lucylily's blog: "ght"

SEPANG, Malaysia -- Three-time defending Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull won pole position at the Malaysian Grand Prix on Saturday, edging out the Ferraris of Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso just as the rain-affected qualifying session ended. It was the second pole in a row and 38th overall for the German, who finished third at the season-opening Australian GP last week after having trouble with his tires. Vettel took top spot on the grid by almost a second, causing him to scream "Yes!" in celebration when told by his team. "Im a bit surprised by the gap. I had a decent lap and was very happy, obviously," Vettel said. "It was quite tricky because some parts of the track were still wet and others were dry. Overall, a very good session. "It will be a long race and difficult to know the true pace. Managing the tires will be crucial, and we go from there. We know the pace is there, so hopefully we can get to the checkered flag in the same position." Australian GP winner Kimi Raikkonens day went from bad to worse after he could only qualify seventh and was later penalized three spots for impeding Force Indias Adrian Sutil. Last year at this race, the Lotus driver was relegated five spots for making an unscheduled gear box change. Raikonen complained to his team over the radio during the third practice session that he was unhappy with his cars setup, telling them "I dont understand how the car can change so much." "We werent quick enough on the intermediates (tires), so I dont think we could have found much more time in the wet today," Raikkonen said. "For sure I wanted more, but it is what it is and I hope well do better on Sunday. Its obviously disappointing to lose three places on the grid, but well have to see what happens in the race." Massa struggled for most of last year but has now qualified ahead of Alonso, his more famous teammate who has twice won the F1 title, for the fourth straight race. "I think it was a good qualifying for us," said Massa, who only had two podium finishes in 2012. "We took the right decision to change tires and managed to put a good lap together as well." Sundays race is expected to be held in wet and humid conditions, similar to when Alonso won in Malaysia last year after Sergio Perez ran off the track just as he was attempting to pass the Spaniard following a 51-minute delay for rain. Tire management will also be crucial with teams still struggling to understand how to get the most out of the new Pirellis, which are designed to degrade faster than last years version in order to push teams to pit more often. "For tomorrow we expect some rain around, so we have to be ready for any changes," Alonso said. "To do an extra lap on the wrong tires can cost you a lot of time than on other circuits. We have to be spot-on in the decisions tomorrow. We need to concentrate." Lewis Hamilton extended his promising start since switching to Mercedes from McLaren during the off-season. After a fifth-place finish in Melbourne, the Briton qualified fourth fastest Saturday despite struggling in practice to twice finish ninth. "Im pretty happy with fourth place considering the conditions today," he said. "Its the second race on the second row for me and there are lots of positives to take out of the weekend so far. Our long-run pace looked pretty good compared to the other teams, so Im hoping for dry conditions tomorrow." McLarens early season troubles show no signs of easing, although team principal Martin Whitmarsh said there are signs the new car is improving. Jenson Button, the 2009 F1 champion, qualified eighth after complaining his car was oversteering, while Perez came 10th. McLarens car has yet to perform to expectations, prompting Perez to suggest using last years vehicle that won the final two races of the 2012 season. "I dont think we can really expect to qualify any better than eighth right now," Button said. "But having said that, to be just two-tenths off the guy who won last weekends Australian Grand Prix cant be too bad." The circuit was hit by afternoon showers during qualifying but the rain stopped as the final session began. The worst of the showers came in the second session, affecting several drivers who were challenging to make the top 10. Raikkonens teammate, Romain Grosjean, got out of his car and walked away with several minutes left in the second session despite needing to overtake Perez to advance to the last part of qualifying. "We should have easily had both cars in the top 10, but unfortunately the skies opened at just the wrong time for me," the Frenchman said. "Its a shame but theres a long race ahead of us tomorrow, and we now have extra sets of fresh dry tires in our pocket so hopefully we can use them well." Force India driver Paul di Resta also looked set to reach the final session until he spun out on the wet track. www.saintssportsfansshop.com/Authentic-Will-Smith-Jersey-Xs-74.html . -- The Detroit Lions have signed first-round draft pick Riley Reiff. www.saintssportsfansshop.com/Authentic-Darren-Sproles-Jersey-Tt-58.html . According to Gary Lawless of TSN Radio 1290, defenceman Zach Bogosian is also out at least a week with a concussion. The blueliner appeared to be injured after taking a hit to the head from Islanders forward Kyle Okposo. http://www.saintssportsfansshop.com/Authentic-Charles-Brown-Jersey-Gs-62.html . Reached after a training camp in Vail, Colorado on Friday, Crosby expressed his frustration with the lack of progress in reaching a deal. www.saintssportsfansshop.com/Authentic-Jimmy-Graham-Jersey-Rl-14.html . He then got two epidural injections and a second opinion when he went on the disabled list. Despite all that, the Rangers opening-day starter still wont be able to avoid surgery. www.saintssportsfansshop.com/Authentic-Morten-Andersen-Jersey-Fi-37.html . -- Denny Hamlin won the pole for the second straight year at Fontana on Friday, turning a lap of 187.PHILADELPHIA -- Trent Edwards beat out Mike Kafka for the third-string quarterback job with the Philadelphia Eagles. Kafka was released Friday afternoon, leaving Edwards and rookie Nick Foles behind Michael Vick on the depth chart. "There was great competition at the quarterback position," Eagles coach Andy Reid said. "Thats what football and training camp is all about. In the end, we had to make the difficult decision to let Mike Kafka go. Mike is a class act, a student of the game and a great person and I think hell have no problem finding a job in the National Football League very soon." Kafka, a fourth-round pick out of Northwestern in 2010, appeared in four games last year. He completed 11 of 16 passes for 107 yards with two interceptions. Kafka played in one preseason game this summer before breaking his non-throwing hand. Edwards, a 28-year-old veteran, had an impressive month after sitting out 2011. He completed 54 of 80 passes (68 per cent) for 489 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions. Edwards started 32 games for Buffalo and one for Jacksonville in four seasons, going 14-19. He completed 60.5 per cent of his passes for 6,019 yards and 26 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. He was released last preseason by Oakland and didnt find a job until the Eagles signed him in February. &quoot;Im proud of the way Trent Edwards conducted himself since the early days of the off-season workouts," Reid said.dddddddddddd"He had to fight for everything he earned this summer. He improved each and every day and made the most of every opportunity." Foles, a third-round pick from Arizona, was outstanding in the preseason. He finished 40 for 63 for 553 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions for a 110.1 passer rating. Veteran defensive backs Joselio Hanson and O.J. Atogwe of Windsor, Ont., were among 19 other players released. Hanson spent the last six seasons in Philadelphia and was the teams nickel cornerback. Atogwe signed as a free agent in the off-season, but couldnt crack the starting lineup at safety. Wide receivers Chad Hall, Mardy Gilyard and Marvin McNutt and linebacker Keenan Clayton are other notables on the cut list. The Eagles still must make two more moves to reach the 53-player limit. Tight ends Brett Brackett and Chase Ford, defensive tackles Ollie Ogbu, Frank Trotter and Landon Cohen, fullback Emil Igwenagu, tackle D.J. Jones, linebackers Adrian Moten and Ryan Rau, defensive end Monte Taylor, safety Phillip Thomas and offensive linemen Steve Vallos and Brandon Washington also were released. ' ' '