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Wichita State's baseball team responded to its early-season three-game losing streak with a 19-game winning streak.

The 14th-ranked Shockers don't need to be so dramatic this time around. While they would welcome a long hot streak, the immediate job is to take control of the Missouri Valley Conference race this weekend against Northern Iowa. The series begins tonight at Eck Stadium.

"We will not win this league if we do not win this series," WSU coach Gene Stephenson said.

WSU and Northern Iowa are tied for first in the Valley with 11-4 records. Both teams are stumbling entering the weekend. WSU has lost three straight, all by one run. UNI has lost three straight and four of five.

The Shockers (33-11) are 8-7 in their past 15 games, a slump that kept the Valley race close and has jeopardized their chance to host an NCAA regional. Their problems covered a wide range in the seven losses. In five, WSU took a lead or tie into the seventh inning. In the other two, WSU failed to score.

At a two-year school like Butler Community College, with so many players coming and going through the program from year to year, building off success can be difficult. But the Grizzlies, led by ninth-year coach Troy Morrell, have found a way to keep the winning tradition going. Even with a mass exodus from last season's NJCAA national championship team -- Butler's fifth in school history -- the Grizzlies are poised to contend for another this season.

Thursday's spring game was the first step in that direction.

" (The newcomers) understand they've got a legacy to live up to," Morrell said. "That's what it's all about. Finding guys that are in high school you feel are winners and understand what it takes to win and get them into your program."

Arguably the most dominant program in the NJCAA over the past decade, opponents routinely circle the date when they get their shot at the Grizzlies.

"I think we actually worked harder this spring because we know the bull's-eye is getting bigger on our backs," quarterback Press Taylor said. "Everybody wants to knock off the champs. I think everybody came in ready to work and we had a good spring."

The Royals had the entire flight Thursday evening to Cleveland to ponder what, exactly, was the worst part of Thursday's 2-1 loss the Texas Rangers.

There was simply losing to the Rangers, of course. Texas entered the day with baseball's worst record and in crisis mode with rumors continuing to circulate that manager Ron Washington is about to be fired.

There was losing the three-game series to those same Rangers despite winning the opener behind an ineffective Brett Tomko. The Royals started their two best pitchers in the final two games, Brian Bannister and Zack Greinke, and still lost.

There was the waste of a dominant outing by Greinke, who yielded just two runs and four hits while striking out nine and walking none in seven innings. The two runs came on homers by Ian Kinsler and Ramon Vazquez.

There was all that and--and! --allowing retread right-hander Sidney Ponson to display, for a day anyway, all of the marvelous potential he once possessed.

Royce Woolridge isn't old enough to have a driver's license, but the high school sophomore figures he's mature enough to know where he wants to play college basketball.

So Thursday, the son of former NBA star Orlando Woolridge announced he has made an oral commitment to Kansas. It will be November 2009 before he can sign a national letter of intent with the Jayhawks.

"From the beginning I knew I wanted to go to Kansas," Woolridge said by phone from his home in Phoenix, where he attends Sunnyslope High. "I don't plan on changing my mind."

As the first member of KU's 2010 recruiting class, Woolridge is the earliest commitment the Jayhawks have ever received. Center Cole Aldrich, who will be a sophomore next season, previously was the quickest to commit after doing so in November 2005 as a prep junior.

But commitments are coming earlier all the time.

Wichita State's offense is off the hot seat, at least temporarily. The bullpen and defense remain on. Oklahoma rallied from three-run and one-run deficits in the ninth and 10th innings to defeat No. 14 Wichita State 12-11 on Wednesday at Mitchell Park. WSU lost its third straight game, two after leading by three runs in the ninth.

OU's Mike Grosse drove in the winning runs with a double to right off Shocker reliever Justin Kemp, scoring Aljay Davis from first base. Grosse, OU's leading hitter, got a chance to bat only because WSU left fielder Kenny Williams misplayed a two-out line drive by Jamie Johnson into a double.

WSU (33-11) took an 11-10 lead in the top of the inning on Andy Dirks' home run to left field. In the ninth, WSU took a 10-7 lead, only to see the Sooners tie it on Aaron Baker's home run off Logan Hoch.

Once again, WSU reliever Hoch pitched well in long relief. Once again, finishing off a game eluded him. Facing OU's top of the order for a second time, he gave up two singles sandwiched around an out in the ninth. Down 2-0, Hoch gave Aaron Baker a good pitch to hit and Baker blasted it out to right field to tie the game 10-all.

WSU was playing its second midweek game and lacked fresh arms in the bullpen, which cost it late.

Josh Hamilton capped a torrid April with his first career grand slam and the Texas Rangers hit a season-high five home runs to beat the Kansas Royals 11-9 Wednesday night.

Rookie Brandon Boggs hit his first major league homer, and Milton Bradley, David Murphy and Gerald Laird also homered for the Rangers, who roughed up Brian Bannister (3-3).

Kevin Millwood (2-2) allowed five runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings as he picked up his first victory since April 10.

David DeJesus homered and drove in three runs for Kansas City, which trailed 9-1 at one point before scoring five in the seventh to cut Texas' lead to 9-6.

DeJesus hit a two-run homer to knock out Kevin Millwood. Frank Francisco relieved and allowed Alex Gordon's RBI single that brought Kansas City within three.

Caron Butler whispered in LeBron James' ear, one last word in case the Washington Wizards' season was about to end.

With only a few ticks of the clock left, desperate times called for desperate measures.

"I was messing with LeBron before the play started," Butler said. "I told him, 'Miss this shot, make it interesting and let's take this thing back to D.C."'

Seconds later, the Wizards were on their way home -- for Game 6.

Butler made a layup with 3.9 seconds left and the Wizards held their breath as James missed a potential series and season-ending layup at the horn, giving Washington an 88-87 victory Wednesday night and adding at least one more game to this overheated NBA playoff series.

Illinois State 7, Illinois Wesleyan 4

Valparaiso at Bradley 5-2, Valparaiso 3-1

Southern Illinois 3, Illinois 2

Kansas State 3, Wichita State 2

First Round

Best 2 of 3

Neosho Co. (22-28) at Seward. (37-16), 1 p.m.

Colby (24-26) vs. Kansas City (29-16) at St. Mary-Leavenworth, 3 p.m.

Independence (23-26) at Barton (24-19), 2 p.m.

The series: 7 tonight; 2 p.m., Saturday; 1 p.m., Sunday

Probable rotations: UNI, RH Guido Fonseca (7-0, 4.65); LH Taylor Sinclair (5-2, 4.65); LH Nick Kirk (4-4, 3.73). WSU, LH Rob Musgrave (6-1, 2.69); RH Aaron Shafer (7-2, 2.94); LH Anthony Capra (7-0, 1.85)

Notes

• Kirk, a junior, no-hit Evansville on March 28. He left his next start in the third inning with tightness in his arm. He missed a weekend start before returning to defeat Creighton on April 20. "He's just starting to get back," UNI coach Rick Heller said.

• With Andy Dirks back at CF, WSU coach Gene Stephenson expects to start freshman Ryan Engrav at DH. Engrav delivered pinch-hit singles against Kansas State and Oklahoma this week. "He's ready to jump in there," Stephenson said. "I think Ryan Engrav has shown that he's pretty darn good."

Game over _ Wichita State second baseman Josh Workman returned, but didn't stay long.

He was thrown out by home-plate umpire Ken McQueen after complaining about a called third strike in the seventh inning.

Workman played for the first time since April 8 and went 0 for 3 with a walk. He missed 14 games with a pulled muscle in his left side.

Freshman Taylor Brown, who committed two errors in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to Kansas State, took over for Workman. He delivered a key base hit in the top of ninth to drive in a run.

Name that bullpen _ Fans know Brent Kemnitz can coach pitchers. Can he still throw a pitch?

WSU 5, Tulsa 2

WSU batting -- McGeeney 0-2, L'Huillier 0-2, Barnett 3-3, Verhulst 1-4, Gerritse 2-3, Hull 0-1, Stanclift 0-4, Mitts 0-3, Dixon 1-3.

WSU pitching -- Bright 7-2.

Tulsa 5, WSU 2

Ryan Norman is one step closer to repeating as a state tennis champion.

The Independent junior breezed through the Class 3-2-1A regional field Thursday at Collegiate, winning every set of the day 6-0.

Norman beat his teammate, freshman Corban Aspegren in the final.

"That was good, because it meant we'd both done well," Norman said. "Corban played really well today."

Despite Independent's success at singles, coach Simon Norman was hoping for a little more.

It has been an active track season for Valley Center senior Todd McKown. He has the state's top Class 5A times in both the 110- and 300-meter hurdles races. He has jumped 21 feet, 1 inch in the long jump. He runs the anchor leg for a competitive 400-meter relay team.

Not bad for his first year of high school track.

After competing in middle school track, McKown used each spring season for the prior three years for offseason basketball training. Given that this is his senior season, he decided to give track one last shot. It has certainly paid off.

"The more usual situation would be a sprinter or distance runner making that transition, but not a hurdler," Valley Center coach Daniel Smith said.

McKown's father, a hurdler in college, has been able to offer pointers to McKown, who ran hurdles in middle school track.

Much of the focus in sports goes to wins and losses. Black and white, plain and simple.

What gets lost is the number of lessons that can be applied in the real world, which is more gray than black and white.

The baseball teams at West, Southeast, East and South have had to find the joys of alternative lessons. The four schools are a combined 9-44 in the City League this season.

"It's definitely a battle," second-year South coach Mike Magness said. "You have to take it one game at a time. You look at the top programs, they take care of the little things. It's the little things that they do that has them where they are. We need to adapt to doing those same things."

NBA Hall of Fame member and former U.S. Sen. Bill Bradley once said, "the taste of defeat has a richness of experience all its own." That's an experience some players must learn to savor.

MAIZE SOCCER, TRACK

Talley, a Maize junior right winger, had 14 goals and 10 assists for the undefeated Eagles entering Thursday's game. A two-year starter, Talley is a consistent and skilled player who also does the high jump and long jump for the track team. Talley finished seventh in Class 6A in the long jump last year -- the same day she helped Maize finish third in 6A soccer.

So many athletes specialize now, why don't you?

"It's really hard for me to choose what sports I love. Soccer's really important to me. I don't feel like specializing for me is the best way to go yet. If I can help other people out and do what I love to do, then I love doing it. I also play volleyball in the fall. I love sports."

Did you really fly to Wichita from a Garden City track regional to get back in time for a regional soccer game last year?

Class 6A

Dodge City

Team scores--Goddard 12, Maize 12, Garden City 6, Wichita Northwest 4, Dodge City 1, Wichita South 1, Wichita North 0, Campus 0.

Singles--1. Luttgeharm, Maize; 2. Jones, Goddard; 3. Payne, Garden City; 4. Marceau, Goddard.

Doubles--1. Nola-Van Horn, Goddard; 2. Clumsky-Brucks, Maize; 3. Howard-Haralson, Wichita Northwest; 4. Sims-Ashworth, Maize.

North 13, East 0

Udall-Oxford 19, Halstead 0

Halstead 9, Udall-Oxford 7

Game 1 of the Northwest-Bishop Carroll softball doubleheader Thursday night lived up to every expectation, especially on the mound.

That's where two of the area's best pitchers -- Northwest's Jessica Odell and Carroll's Katie Armagost -- engaged in a pitcher's duel in a game with City League title implications.

Odell finished with nine strikeouts, Armagost with six as the game went into the eighth inning scoreless before Northwest won 2-1.

"Both of those guys are very good pitchers," Northwest coach Merri Copeland said. "That's softball, the 1-0 games where it was just a matter of who would get that first run."

The nightcap was a different story.

Entering what will likely be a showdown for the City League title next Tuesday against Kapaun Mount Carmel, Northwest is confident has put itself in a position to knock off the reigning champs.

Behind a physical defense, the Grizzlies have won six of their last seven matches and are 6-0 in league. After watching Kapaun win the last four league championships, Northwest feels ready to challenge for its first title since 2003.

"I hope it will be a good match," Northwest coach Bobby Bribiesca said. "We're just peaking at the right time. We're going to have to play great defense against Kapaun."

Besides Northwest and Kapaun, Heights still has an outside shot at the title, with just one loss, a 3-1 setback to the Grizzlies on April 2. The Falcons host Kapaun on Friday.

"It looks like its just a three-team race right now," Kapaun coach Alan Shepherd said. "We're going to have our hands full on Friday with Heights. We're not looking past anybody."

East 13, West 0

East batting: 1-4, Berger 1-3, Poe 2-4, Malone 3-4, Dorris 1-2, Giesy 2-4.

Poe 6-0

West batting: Mills 0-2, Rios 0-2, Fair 1-2, Perez 0-2, Ritchie 0-2, Kibbee 0-1, Longpine 0-2, Tilley 0-2, Shepard 1-2.

East picked up its third win of the year Thursday, beating West 13-0.

The Aces have finished the season with three wins the last two seasons, however this season coach Ryan Bensch expected things to be a little different.

"I really thought we'd be around .500 right about now," said Bensch. "We've lost four games by a total of five runs."

East finishes the year with North, Dodge City, and Southeast. With only five seniors, East hopes its on its way to building a strong program.

"East isn't a big baseball school, and it doesn't help when you don't have real good seasons," Bensch said. "We do have some young kids who are getting a chance to play and are improving.

Area Regional Sites

Top four singles and top four doubles finishers at each site today in Class 6A, 5A and 3-2-1A qualify for next week's state meets. In Class 4A, the top four singles and doubles finishers advance to Friday's sub-states. The top four singles and doubles finishers in sub-states will advance to the state meet.

Class 6A

Dodge City--Campus, Dodge City, Garden City, Goddard, Maize, Wichita North, Wichita Northwest, Wichita South

Topeka, Kossover Tennis Center--Derby, Junction City, Manhattan, Topeka, Washburn Rural, Wichita East, Wichita Heights, Wichita Southeast

Former Bishop Carroll pitcher Addie Tallman was named MVP of South Florida Community College's team.

GOLF

Lorena Ochoa had her second round over par this year, shooting 2-over 73 in the first round of the SemGroup Championship in Broken Arrow, Okla. On a wind-blown day that yielded only four rounds under par, Ochoa began quest for a record-tying fifth consecutive victory on the LPGA Tour. Hee Young Park shot 2-under 69 on a tough day for everyone at Cedar Ridge.

"I'm OK," Ochoa said. "I'm not too far from the leaders."

• David Toms took the first-round lead in the Wachovia Championship with a 5-under 67 in Charlotte, N.C. Toms made eight birdies, including a near ace at the 13th hole, to take a one-shot lead over Phil Mickelson and Jason Bohn. Mickelson, in his first tournament since the Masters, showed off his new, longer putter in shooting a 68. Mickelson hit 12 of 14 fairways and had only 26 putts with his 35-inch model.

Baseball

• The 13-year old Sluggers Baseball Academy Red went undefeated to claim first place in the Kansas Top Gun tournament in Winfield. Team members are Cory Barbour, JC Baxley, Johnny Buchanan, Tyler Bugner, Colton Flax, Jared Gates, Collin Nitcher, Ty Redington, Lucas Schauer, Tyler Tilley and Grant Watkins. Coaches are John Buchanan, Greg Barbour, Tonto Baxley and John Redington.

• The Wichita Elite 10U went undefeated winning the Kansas Top Gun Championshiptournament in Winfield on April 19-20. Team members are Seth Davis, Jack Dewey, Christian Garcia, Kaleb Howell, Brett Huelsmann, Nick Johnston, Jake Karst, Logan McCollar, Justin Navrat, Brock Townsend, Eric Reid, Anthony Trujillo and Clayton Urban. Coaches are Tim Davis, Vince Garcia, Owen Johnston and Craig McCollar.

• The Wichita Cubs won the 12U of the Augusta Invitational April 26-27. Team members are Nick Auer, Josh Farrington, Caleb Haight, Joseph Hayes, Connor Hicks, Stephen Huber, Bryant Klusener, Joe Lienhard, Jack McGrath, Miles Starks and Brylie Ware. Coaches are Matt Klusener, Steve Lienhard and Pat Ware.

• The 12U Wichita Sluggers Blue won The Show-Future Big Leaguers World Series tournament April 25-27 in Del City, Okla. The players are Kyler Vena, Mitchell Shurtz, Jalen Parks, Drew Eaves, Tyler Winsor, Drew Johnson, Josh Johnson, Brady Hoover, Justin Queen, Landon Root, Brady Bluma and Ryan Banwart. The team is coached by Ty Houseman.

Calendar

Space precludes us from running all listings. To see all listings, go to Kansas.com/sports and click on "Other Sports."

Baseball

• Saturday-Sunday: Kansas Top Gun Championship tournament in Winfield ages 10U to 14U. Fee $195. Call Mark Cody, 316-259-1341.

• Deadline Monday: Mac Classic, May 10-11, Wall Park, McPherson. Ages 10u, 11u, 12u and 13-14u. Fee $175. Three-game guarantee. Call 316-841-5181 or 620-755-4991.

Darts

Blind Draw Doubles

Thomas Hopkins American Legion Post

1. Rich Pike-Dale Casey 4-0; 2. Danny Evans-Matt Rathbun 3-1; 3. (tie) Jesse Carter-Bryan Byrnes 3-1, Tony Jessup-Gregg Turner 2-1.

Gymnastics

Texas 11, Texas State 0

Baylor 14, UT-Arlington 4

Nebraska 6, Western Illinois 4

Kansas State 3, Wichita State 2

The Montreal Canadiens might not be around much longer this spring. The Flyers took a three-games-to-one stranglehold on their Eastern Conference semifinal series Wednesday with a 4-2 victory at the Wachovia Center.

Game 5 is Saturday in Montreal.

Danny Briere provided the game-winner on a power play with 3 minutes, 38 seconds remaining after Montreal had stormed back from a 2-0 deficit. R.J. Umberger added an empty-netter in the closing seconds.

Goalie Marty Biron again was the defensive hero for the Flyers, recording 36 saves.

Biron had a number of good ones, including a sliding save on Andrei Kostitsyn in the second period off a two-on-one rush. He also made a big save on Steve Begin during a Canadiens power play.

At least two trainers with a chance to win the Kentucky Derby on Saturday have been wearing New York Yankees caps this week -- Eoin Harty and Bill Mott.

"I work for Steinbrenner, so I got mine for free," Mott boasted the other morning at Churchill Downs, the blue cap fitting snugly on his head. "It's unfortunate his horse didn't make it to the Derby this year."

Yankees' boss George Steinbrenner's Majestic Warrior won't be around Derby day, but two other Mott-trained 3-year-old colts will -- Court Vision and Z Humor. Harty, who trains Colonel John but does not have horses with Steinbrenner, said he bought his Yankees cap.

For Mott, two Derby horses is heady stuff. The Hall of Famer with more wins at Churchill Downs than any other trainer has never won the Derby, never been close on the rare occasions he had a horse in the race.

For nearly 30 years, Mott has watched hundreds of Derby horses parade past his barn on a path leading to the track, calling it "a great scene and nice to be part of in the years you're able to."

Lorena Ochoa walked across the parking lot at Cedar Ridge, no one within 100 yards of her. She was alone again Wednesday morning in the clubhouse at breakfast, munching fruit and bacon as she sat by herself at a table for eight.

It was peculiar to see the LPGA Tour's biggest star go virtually unnoticed, but those two scenes illustrated her place in the game.

No one is close to her at the moment.

Consider what Ochoa accomplished over four consecutive weeks.

She beat the strongest field in women's golf by seven shots at the Safeway International outside Phoenix. She won by five shots at the Kraft Nabisco for her second straight major. Before 25,000 delirious fans in her native Mexico, she won by 11 to meet the performance criteria for the World Golf Hall of Fame. And with exhaustion setting in at the Ginn Open, she still won by three shots.

Most know the Beatles as a quartet -- John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Conductor Martin Herman thinks of the Beatles as a larger collection of musicians -- namely the violinists, cellists and instrumentalists who played the background music on such classic songs as "Eleanor Rigby," "Penny Lane" and "Yellow Submarine."

Before Herman came along, those orchestral accompaniments were confined to Beatles recordings. Then Herman, conductor of Classical Mystery Tour, a Beatles tribute band, wrote down those recorded background melodies so orchestras could play them.

Classical Mystery Tour will re-create the Beatles' greatest hits with the Wichita Symphony Orchestra at a concert Saturday in Century II Convention Hall.

Jim Owen, Tony Kishman, Tom Teeley and Chris Camilleri will play and sing as John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, respectively. Herman will conduct, leading the symphony in his note-for-note orchestrations of 20 familiar Beatles songs.

Thirteen years have passed since Colin Firth became, as Jane Austen might put it, "universally acknowledged" as the definitive Mr. Darcy in the lionized BBC TV miniseries of Austen's "Pride and Prejudice."

In the intervening time, the 47-year-old actor has established himself among worldwide audiences as a go-to guy when it comes to British romantic leads not played by Hugh Grant -- who was, you'll recall, Firth's rival in 2001's "Bridget Jones's Diary."

Firth describes the new film "Then She Found Me" as straddling the edge of both his "serious" and "comedic" projects. He plays a tightly wound, recently divorced suitor of a tightly wound schoolteacher (director-star Helen Hunt) who may still be hung up on the husband (Matthew Broderick) who abandoned her.

Movie audiences will see even more of Firth in the coming months. In "And When Did You Last See Your Father?" opening in June, he plays a middle-aged writer having a troubled reconciliation with his dying father. The romantic comedy, "The Accidental Husband," opens in August. And in July, there's "Mamma Mia!" the much-anticipated adaptation of the ABBA musical, in which Firth plays one of the possible candidates for father of the bride.

Firth took time out from his busy schedule to answer a few questions:

The musical theater department at Wichita State University is reviving the groundbreaking "Hair" for a 40th anniversary production this weekend. Here's what you need to know about the production:

1) Director Andrew Palermo says he has tried to make the 1960s period piece relevant to today's issues. "Obviously, we are in the middle of another unpopular war (like Vietnam) and there are still drug and race issues. We would be remiss if we didn't link now to then," Palermo says.

2) Palermo is also toying with some of the famous music, but he assures audiences that all of the beloved songs remain, including "Aquarius," "Star Shine" and "Let the Sun Shine In."

3) "Hair" follows the antics of a group of politically active, long-haired children of the Age of Aquarius, as they fight the military draft during the Vietnam War. They live a bohemian lifestyle in New York as they try to balance their idealism (civil rights) and hormones (sexual revolution) while affronting The Establishment.

4) Despite the updating, Palermo says, "Hair" remains an adult show with an R rating. That means there will be nudity, but only a brief amount. Sexuality and adult themes also are present.

The Warren Theatres and Wichita State University are joining forces this weekend to honor Kansas-born actress Shirley Knight. Here are some of the activities planned that are open to the public.

1) At 1 p.m. today, Knight will talk about her career and answer questions at WSU's Wilner Auditorium. Knight, born in Goessel and raised in Lyons, has starred in such films as "Sweet Bird of Youth," "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs," "As Good As It Gets" and "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood."

2) On Saturday, the Warren Theatre on east 13th Street will show two of Knight's films, "Sweet Bird of Youth" at noon and "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" at 12:30 p.m. Following each film, Knight will have a question-and-answer session in the auditoriums. The cost for either movie is $10, and includes a soda and popcorn. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the WSU Drama Department.

3) At 3:30 p.m. Saturday, the Warren will launch its new Walk of Fame, containing the hand prints in concrete of film stars. Knight will be the first star to be included in the Walk of Fame, located in front of the theater.

A good deal

The whole point of a romantic comedy is the comfort of the ritual -- the familiarity of it all, as if you're wrapping yourself in a warm, snuggly blanket of knowledge that the two attractive, charming leads will surely end up with each other in the end. The outcome is never in doubt, despite the various contrived obstacles that pop up along the way.

This is especially true of "Made of Honor," because it's pretty much a remake of a movie you've already seen: 1997's "My Best Friend's Wedding," starring Julia Roberts and rom-com regular Dermot Mulroney. The only difference is a reversal in gender roles -- so daring!

This time, Patrick Dempsey plays the one who realizes he's in love with his best friend (Michelle Monaghan), and when she announces she's getting married, he vows to undermine the wedding from the inside. Because, you see, she's asked him to be her "maid of honor." The title, of course, is a pun.

Dempsey and Monaghan have a likable screen presence individually and together, which makes the movie from British director Paul Weiland ("City Slickers II -- The Legend of Curly's Gold," enough said) vaguely tolerable -- for half a minute. And as Tom, a moneyed Manhattan womanizer, Dempsey does take off his shirt a lot, which is always a plus. They don't call him McDreamy for nothin'.

But then the pratfalls and the plotting become painfully cliched, and all you can do is check your watch and wait for the inevitable mad dash to break up the wedding and blurt out some long-overdue I-love-yous. In this case, the dash is actually a gallop, on horseback, across the Scottish countryside.

String Break has proven to be a plucky music festival. Despite rain during the festival in 2006 and 2007, it drew hundreds of music lovers to the Hinz Farm east of Newton. The forecast for Saturday's festival is for clear skies. Here are three other things you should know about String Break:

1) Ten local bands are donating their services to perform, including Split Lip Rayfield, the Dewayn Bros., the Sluggos, Steve Barnes and the County Money Band and Stateline. Many were friends of Kirk Rundstrom, the popular performer whose battle with esophageal cancer inspired the festival. Rundstrom died in February 2007.

2) Proceeds from the festival will be split between the Rundstrom/Fisher/Tureen Cancer Foundation, the American Cancer Society and a trust fund for Rundstrom's daughters. Auctions and raffles are also planned.

3) The Hinz Farm is 14 miles east of Newton at 14417 NW Santa Fe Road.

Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door. They can be purchased at stringbreak.net or by calling 316-799-2772. Doors open at 1 p.m. and the show starts at 2 p.m.

Diane Cline is ready to test the waters -- make that the smoke-free air -- in her nightclub. Her club, The Shadow, went smoke-free Thursday, after the staff spent two days scrubbing away any residue from cigarettes. This weekend is the first that the longtime east-side nightspot will operate with a no-puff policy.

"I thought, heck, I've just had it with smoke in my business," Cline said. "I'm going to see what happens."

The Shadow joins a short list of clubs and bars in Wichita that prohibit smoking. They include Oeno Wine Bar, three sports bars and two hotel lounges in Old Town. Some restaurants with attached bars also ban smoking.

Charlie Claycomb, co-chairman of Tobacco Free Wichita and a friend of Cline's, praised her move but said the vast majority of the city's drinking establishments are still havens of secondhand smoke.

"Fifty-seven percent of the country is smoke-free in bars," he said. "It's going to happen. I don't know why we think we have to reinvent the wheel."

Amici is one of those new-style Italian restaurants that downplay the food most associated with Italian cooking -- namely, pasta.

It's a risky approach. At least one other local restaurant that tried it within the past year quickly reverted to more traditional form, and chains that specialize in big plates of pasta happily fill their parking lots.

But Amici, a new eatery at 37th St. North and Rock Road, succeeds at much of what it does, serving up delicious entrees in a cozy, handsome setting. Little touches like a sage leaf here and a sprig of rosemary there lend layers of flavor to the dishes.

And pasta lovers shouldn't write it off entirely. Owner Ryan Watenbaugh promises a menu that evolves with the seasons and customer wants. Based on our two meals there, it will be fun to see what he comes up with.

ON THE MENU: Appetizers, salads, hot and cold sandwiches for lunch, and dinner entrees built around steak, chicken, fish and veal. Desserts include gelato and sorbet made on the premises. Breakfast is served on the weekend.