AVONDALE, Ariz. -- Matt Kenseth had no idea his pole-winning run at Phoenix International Raceway could benefit his championship-contending teammate. When he found out he had assisted Carl Edwards, Kenseth pretended it was all part of the plan. "That was my plan. I thought, Man, if we can sit on the pole, that will really help him," Kenseth laughed. Kenseth turned a lap at 220.643 kilometres per hour on Saturday to win his third pole of the season. It came in a late run, and separated title contenders Edwards and Tony Stewart on the grid. Before Kenseths lap, the two were seventh and eighth on the qualifying list and in line to start side-by-side in Sundays race. But Edwards would have been on the outside, and new pavement at Phoenix has prevented the second line from adequately developing. So when Kenseth wedged his way to the top of the board, Stewart dropped to eighth and Edwards to ninth. It means Stewart will start on the outside of the fourth row, and Edwards will line up on the inside of row five. "I planned that. I am that good," Kenseth claimed. But he actually downplayed the significance of the starting spots of the two championship contenders. Edwards takes a three-point lead over Stewart into the penultimate event of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. "The bottom is probably going to be an advantage to get started, but it is still 300 miles and I think at some point in the race every car is going to be in the top groove for a little bit," Kenseth said. AJ Allmendinger and Marcos Ambrose qualified second and third as Ford swept the top three spots. Mark Martin qualified fourth and Martin Truex Jr. was fifth, followed by Jamie McMurray and David Reutimann. But the qualifying session was marked by drivers using strong adjectives in reference to the racing surface, was paved over the summer. Ambrose said the slick track was "pretty sketchy" and Allmendinger said his lap "was insane." Jeff Gordon, who won here in February, called the surface "treacherous" after qualifying 23rd. But Stewart? He didnt seem all that concerned. "I didnt think it was a big drama," he said. "I am all right if it stays like this for the whole day." Well, Stewart, who normally heats up during the hot summer stretch of the schedule, prefers a slick track, right? "Yeah, I love it," he smiled. It could be setting it up for a big Sunday for the two-time NASCAR champion, who already believes hes got the advantage over Edwards this weekend because the race could come down to which drivers adapt faster to the new surface. Edwards said after four hours of practice Friday that this race had been a concern. "I have been a little nervous about coming here not knowing what the track is going to be like and how we are going to stack up," Edwards said. "But practice went really well and we are really fast. I am excited about it." Edwards also got the benefit of extra track time in Saturdays Nationwide Series race. Stewart was a mere observer, left to watch on TV to see how the racing lines developed. Both drivers, though, believe they are in control of their own destiny. Stewart, winner of four Chase races, including two straight, has been operating as if hes on a mission and cant be stopped in his bid to become the first driver-owner since Alan Kulwicki in 1992 to win the title. Edwards, who has been the points leader for most of the season, thinks he needs only to maintain what hes been doing to lock up his first title and it doesnt matter what Stewart does. "I feel that they have obviously had flashes of great speed and have won four races, and we havent, but the job that we have done I am very proud of," he said. "We dont have trophies lined up, but the recoveries we have made and consistency we have shown and the ability to come back from really tough days, I wouldnt have been able to do it a year or two years ago. "At the end of the day, we are still leading the points. They have to overtake us and beat us." Miles Austin Authentic Jersey . Eric Sprott and asset management company Sprott Inc. will back the 24-year-old Toronto driver. Hinchcliffe is to enter his first race this weekend in a Dallara Firestone Honda at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama. Tashaun Gipson Youth Jersey . Luke Hughes and Ben Revere highlighted the Twins attack, with a pair of hits and two RBI apiece. We just hit and found the right holes, said Revere. Alexi Casilla belted a solo home run while Danny Valencia and Michael Cuddyer added RBI doubles for Minnesota, which extended its winning streak to a season-high eight games. http://www.thebrownsshoponline.com/Youth-Christian-Kirksey-Browns-Jersey/ . -- Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine said closer Andrew Bailey will travel to Boston on Monday to have his right thumb examined. Tashaun Gipson Authentic Jersey . -- Helio Castroneves paced the first day of IndyCar practice at Barber Motorsports Park, setting the stage for what could be more domination by Penske Racing. Jim Brown Youth Jersey .J. -- The New York Jets have downgraded wide receiver Jeremy Kerley and linebacker Garrett McIntyre from doubtful to out for the teams game against the Ravens at Baltimore.TORONTO - Almost gone but not forgotten. Thanks to a suspension to goalkeeper Joe Bendik, veteran Stefan Frei is in line this week to make his first MLS appearance for Toronto FC in more than two years. Frei, reduced to a backup by both Bendik and injury, is a likely starter Saturday in Chicago against the Fire in Torontos penultimate game of the season. It will like be a bittersweet swansong for the clubs longest-serving active player. "Itll be good to be finally get out there in a game," the six-foot-three, 195-pounder said succinctly The 27-year-old Frei has appeared in 81 league games — all starts — for TFC but none since a 3-0 defeat to Chivas USA on Sept. 24, 2011. Toronto has played 69 MLS games since then. Frei prides himself on being positive but acknowledges that it has been a rough road of late. "There were some tough moments, mentally," Frei said. Freis fine play and loyalty to the club have earned him much respect from Toronto FC fans. The team itself speaks of his professional attitude in the face of adversity. And Frei talks of working hard in practice to be ready when needed. But behind the facade of diplomacy, there is a clear disconnect between the franchise and goalie. Frei has taken the high road, mostly in silence this season. While Frei wont speak an ill word publicly, it seems clear he feels betrayed by the way he has been treated by the club after losing his job through injury and not getting a chance to win it back. In a rare interview ahead of the Chicago game, he chose his words carefully. Asked if it was fair how he lost his job, Frei replied: "Thats a question youre going to have to ask the head coach. He was the one that made that decision. "I tried to stay professional, tried to work my butt off in training. That was pretty much all I could do. And thats all Im going to say to that." Asked if he remains the clubs vice-captain, he said: "I have no idea, youll have to ask the coach for that. Obviously theres been so much change." His contract, hefty by MLS standards at US$200,000 this year, expires at the end of the season. Toronto is committed to Bendik as starter and recently traded for a backup in the form of six-foot-five Chris Konopka. It is unlikely Frei will see more action for the Reds, leaving him tantalizingly close to former captain and current assistant coach Jim Brennan for the team record in league appearances (84) and starts (83). Manager Ryan Nelsen has spoken glowingly in public about Freis attitude. But Nelsen has proved to be ruthless in remaking the team, shedding players to rework the salary cap. Fullback Richard Eckersley is currently out in the cold, the victim of a contract listed at $310,000. Had Konopka been fully healthy — he is getting over a knee injury he had prior to joining the squad — he might have got the nod over Frei this week. Nelsen plays his cards close to his chest. But it is clear Frei has been an expensive spare part ever since the 24-year-old Bendik took over. As Nelsen likes to say, possession is nine-tenths of the law. A supreme pragmatist, Nelsen has no time for sentimentality when it comes to soccer. Frei, essentially, has been in his rear-view mirror for months. Freis slide from starter to reserve started after a 2011 season that saw backup Milos Kocic make the most of a late run in goal after Frei injured a knee. Frei began the 2012 season in goal in a CONCACAF Champions League quarter-final in March against the Los Angeles Galaxy but gave way the next two games to Kocic. Days later, his season was derailed when he injured his leg and ankle in a freak training injury. He broke his leg and required surgery to repair ankle damage. Frei worked tirelessly to rehab the ankle and leg, often on his own with the teams trainers. He remade his body, with muscles rippling from hours spent in the gym. Come pre-season in 2013, he was raring to go. He got the start in the first game at training camp, only to break his nose when he ran intto Columbus Crew striker Ryan Finleys boot while heroically going after the ball Feb.dddddddddddd 9. He had surgery in Orlando two days later. Bendik made the lost of his absence, winning the starting job with his play. All the hard work of his rehab seemed for naught. "That made it mentally very tough for me to not be able to reap those rewards of that hard work I had put in for over a year," Frei said. Frei has been restricted to the occasional Canadian Championship and friendly game ever since. He has tried to see the positives. "it was a good learning experience. No only physically but mentally, to grow from this whole experience. Im more of a positive guy. I tried to stay positive, keep working hard and Im sure at some point things will turn for me." That will likely have to happen in another uniform. "I have my ideas of where I will be but as of right now Im focusing on working hard here with TFC until the seasons over and then well cross that bridge when we get there," Frei said. Could that bridge lead outside MLS? "Possibly," he said, without offering anything more. Born in Switzerland, Frei moved to the U.S. in 2001 with his family when he was 15. After a stellar collegiate career at Cal, he was drafted 13th overall in 2009 and took over as Toronto starter early that season. In recent weeks he has trained alongside Bendik, Konopka and 19-year-old Quillan Roberts. He says he gets on with all of them, carrying on what he learned from veteran keeper Jon Conway. "His attitude that he brought to working with his teammates was youre going to have to work with them on a daily basis, you might as well make it a good working environment for everybody." Frei has seen plenty of comings and goings at Toronto FC. Nelsen is the seventh TFC manager he has played under. And of other 17 players in the matchday squad for his last league start, only four remain with the club — Eckersley, Doneil Henry, Danny Koevermans and Ashtone Morgan. Like Frei and Eckersley, the oft-injured Koevermans seems destined for the door as soon as the season ends. "(Things) have changed again and again and again," Frei said of his time in Toronto. Its going to take some time for the new regime and players to settle on, he added. "I hope that theres going to be a little bit more consistency. But the guys that we have now in charge, from the top all the way down, are good people and are going to get this team in the right direction." His fondest memory in a Toronto FC shirt was the 2009 Canadian Championship when Toronto, needing a miraculous comeback, defeated Montreal 6-1 on the road to win the Cup. He says that day was "just pure joy." "You kind of get addicted to it and youre longing for that feeling." While Frei has had a rough time on the pitch recently, his personal life has taken a turn for the good this year. He got engaged to Jennier Childs and is due to get married later this year. "We also bought our first house together, an apartment, so well always have a bit of a base here wherever our journey will take us. We got a dog as well. "So from a personal level its been the best year of my life. Soccer its been a bit challenging but Ive been trying to earn from all these situations that were thrown my way. I cant complain." A keen artist himself, Frei has been his own canvas recently with extensive tattoo work done on his left arm. Still under construction, the three-quarter sleeve dovetails around an earlier tattoo of the Swiss flag. Having studied classical civilizations at the University of California, he says hes always had a "connection" with ancient Egypt. His sleeve, by tattoo artist Glen Hartless, depicts King Tut, Anubis and Osiris. Frei has put in 18-19 hours in so far, with another 10 left over. "I think Im going to take a break after this. Its been quite an adventure," he said of his tattoo. You could say the same of his time in Toronto. cheap jerseys cheap nfl jerseys ' ' '