Jays won't confirm that Farrell is new manager  —  TORONTO— From Friday's Globe and Mail  —  Boston Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell will be the next manager of the Toronto Blue Jays, baseball analyst Peter Gammons reported Thursday night, but sources with the Blue Jays say the report is premature.

Lupica: It's time for Alex to be Great  —  They are the Yankees, defending champions of the sport, best team money can buy, most expensive pitching staff ever assembled.  They are Mo Rivera, the greatest money player of them all, and Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano …

October's heroes: Twenty-five who have stepped up in the playoffs … Several players have enhanced their reps this October, though none more so than the top two guys on this list — the unheralded Cody Ross and the much-heralded Cliff Lee.  Ross has done what no one expected …

SAN FRANCISCO — One rough inning from Tim Lincecum proved to be just enough to prevent the San Francisco Giants from holding a pennant-clinching party on the shores of McCovey Cove.  —  Now the Giants need to take a cross-country flight and win in Philadelphia if they want to go to the World Series …

Odds and ends: Freeman and Kawakami updates  —  Now that everyone in the baseball world knows Cody Ross, it's time to reminisce about the day that Chuck James didn't.  —  Ross homered off James in the second inning of a July 25, 2006 game at Turner Field.  Two innings later …

Texas Rangers manager says he wanted to face Tampa Bay Rays in ALDS  —  Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington admitted in an ESPN.com interview with Howard Bryant that the Rangers were hoping the Tampa Bay Rays would win the AL East because they wanted to face them first in the playoffs.

Inge's Extension  —  Brandon Inge and the Detroit Tigers have agreed to an extension that will guarantee the third baseman $11.5 million over the next two seasons.  The contract includes a club option for a third year at $6 million, with a $500,000 buyout.  —  Over the term of his contract …

Pete Rose on making Hall of Fame: 'Don't wait till I'm dead'  —  The 4,192 documentary about Cincinnati icon Pete Rose premieres Friday at the Esquire Theatre in Clifton, Ohio and will be there as long as customers keep coming out.  The full title is 4,192: The Crowning of the Hit King …

Sandy Alderson For GM  —  You know how newspapers will sometimes endorse a candidate for mayor or governor?  Well that's what I'm going to do here for the Mets next general manager.  I'm going to endorse a candidate.  Do I have all the information to make the decision?  Nope.  But then again, who does ...

More Evidence for the Three-Man Rotation  —  Effects of varying recovery periods on muscle enzymes, soreness, and performance in baseball pitchers, by Potteiger, Blessing, and Wilson, Journal of Athletic Training, 1992; 27(1): 27-31.  —  From the Abstract

Doc delivers as Phils stay alive, force Game 6  —  Halladay tosses six solid innings to send NLCS back to Philly  —  SAN FRANCISCO — Somehow, Phillies ace Roy Halladay helped return the National League Championship Series to Philadelphia.  —  Somehow he did it.