said after his career-best finish on a road course. "I g | Forum
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Jul 7 '19
BOSTON - John Farrell failed in his last managerial job. Christian Miller Youth Jersey . The Boston Red Sox had their worst record in nearly a half century. After a dismal 2012 season for both, theyre together now and that past seems so far away. Its a match made for the World Series. "I try to live out what our team has lived out this year and, that is, not to look back," Farrell said. Why would he want to? The Toronto Blue Jays were 73-89 last season, their second under Farrell, and actually trailed Boston in the standings with 10 games left. Then the Red Sox finally won something — the race to the bottom of the AL East. They lost nine of their last 10 games, dropping to 69-93 and insuring that Bobby Valentines tumultuous term as manager would end after one season. Enter Farrell. He had one year left on his contract with the Blue Jays so the Red Sox had to trade to get their old pitching coach back to run the show as manager. His impact was immediate in spring training, the transition smoothed by his familiarity with many of his players. "He came in there with a presence," pitching ace Jon Lester said, "Came in there with his idea of how he wanted to run this team and stood up there in front of us and told us how he wanted it done. "And I think the 40 guys or whatever that was in that room kind of looked around and it was like, OK, lets go do it. " So they did, with a consistency and clubhouse cohesion missing from Valentines Way. The Red Sox spent an AL-best 158 days in first place, were one of two major-league teams above .500 all year and had no losing streak longer than three games for just the second time in their 113 seasons. And the players bonded long before their beards blossomed. Gone were highly paid disgruntled players like Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford and Josh Beckett. In their place were team-oriented hustlers like Jonny Gomes, Mike Napoli, Shane Victorino, Stephen Drew and David Ross. But it took the even-keeled Farrell and his communication skills to bring them all together after Valentines shoot-from-the-lip style failed. "The thing with John is hes so smart. I think it seems like he learns from every single person hes around in baseball," second baseman Dustin Pedroia said. "John this year has been unbelievable with all of us, just the communication." At 6-foot-4, the broad-shouldered Farrell has a military bearing. He leads his players and listens to them. He lets them know their roles, explains why theyre not in the lineup and sees them produce off the bench. Before World Series games, he sits at an interview table, rarely blinking as he listens closely to questions. Then he answers thoughtfully, occasionally breaking into a smile. And hes not afraid to admit that hes wrong. With Game 3 tied 4-4 with one out in the top of the ninth, Farrell let Brandon Workman bat with one out rather than have Napoli pinch hit and make a double-switch at first base and pitcher. Workman struck out. Then he left the game with one out and a runner at first in the bottom of the ninth when the Cardinals won 5-4 on an obstruction play. "In retrospect, sure, I would have liked to (use a pinch hitter)," Farrell said. "Still, I wasnt going to pinch-hit for Workman with no guarantee that Napoli drives one out of the ballpark." He also handles critics — there havent been many in Boston — with respect. When he was booed by fans on his return to Toronto with Boston on April 4, Farrell said, "That goes back to how much people care, and thats a good thing. "Unfortunately, over the past couple of years, some things didnt play out on the field as we had hoped." But now hes in Boston where his philosophy is working out just fine. "Theres a relentless approach to play a complete game every night," Farrell said. "That attitude is what has allowed us to come back from so many deficits this year and never give an at-bat away, and certainly play to the 27th out every night." Unlike his predecessor, in Boston he has a strong relationship with his coaches and doesnt call attention to himself by criticizing players. Farrell hired Juan Nieves as his pitching coach then stayed out of his way despite having served in that role with the Red Sox from 2007-2010. The staff ERA of 3.79 was nearly a run less than last seasons and Bostons best in 11 years. "His genuineness as a person to me was the one thing that would allow him to connect with players," Farrell said of Nieves. Just like Farrell. From that first meeting in spring training. "Nobody had any questions," Lester said. "It was our job to go out there and do what he told us to do. And I think weve done a good job of that." Sam Mills Jersey .com) - DAngelo Harrison posted 21 points to guide No. Greg Olsen Youth Jersey . The 27-year-old hit .209 in 86 at-bats last year after missing the 2010 season following surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. SONOMA, Calif. -- Carl Edwards has never been known for his road racing skills -- to the point team owner Jack Roush had to send him testing in a two-seater so Boris Said could teach him the basics. A decade later, Edwards finally has a win to show for his hard work. And, he beat road racing ace Jeff Gordon to get to Victory Lane on Sunday at Sonoma Raceway, where Gordon leads all drivers with five wins. "My road racing progression, its been a pretty long climb," Edwards said. "The real special part to me was to stand in Victory Lane at Sonoma and have Jeff Gordon come and give me a handshake as the second-place finisher. I grew up watching Jeff Gordon, and specifically watching how he drove this race track and all the successes he had here, so I mean, thats really super. Its something Ill never forget." Edwards win made Roush Fenway Racing the unlikely organization to end Hendrick Motorsports five-race winning streak. And, the win came a week after Roush was shut out at Michigan, where the organization failed to put a car in the top 10 for the first time since 2000. Edwards took the lead on a restart with 25 laps remaining and seemed to have the win wrapped up until Gordon nearly chased him down on the final lap. Gordon had one good look at Edwards and couldnt pull off the pass. "That last lap was ugly," Edwards said of trying to hold off Gordon. It wasnt a terrible day for the Hendrick organization, which had won every Sprint Cup Series race since Gordons victory at Kansas on May 10. Instead, HMS settled for all four of its drivers finishing in the top seven. Gordon, the Sprint Cup Series points leader, wound up second. He said he made one mistake in overdriving a turn with about five laps to go that allowed Edwards to build a healthy lead. "I just couldnt put enough pressure on him," Gordon said. "I think had I put some more pressure on him, I saw him really struggling with the (tire) grip level, but he did everything he needed to do. That last lap, I gave it my best effort and closed up on him and he didnt overdrive it. I was hoping he might slide up and Id get a run on him." Dale Earnhardt Jr. was third after rallying from an inciident that wrecked Matt Kenseth, and was apologetic on the radio and after the race. Brian Burns Panthers Jersey. "I tried to screw it up a couple times in the race, but I calmed down and was able to get a good finish," Earnhardt said after his career-best finish on a road course. "I got into Matt, I jumped a curb and jumped into the air and just ran into him. Totally my fault. I hope hes not sore with me." Kasey Kahne bounced back from an early flat tire to finish sixth and Jimmie Johnson was seventh. In all, Chevrolet drivers took spots two through seven as pole-sitter Jamie McMurray, using a Hendrick engine, finished fourth and Paul Menard was fifth. Fords rounded out the top 10, led by Edwards, Marcos Ambrose eighth and Roush driver Greg Biffle was 10th. The highest-finishing Toyota was Clint Bowyer in 11th. Bowyer was the leader on a restart with 31 laps to go, was passed by Ambrose, and then got a flat left rear tire. The tire problem led to Jamie McMurray turning Bowyer, and as Bowyers car was stopped in the middle of the track, bottleneck traffic caused Kevin Harvick to run into Bowyer. "We got ourselves in position and had a flat. It was going down and I was all over the place," he said. "Jamie just kind of finished me up and got me out of the way. Bad luck, man." Edwards win is his first career victory on a road course, and hed never been higher than third at Sonoma. More important, it was his second win of this season and locks him into the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship field. It was Edwards 23rd win of his career, the 135th Sprint Cup Series victory for car owner Jack Roush, and it made Edwards the 10th consecutive different winner at Sonoma. Crew chief Jimmy Fennig said the race played into their hands after pitting with 40 to go and then a caution came out and Fennig made the call to not bring Edwards in a second time under yellow. The strategy moved Edwards toward the front of the field and he moved his way to the front. "When you got somebody like Carl behind the wheel, and you put him out front, hes going to get it done," Fennig said. "To have two wins right now and to be locked in really feels good." Wholeslae Jerseys NFL Jerseys CheapWholesale NBA Jerseys Cheap NHL Jerseys Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Cheap College Jerseys Cheap Football Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Cheap Baseball Jerseys' ' '
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