BOSTON -- Toronto manager John Farrell feels for Boston manager Bobby Valentine in a disappointing season for both injury-filled teams. . Amid speculation that he could be considered to take over the Red Sox if Valentine is let go, the Blue Jays skipper said Friday night hes concentrating on his current job. "I dont look at other situations because my focus is here," said Farrell, Bostons pitching coach from 2006-10. "Weve got a lot of challenges ourselves with getting guys back on the field. So I can tell you this. Knowing what the Red Sox have gone through, the amount of players that theyve lost to injury, I can empathize with Bobby." Toronto began the day in last place in the AL East with a 61-75 record, 15 1-2 games out of first. The Red Sox were one spot ahead of the Blue Jays at 63-75. Boston was interested in Farrell after Terry Francona was let go as manager after last season, but hiring him would have required compensation to Toronto. Thats still the case, with Farrell having one year left on his three-year contract. Valentine is in the first year of a two-year deal and has had disagreements with several players. Farrell is aware of speculation that he might be a candidate in Boston. "As I said last week in Toronto, Im the manager of the Blue Jays," he said. "I can understand the natural connection because Ive worked here in the past, but my focus is clearly with the Blue Jays. "I dont let speculation come in to how I prepare for tonight." Farrell was surrounded in the dugout by about two dozen media members, many more than he deals with in Toronto. Such scrutiny adds to the demands on a Red Sox manager and could make his job tougher. "I wouldnt know that. Ive never managed in Boston," Farrell said. "Having worked in Boston, sure, 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." The Red Sox returned home after going 1-8 on a West Coast trip. On Wednesday, Valentine threatened during a radio interview over the phone to punch a Boston talk-show host who had asked him if he had "checked out" of the season. He insisted later he wasnt serious, but his comments added to the drama surrounding a team that recently made a blockbuster trade, sending Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Beckett and Carl Crawford to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Valentine said Friday its easy to block out such distractions. "If youre 30 games (ahead) in first place and you start reading and listening to everyone say how great you are, its just as distracting as the opposite, which is the case right now," he said. Asked about the mood of the team now that its back home after a day off, he said, "Im hoping they got the lousy taste of all those losses out of their mouths on the off day." Farrell coached for five seasons under Francona. "The one thing that Tito always talked about was be true to yourself and as long as you could look yourself in the mirror and did what you felt was the right thing to do, and that being the players come first," Farrell said, "you probably are guided in the right direction to do the right thing." The rosters of both teams have been affected by several key injuries. "I have empathy for whats going on (in Boston) because weve dealt with probably an equal number of injuries to marquee players, to a rotation and, as a result, you have to always deal with change," Farrell said. Both teams, he said, have gone way beyond Plan A and B. "I think both teams are in plan about T or U," Farrell said. [url=http://www.cowboysofficialteamstore.com/autographed-anthony-spencer-jersey-... Spencer Jersey .Shved took over in crunchtime as Russia picked up their first Olympic medal in mens basketball."This is one of the best moments of my life. When you come to the Olympic Games and win a medal, not every athlete can do this," Shved said. .C. -- No. [url=http://www.cowboysofficialteamstore.com/autographed-sean-lissemore-jersey-r... .E.I. -- Kemy Osse and Kenny Chery had never been on the floor for an ending quite like Saturdays thrilling mens basketball final at the Canada Summer Games. [url=http://www.cowboysofficialteamstore.com/autographed-barry-church-jersey-do-... Church Jersey . Joe Blanton pitched effectively into the eighth inning for his first win with Los Angeles and A.J. Ellis hit his first career grand slam in a 10-8 win over the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday. . This week, they discuss the Hornets proposed name change, the Vikings Adrian Peterson, Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel, and the Blue Jays late broadcaster Tom Cheek. NEW YORK -- NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell says possibly using replacement referees for regular-season games is worthwhile to ensure long-term improvements to officiating. The league and the NFL Referees Association have yet to reach an agreement, and Goodell acknowledged Thursday that time was running out to make the regular officials available for the openers. "Were anxious to get a deal done, but it has to get done that its going to help us for the long term," Goodell said at a fantasy football event in Times Square. "Its not a short-term issue." Of the replacement refs who have been calling preseason games, Goodell said: "We think theyll do a very credible job." Officials probably need a week to 10 days to prepare for the season, Goodell said, and the first game is Sept. 5, 13 days away. The first full Sunday of games is Sept. 9. NFLRA lead negotiator Mike Arnold said Thursday that officials have been training on their own during the lockout and would need less than a week to prep. "Were ready to go," he said. While the NFL and officials disagree on some financial matters, Goodell also characterized the differences as "philosophical." The NFLs proposal includes making some refs full-time -- currently all game officials work part-time with outside jobs -- and adding more crews. Arnold said tthat the union was open to discussing such issues but any proposal to increase the number of officials while decreasing the pay for current refs was not viable. [url=http://www.cowboysofficialteamstore.com/autographed-tyrone-crawford-jersey-... Crawford Jersey. Increasing the pool of officials would allow the league to replace individual officials or entire crews that are not performing well, Goodell said. "Then its based on performance, which is what fans all want, players all want, coaches all want," he said. The replacement officials have been closely scrutinized during the preseason, with any error quickly pointed out by media and fans. "Its not our job to judge the replacements, because their performance speaks for itself," Arnold said. Goodell said he wasnt concerned that teams and fans would question the credibility of results if that inevitable first disputed call of the season takes place while replacement officials are on the field. "We have controversial calls. Officiating is an imperfect science," he said. "Theyre not going to be correct all the time, but we have systems in place to try to help. We have instant replay, as an example, to try to help correct those mistakes. ... Its like any game. We get calls every Monday from fans, from coaches, from teams upset about a particular call. That happens. And it will happen going forward regardless of whos on the field." ' ' '