Andanh.com

Wichita State played long ball with Oklahoma State for longer than expected.

Just not long enough. The 13th-ranked Cowboys defeated No. 14 WSU 5-3 on Wednesday in a rain-delayed game at packed Reynolds Stadium. Two late-inning home runs erased a WSU lead and sent the Shockers to their third straight loss in the series.

"They have a lot more power than we have," WSU coach Gene Stephenson said. "They got 13 hits off our mid-week pitchers. I expected us to hit the ball better off the mid-week pitchers we're going to see."

WSU leadoff hitter Andy Dirks homered twice, once in the first for a 1-0 lead. His solo shot with one out in the seventh gave the Shockers a 3-2 lead.

It did not last long against the Cowboys, who started eight hitters batting .300 or better. Dirks' homers gave WSU 22 for the season. OSU's two boosted its total to 53.

The pieces of the puzzle that Kansas coach Bill Self spent more than four years putting together on the way to this year's national championship has now been completely scrambled.

With junior guard Mario Chalmers declaring Wednesday for the NBA Draft, all five starters and seven of the top nine players could possibly be gone.

Like sophomore teammate Darrell Arthur, Chalmers will test the draft waters but will not hire an agent for now to leave his options open to return to KU.

"If I hear anything that's not in the first round, I'm coming back," Chalmers said.

And what Chalmers is hearing right now is that he's projected to be selected between 25th and 35th in the June 26 draft. Since there are only 30 picks in the first round, that makes him very borderline.

Trading away Jared Allen tore another huge hole in a Kansas City roster that was already cratered with them.

But sending the disgruntled All-Pro defensive end to Minnesota also enriched the Chiefs with three additional draft picks and presents an opportunity for one of those watershed weekends that will lay the foundation of Super Bowl seasons to come.

With six selections among the top 82, the Chiefs have more picks than their three AFC West rivals combined. With about $30 million in cap space, they have the money to pay them.

But blow this draft the way they've wasted others in recent years, and there's likely to be new management fairly soon at Arrowhead Stadium.

"Now the onus is on us to make good picks," president and general manager Carl Peterson said. "But this certainly gives us an awful lot of versatility, maneuverability and opportunity. We have never been in this position with this number of draft choices in the first 82."

It has reached the point where Emporia State's baseball players can't avoid thinking about it.

As the wins have continued to pile up, it has been difficult for the players not to talk about.

What started with a 17-6 win over Minnesota-Duluth on March 8 is now a 35-game winning streak spanning 46 days. After starting the season 7-3, the Hornets are 28-0 in the MIAA and ranked fourth in the nation.

The NCAA Division II record is held by Savannah (Ga.) State, which won 46 games in a row in 2000.

The streak certainly deserves the attention of the players, but they haven't let it change the way they play the game.

Wichita State's cleanup hitter beat out two infield singles in the Shockers' one and only big inning. Kansas mashed two home runs to provide most of its offense.

It's not conventional or awe-inspiring, but it worked for 14th-ranked Wichita State in Tuesday's 6-4 win over Kansas at Eck Stadium. The Shockers defeated the Jayhawks for a fifth-straight time, in front of 6,943 fans, the largest regular-season crowd in WSU history.

Most of them saw what they came for in the fourth inning, when WSU (31-7) scored six runs on six hits.

"I wouldn't say we did an awful lot offensively," WSU coach Gene Stephenson said. "But we did in that inning. We got some really key hits."

Kansas lefty Shaeffer Hall kept WSU under control through the first three innings. The Shockers couldn't get the ball out of the infield.

Ever since negotiations for a long-term contract broke off last year, Jared Allen's departure from the Chiefs carried a sense of inevitability.

It came true Tuesday night when the Chiefs agreed to trade their Pro Bowl defensive end to the Minnesota Vikings, a source said.

The Chiefs and Vikings had discussed a deal earlier in the day that would send Minnesota's first- and both of the Vikings' third-round picks to Kansas City. It's unclear whether the deal had changed by the time it had been agreed upon.

The teams had also discussed swapping picks in a later round.

Allen also agreed to terms on a contract with the Vikings and was en route to Minnesota on Tuesday to sign the deal. Terms of the contract were unavailable.

If all goes as predictions say, Kansas will have two players selected in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft for the first time in 15 years.

And if everything really lines up favoring the Jayhawks this weekend, they could have as many as six players drafted. KU hasn't had more than four players taken in one year since the draft was reduced to seven rounds in 1994.

But reality says predicting the draft is an iffy business at best and question marks abound for KU's possibilities.

What does appear reasonably certain is that cornerback Aqib Talib and offensive tackle Anthony Collins, the first team All-Americans as juniors on KU's winning Orange Bowl team, will be selected Saturday.

Four others -- defensive tackle James McClinton, tight end Derek Fine, wide receiver Marcus Henry and fullback Brandon McAnderson -- will either be late-round picks on Sunday or rookie free agents.

Wichita State's Connor McHenry figured if he started putting well, everything else would work out.

McHenry putted well, and did just about everything else right to win medalist honors at the Missouri Valley Conference tournament Tuesday in Davenport, Iowa.

With McHenry in the lead, WSU won the team title by 24 strokes over Southern Illinois. McHenry, a sophomore from Jefferson City, Mo., shot a 5-under-par 208 to win by four strokes over teammate Dustin Garza. Senior Ryan Spears, the 2006 MVC medalist, finished in a tie for fourth with a 1-over 214.

Coach Grier Jones loved his team's focus, especially in rainy conditions Tuesday. Weather delayed the start. It didn't bother the Shockers, who played last week in similar conditions in a tournament in Columbia, Mo. The Shockers did not finish strong on that day.

"I think we learned a lesson," Jones said. "There's no doubt everybody was there."

Buhler 9, Kingman 0

Buhler 12, Kingman 2

Boys golf

Yankees 9, White Sox 5 -- Bobby Abreu hit a grand slam in the seventh inning, Chien-Ming Wang earned his 50th career victory and New York did just fine without A-Rod, beating Chicago.

• Abreu connected for his seventh career grand slam off Octavio Dotel with two outs in the seventh to rally New York from a 3-2 deficit. It was his sixth homer in only 14 games at U.S. Cellular Field.... Johnny Damon hit a three-run homer off reliever Matt Thornton in the eighth to make it 9-4, and Jason Giambi had a solo shot in the second.... Wang (4-0) worked six innings to become the first Yankees starter to win his first four decisions since Kevin Brown won his first five in 2004.

Red Sox 7, Angels 6 -- Dustin Pedroia's tiebreaking RBI double in the eighth inning helped Boston rally for its sixth straight win.

• Jacoby Ellsbury hit two solo homers and Kevin Youkilis added a two-run shot for Boston, while Pedroia went 4 for 5 with three doubles and a single.... Boston emergency starter David Pauley, recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Pawtucket, gave up five runs on seven hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Tigers 10, Rangers 2 -- Magglio Ordonez homered and reached 1,000 RBIs for his career, and Ramon Santiago homered for the first time since 2003 and drove in three runs to help Detroit beat Texas.

Tenn.-Martin at Evansville

Clarke at Northern Iowa

Nebraska 4, Creighton 3

Illinois State at Illinois

A Wichita woman is seeking a protection-from-stalking order against Wichita State University baseball coach Gene Stephenson, accusing him of harassing her, calling her and showing up at her home.

In a petition filed March 27 in Sedgwick County District Court, the woman said Stephenson, 62, "repeatedly harassed me by calling incessantly over the past year, showing up unannounced at my home, makes continuous advances toward me."

The woman wrote in her petition that she also has received calls from Stephenson's wife and a friend of his indicating "he is furious and upset w/me for telling his wife of his behavior."

Stephenson declined to comment on the matter.

Stephenson is represented by two Wichita lawyers in the case, but they did not return calls Wednesday.

Wednesday's box score

He wants more

Even after a loss, Wichita State coach Gene Stephenson loves the Cowboy-Shocker series.

WSU won its 13th MVC title and Connor McHenry is the 13th Shocker to medal at the MVC tournament. The Shocker medalists:

1953 -- Sam Sadler

1962 -- John Stevens

1964 -- John Stevens

1972 -- Gary Navarro

After shutting out defending Class 6A champion Blue Valley North 2-0 in the Titan Classic last month, the goal was set.

Maize's girls soccer team started entertaining thoughts of keeping every opponent from scoring.

"I think when you set that kind of goal, it's something to keep your focus when you are playing some weaker teams," Maize coach Nathan Wilkey said. "We need to maintain our focus and I think that helps."

Maize hasn't allowed a goal in a 12-0 start. The Eagles have four games remaining in their regular season.

Maize's offense has also been tough to slow down this season. The Eagles feature so much team speed that few teams have found ways to keep their forwards from getting behind the defense.

In the most recent Kansas Baseball Coaches Association poll, four area teams were recognized in Class 6A.

Northwest was ranked No. 2 with North taking the No. 3 spot. That, though, could change when the next poll comes out after North's 6-1 victory over the Grizzlies on Monday.

Seventh-ranked Maize and ninth-ranked Goddard also found spots in the top 10.

In Class 5A, McPherson was ranked fourth, Bishop Carroll sixth and Arkansas City ninth. In Class 4A, Mulvane held onto its No. 2 ranking, and Andover Central was ranked seventh. Third-ranked Wichita Independent is the lone school from the area in the Class 3A poll.

Bishop Carroll -- After a rough four-game stretch in the beginning of April, Bishop Carroll has really turned things around.

Kansas Soccer Coaches Association

Overall

1. St. Thomas Aquinas, 2. Maize, 3. Olathe East, 4. Lenexa St. James, 5. Olathe South

Class 6A

1. Maize, 2. Olathe East, 3. Olathe South, 4. Washburn Rural, 5. Blue Valley West

Jenny Heerey had one of those poor offensive performances Tuesday night that can mess with a player's head, striking out three times against Derby freshman pitcher Kayla Oldham.

Heerey struck out on a 2-2 count, a 3-2 count and on three straight pitches."I did not do my part hitting," said Heerey, a senior who has committed to Emporia State.

"That makes me more angry. I tried not to let it get under my skin."

Heerey more than held her own on the mound, though, striking out 14 in a 1-0 victory. Goddard run-ruled Derby 11-1 in the second game as Alyssa Hughes got the win.

"That's her maturity," Goddard coach Rita Smith said. "It could have affected her on the mound, but she still hit her spots and she did a good job mixing speeds."

With a huge matchup against Kapaun Mount Carmel on the horizon, Bishop Carroll's tennis team first had to face Southeast on Tuesday.

The Golden Eagles made it a quick afternoon, dispatching Southeast 8-1.

With the victory, Carroll remains unbeaten and tied atop the City League standings with Kapaun, heading into Thursday's clash.

Carroll's Jordan Keller defeated Merrick Rhodes 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2 singles.

Southeast's Nate Kirk knocked off Kevin Klein 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 singles.

Kansas Baseball Coaches Association

Class 6A

1. Washburn Rural, 2. Wichita Northwest, 3. Wichita North, 4. Lawrence Free State, 5. SM West, 6. Blue Valley, 7.Maize, 8. Manhattan, 9. Goddard, 10. BV Northwest

Class 5A

1. St. Thomas Aquinas, Topeka Seaman, 3. Great Bend, 4. McPherson, 5. KC Turner, 6. Bishop Carroll, 7. Great Bend, 8. Bishop Miege, 9. Arkansas City, 10. Gardner-Edgerton

The undefeated Maize soccer team was looking forward to Tuesday night's meeting with Goddard -- not only one of the best teams in the area but also the Eagles' biggest rival.

Then Maize found out that Goddard would be without three injured starters, including All-Metro forward Whitney Berry and top defender Alex Leach.

Some of the anticipation fizzled out for Maize, which came away with a hard-fought 1-0 victory and extended its shutout streak to 12 consecutive games.

"I think it had a little to do with coming out and expecting a tough game and then the girls found out a bunch of their better players weren't playing tonight," Maize coach Nathan Wilkey said. "I do think it was a little anticlimactic for us. Kind of a letdown."

Without their main offensive threat in Berry, the Lions shifted their focus almost entirely to shutting down the speedy Maize attack. Goddard opted for a physical man-to-man defense that neutralized the speed of the Eagles.

Kansas Coaches Association Rankings

Class 6A

1. Blue Valley North, 2. SM East, 3. Washburn Rural, 4. Blue Valley West, 5. Goddard. Others: Olathe Northwest, Lawrence Free State, Olathe East

Class 5A

1. Salina Central, 2. Shawnee Heights, 3. St. Thomas Aquinas, 4. Topeka Seaman, 5. McPherson. Others: Hutchinson, Bishop Carroll, Salina South

Baseball

Goddard 10, Derby 0

Goddard 4, Derby 3

Two online reports citing unnamed sources said Wednesday that Tony Stewart wants out of the final year of a contract with Joe Gibbs Racing that runs through the 2009 season.

Sports Illustrated's Internet site reported that Stewart "is working on the final stages of a deal" that would put him at Haas CNC Racing next year.

ESPN.com, meanwhile, reported that Stewart is "intrigued" by the prospect of owning a team and said one scenario has Stewart getting up to a 50 percent ownership stake in Haas CNC Racing and driving one of its two Chevrolets. Hass CNC Racing gets its engines and other support from Hendrick Motorsports.

The Charlotte Observer tried unsuccessfully to contact Stewart and Joe Gibbs Racing President J.D. Gibbs for comment.

J.D. Gibbs told ESPN.com's Marty Smith that Stewart "definitely has some options" but will remain with the Gibbs team through 2009. "There's no ifs, ands or buts about that one," Gibbs said.

Helene St. James

The next generation has heard of the legends from elder Detroit Red Wings and has seen the evidence on YouTube.

Yet nothing in the world is ever so real as when experienced, which is why Valtteri Filppula and Jiri Hudler are looking forward to tonight's game against the Colorado Avalanche with such zest. The Detroit-Colorado rivalry that flared up a dozen years ago and blazed on through several spring seasons at last is renewed after six years of simmering. It is an event that has stirred up all sorts of nostalgia.

"There is something special there, for sure," Kris Draper said Wednesday. "In the late '90s and into '02, being a part of that rivalry was something special. Going to the rink, playing those guys, you just didn't know what was going to happen. The bottom line was it was going to be a great hockey game with great players going at it, but also a little extracurricular activities were happening as well. It made for some unbelievable games, created a lot of memories for both organizations. I'm sure everyone is looking forward to this as well."

The rivalry was rekindled to an extent Feb. 18 at Colorado when Ian Laperriere crushed Nicklas Lidstrom into the boards, sending the durable Detroit captain off for a rare six-game layoff nursing a sore knee. Later in the game Mike Babcock got involved in a heated verbal argument with Colorado assistant Tony Granato, picked up by TV cameras and immediately bringing to mind the time when then-Detroit coach Scotty Bowman and then-Colorado coach Marc Crawford sparred loudly over the bench dividers.

A man accused of shooting three people outside a Las Vegas strip club and then extorting money from professional football player Adam "Pacman" Jones has been ordered held on $1 million bail.

Arvin Kenti Edwards, of Renton, declined to appear in King County Superior Court on Wednesday. He's being held for investigation of being a fugitive from justice pending his extradition to Nevada.

• Connecticut State legislators announced a compromise Wednesday that will allow Connecticut to play a six-game football series with Notre Dame, even though none of the games will be played in Connecticut. The series will feature three games at Notre Dame and three games in either Boston, New York or New Jersey.

• Boston College defensive end Brady Smith has been kicked off the team after he was charged in an on-campus rape. Smith, who pleaded not guilty Tuesday, started 12 games for the Golden Eagles last season.

TENNIS

City Fourball Pairings

Saturday at Clapp, Sunday at Consolver

7 a.m.-- Daniel Spurgeon-Jake Edenfield, Brian Brauer-Alan Martin. 7:10--Murlyn Hergert-Kraig Cowles, Jerry McBroom-Denny Muzzy. 7:20--Clint Chamberlin-Ed Chamberlin, John McLaughlin-Michael McMillin. 7:30--Craig Gilstrap-Kent Mitchell, Tim Donovan-Tom Cheney. 7:40--David Nance-Dave Kippes, Darren Dzienulski-Tony Thomas. 7:50--Nick Museousky-Don Wilson, Steve Bradshaw-Randy Starky.

8 a.m.-- Jerry Williams-Rick Williams, Chuck Soules-Troy Todd. 8:10--Steve Voth-Mark Berger, Nicholas Means-J. Means. 8:20--Robert Parks-Lance Jenkins, John Blickenstaff-Russell Stoltz. 8:30--Rick Bloom-John Bloom, Leon Knabe-Gary Maricle. 8:40--Minford Lovett-Pat Ware, Dan Buck-Donovan Blanks. 8:50--Mike McDonald-Fred Nahr, Terry Pennington-Max Pennington.

9 a.m.-- Victor Polley-Randall Bannon, Bret Carter-Nick Trujillo. 9:10--Tin Truong-Bill Alexander, Wendell Smith-Mo Ediger. 9:20--Robert Payne-Dallas Hurst, Tracy Clites-Scott Larkin. 9:30--Rick Gehrer-Sid Stahl, Larry Peterson-Pat Randall. 9:40--Mike Ball-Butch Scholl, Ryan Stuhlsatz-Jeff Hunter. 9:50--Ryan Wright-Matt Kruse, Michael Knoblauch-Peter McKernan.

Joffrey Lupul put in a rebound on a power play 6:06 into overtime in Game 7 to lift the Philadelphia Flyers past Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals 3-2 on Tuesday night in their Eastern Conference first-round series.

The Flyers led the best-of-seven series 3-1 before allowing the Capitals to pull even.

Twenty teams in NHL history had come back from the brink of elimination to win a playoff series. The Washington Capitals' bid to become No. 21 came up just short Tuesday night.

Philadelphia right wing Joffrey Lupul backhanded a rebound past goaltender Cristobal Huet on the power play 6 minutes, 6 seconds into overtime to lift the Flyers to a 3-2 victory in Game 7 of an Eastern Conference quarterfinal series at Verizon Center before a boisterous, red-towel-waving crowd.

The Capitals had dominated the final period of regulation, but were unable to squeeze a shot past Flyers goalie Martin Biron. That failure came back to haunt them in overtime.

Defenseman Tom Poti was whistled for tripping R.J. Umberger. Then, with nine seconds remaining in the minor penalty, Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen fired a shot from the point. Huet made the original save, but the rebound kicked out to Lupul, who had slipped loose of defenseman Milan Jurcina in front. Huet looked the wrong way momentarily after losing track of the rebound.

Nicklas Backstrom and Alex Ovechkin scored in regulation for the Capitals, who got another splendid performance from Huet. The Flyers, meantime, got goals from Scottie Upshall and Sami Kapanen and 39 saves from Biron, who was at his best in the third period as the Capitals pushed hard for the go-ahead goal.

New Mexico State at Texas Tech

Eastern Illinois at Missouri

Texas State at Texas A&M

Texas 8, Baylor 2

Nashville may have the Grand Ole Opry, but Wichita has sort of a Brand New Opry with "Cabaret... Gone Country!" at Cabaret Oldtown.

A lively six-member cast -- three men and three women, all Cabaret veterans -- boot-scoot us through more than 50 country songs from the 1950s to the present and throw in a few comedy routines, too. Think of the Opry at its finest crossed with "Hee-Haw" at its lowest -- and funniest.

The performers -- Heather Bloomgren, Angela Geer, Cary Hesse, Kevin Pierce, Kyle Vespestad and Monte Wheeler -- have strong voices suited to this sturdy type of American music. But none of them gives any sort of nasal twang to the words. They retain an open Midwestern pronunciation that gives the sound a subtle sophistication.

The show is the first that Cabaret Oldtown has devoted entirely to country. The ensemble pulled this effort off so successfully that it may want to consider an annual return to these down-home roots -- at least, musically.

The comedy is spotty; the writing is haphazard (and probably largely impromptu), but the cast members -- particularly Wheeler and Vespestad -- make the bits hilarious through their exaggerated clowning.

THE CENTERPIECE OF THE ANNUAL MIDWEST WINEFEST -- THE GRAND TASTING -- IS AN EVENING EVENT THIS YEAR

The year's best excuse to drink wine in the name of "education" is coming up this weekend. The Midwest Winefest, an annual event that celebrates all things wine, has made one major change this year. The event's main attraction -- a grand tasting that features samples of wines from around the world and gourmet appetizers -- will be in the evening instead of the afternoon.

The tasting is from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Century II Exhibition Hall and will include silent and live auctions, cooking demonstrations, seminars and wine-related vendors. Tickets to the tasting are $50, available at www.wichitatix.com. Proceeds benefit Guadalupe Health Foundation.

Attendees will be able to sample a selection of wines, and those who fear they might accidentally overdo it can bring an adult designated driver along for $15.

The Winefest also includes an Old Town Walkabout, but per tradition, it's already sold out. For more information, call 316-219-4849.

Zap2it.com

It seems almost fitting that as its time on NBC winds down, "Scrubs" would have to deal with one more time-slot change.

The long-running comedy, whose NBC finale is coming in a few weeks, will move to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays starting this week. It's switching places with "30 Rock," which will move to the 8:30 p.m. spot following "The Office."

The switch gives "30 Rock" a stronger lead-in. Since its return on April 10, "The Office" has averaged about 9.5 million viewers and a 4.8 rating among adults 18-49, compared to 6.9 million and 2.8 for "My Name Is Earl," which previously served as "30 Rock's" lead-in.

Over the past couple of weeks, "Scrubs" has averaged just under 7 million viewers, compared to 6.1 million for "30 Rock." Its adults 18-49 and adults 18-34 ratings have also been significantly higher, thanks in part to airing after "The Office."

Nicole Kidman is urging world leaders and ordinary people to join the global fight to end violence against women.

The actress, seven months pregnant and passionately committed to her role as a goodwill ambassador for the U.N. Development Fund for Women, said Tuesday in a news conference at U.N. headquarters that the violence was probably the "most widespread human rights violation of our time."

"One in three women will encounter violence in some way, shape or form against them in their lifetime," Kidman said.

Friends and fans of keyboardist Danny Federici plan to gather at the famous Stone Pony nightclub in Asbury Park, N.J., tonight to pay tribute to the original E Street Band member who died at 58 last week after a three-year battle with melanoma.

At the very least, Wichita can now forget about that 2007 Super Bowl commercial that depicted singer Sheryl Crow making a fictional concert stop here.

Now that Crow has made an actual concert stop here -- and possibly admitted to the slight -- all is forgiven.

"Wichita," a grinning Crow said shortly into her hour-and-a-half-long set Tuesday. "Don't think I've been here before, have I? Maybe in a past life."

If there are any lingering hurt feelings, they weren't detectable among the 2,200 fans who gathered at Century II's Concert Hall for the intimate, sold-out show.

Fans cheered, danced, sang along to Crow's library of Grammy-winning hits and gleefully defied bouncers demanding that they stay seated.

What made the cover

• "Bush's secret love child!" (National Examiner)

• "Doris Day betrayed!" (Globe)

Already off the market?

• "Reese (Witherspoon) marrying toyboy Jake (Gyllenhaal)" (Globe)

Ryan Gosling can apparently do anything. Passionate romantic lead ("The Notebook"), cocky attorney ("Fracture"), anti-Semitic skinhead ("The Believer") or drugged-out schoolteacher ("Half Nelson," in an Oscar-nominated turn).

So it comes as no surprise that he completely pulls off a tricky role with a questionable premise that wholly relies on suspension of disbelief -- from its audience and its characters.

"Lars and the Real Girl" (now on DVD) is the story of the reclusive, awkward Lars (Gosling), who lives in a garage behind his brother, Gus (Paul Schneider), and sister-in-law, Karin (Emily Mortimer).

Lars goes to work but hardly anywhere else. He dashes from car to garage every night, and the pregnant Karin resorts to tackling him in order to catch him and invite him to dinner.

But one day, Lars has news. He has met a girl over the Internet, he says, and she has come for a visit. Gus and Karin are ecstatic -- until Lars introduces them to his new love, Bianca.

Israel says Barbra Streisand has pulled out of a celebration of the country's 60th anniversary next month.

Streisand was one of the big-name guests slated to appear at a Jerusalem convention hosted by Israeli President Shimon Peres beginning May 13.

The American diva was supposed to perform a rendition of the Hebrew prayer Avinu Malkeinu, or "Our Father Our King."

But Peres' office said Tuesday that Streisand has now announced she will not be coming. It says she gave no reason for the sudden cancellation.

Sparks on the shelf