That familiarity would make him a much safer choice than Valentine. Cherington preferred Dale Sveum, who ended up as manager of the Chicago Cubs. Red Sox president Larry Lucchino, a strong backer of Valentine when he was hired, said on Thursday, "as well as you may know someone casually or through the interview process, you get to know them better when you have a full season together. So, of course, (there were) some surprises, positive and negative surprises." The Red Sox would like fewer surprises and more stability from their next manager. "I dont think theres a certain resume or background" necessary, Cherington said. "These jobs bring all sorts of challenges. Theres a person whos right for the Red Sox job in 2013 who isnt right for another teams job or who might not have been right for our job last year or the year before." Farrell may be the right person this time, if the Blue Jays let him go to a team with a larger and more demanding group of fans and media contingent. "Having worked in Boston," he said a month ago, "theres a tremendous fan base that is very passionate. The expectations are always very high, but, as a competitor, thats what you aspire to do." [url=http://www.falconsofficialteamstore.com/autographed-steven-jackson-jersey-h... Jackson Falcons Jersey . "Prior to my professional bout at UFC 150 in Denver, Colorado, I used a substance prohibited by Colorado Boxing Commission rules," the 33-year-old American said Friday in a statement released by his management group. . The 32-year-old Shoppach is hitting .250 with five homers, 12 doubles and 17 RBIs in 48 games this year. He was signed by Boston as a free agent last December after spending the previous two season with Tampa Bay. [url=http://www.falconsofficialteamstore.com/autographed-sean-weatherspoon-jerse... . -- Will Power has won the pole in Sonoma for the third straight year, putting the IndyCar points leader in prime position to go for his third consecutive victory at the track. [url=http://www.falconsofficialteamstore.com/autographed-stephen-nicholas-jersey... Nicholas Jersey .C., and Zhaio Kai Pang of Burnaby, B.C., wont soon forget the bronze medal they won on Saturday at the fourth stop on the ISU Junior Grand Prix figure skating circuit. . Cleveland has been awaiting a second meeting with Kelly, the Ducks offensive mastermind, on Saturday to hopefully complete a deal to make him the Browns sixth fulltime coach since 1999. LOS ANGELES -- Clayton Kershaw outpitched Ian Kennedy after exchanging brushback pitches with his fellow ace, leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to a 3-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night without injured star Matt Kemp. The Dodgers centre fielder was placed on the 15-day disabled list following the game because of a strained left hamstring. Kemp had played 399 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the majors. Andre Ethier homered in Kemps absence as the Dodgers won their fifth straight. Kemp missed his first game since Aug. 18, 2009. Third baseman Juan Uribe, who was in manager Don Mattinglys original lineup, also was placed on the 15-day disabled list because of an injury to his left wrist. Kershaw (3-1) scattered four hits over seven innings, struck out six and walked three, helping the Dodgers improve the best record in the majors to 24-11. The reigning NL Cy Young winner bounced back from winless starts against Colorado and San Francisco in which he gave up four home runs. Josh Lindblom gave up a home run to Aaron Hill in the eighth inning and Kenley Jansen pitched a perfect ninth for his fourth save in five attempts. Kemp was replaced in centre by Tony Gwynn Jr., who prevented a run in the third inning with a perfect one-hop throw to A.J. Ellis after A.J. Pollack tried to score from second base on a single to right-centre by Willie Bloomquist. In Sundays win over Colorado, Gwynn shifted from left field to centre after Kemp aggravated his hamstring injury while robbing Carlos Gonzalez with a diving backhanded catch in left-centre. Kennedy (3-3) was charged with three runs -- two earned -- and six hits in six innings, after going 12-0 with a 2.28 ERA in his previous 17 starts against NL West opponents. The right-hander, coming off back-to-back losses against Washington and St. [url=http://www.falconsofficialteamstore.com/autographed-jacquizz-rodgers-jersey... Rodgers Womens Jersey. Louis, has lost three straight starts for the first time since June 15-July 5, 2010, when he lost four in a row while allowing 20 earned runs over a span of 23 2-3 innings. The Dodgers scored their first run when Dee Gordon led off the first inning with a single, advanced two bases on Kennedys errant pickoff throw and scored on Mark Ellis groundout. In the sixth, Ethier drove a 2-1 pitch deep into the right field pavilion for his eighth homer and Adam Kennedy made it 3-0 with a sacrifice fly three batters later. Kershaw faced the Diamondbacks for the first time since his 3-2 victory on Sept. 14 at Dodger Stadium, when he was ejected by umpire Bill Welke for hitting Gerardo Parra with a pitch on the right elbow after Parra doubled his previous time up. One night earlier, Parra had taken an extra second or two to leave the batters box on his tying home run against Hong-Chih Kuo, who had thrown an earlier pitch at his head. On Monday night, Kennedy threw a 2-1 pitch behind Kershaw and to the backstop before walking him. Kershaw returned the favour in the fifth, making Kennedy bail out of the batters box on a first-pitch fastball before walking him. Umpire Marvin Hudson immediately issued a warning to Kershaw and both dugouts. NOTES: The Dodgers recalled OF Jerry Sands from Triple-A Albuquerque to replace Kemp on the roster. During Kemps streak, he was used nine times as a pinch-hitter, twice as a designated hitter -- and once as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement -- after Manny Ramirez injured his hamstring. ... Ethiers homer was the first given up by Kennedy in his last seven starts on the road -- a stretch that spanned 45 2-3 innings and 168 batters. The last one he had allowed away from Chase Field was a two-run shot by John Mayberry Jr. on August 18, 2011 at Philadelphia. ' ' '