DETROIT -- The Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers waited out another patch of rain in the AL championship series Wednesday, finally starting Game 4 after a delay of 2 hours, 13 minutes. The game was supposed to begin at 4:19 p.m. EDT, but the rain didnt let up until around 5:30. Fans then began filling the seats closest to the field and, about 20 minutes later, the grounds crew came out to remove the tarp. Meanwhile, in St. Louis, baseball officials kept an eye on the weather before Game 3 of the NL championship series between the Cardinals and Milwaukee. "Their concern is they do not want the starting pitcher to start this game, and then pitch an inning or two and then have an hour-and-some delay," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "So they have brought in a bunch of people to look at the radar." Roenicke said officials will try to make a determination if the game will begin on time about a half-hour before the 8:05 p.m. start. Game 1 of the ALCS at Texas was interrupted twice by rain, and Game 2 was postponed from Sunday to Monday. Detroits playoff opener against the New York Yankees in the division series was also halted by rain and suspended for a day. Tigers ace Justin Verlander has had two of his three starts this post-season ended by bad weather, including Game 1 against the Rangers. Verlander isnt scheduled to pitch again until Game 5 on Thursday, but he was already anticipating more precipitation when asked about the forecast for his next start. "Im sure it involves rain," he joked. Wednesdays rain delay didnt affect Verlander. Manager Jim Leyland decided against bringing the right-hander back on three days rest for Game 4, starting Rick Porcello instead with the Tigers trailing 2-1 in the best-of-seven series. Verlander won 24 games during the regular season and also led the American League in ERA and strikeouts, but he hasnt been as dominant in the playoffs. "I think hes a little tired. Thats why hes not pitching today," Leyland said. "He wants the ball. I admire that. But when I had a meeting with my coaches, we sat down and talked. We really, truly believed that this is the best way to go because we think this is the best thing for Justin Verlander, and in turn that means its the best thing for the team." Verlander said he told Leyland he would be ready to pitch Wednesday, but the manager didnt take him up on the offer. "I feel good," Verlander said. "Its just a matter of getting my mechanics right." wholesale jerseys . Luke Wileman and I stood in the corridor outside of the Vancouver Whitecaps dressing room at BC Place in Vancouver. nfl jerseys china . With his team trailing in the ninth inning, Avila hit a two-run home run to lift the Tigers to a 4-3 win over the Astros on Friday night. http://www.wholesalejerseychinastore.com/ . In fact it was a little bit of a letdown after the incredible playoff series that preceded it. cheap jerseys from china .C. Romero for assignment and replaced him with right-hander Vance Worley. wholesale nfl jerseys .ca takes a look at three possible flag bearers for Canada in the Closing Ceremony.BOSTON - John Farrell failed in his last managerial job. 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-shouldereed Farrell has a military bearing.dddddddddddd 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." cheap jerseys wholesale jerseys ' ' '