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Wichita State freshman Mitch Caster hit a soft liner into left field and turned it into a single. He realized too late that a little more hustle could have put him on second base in the eighth inning of a tie game.

When Caster, replaced by a pinch runner, came to the dugout he went straight to senior Andy Dirks.

"I asked him, 'Should I have been on second there?'" Caster said. "He said 'Yea, you should be thinking double right out of the box. Just have (the first-base coach) hold you up."

A senior helps a freshman. It is something that should happen on every team, but often doesn't.

Moments like those are why WSU coach Gene Stephenson can smile and proudly exclaim "I love this team," in the press conference after Sunday's regional championship. "Are you all having fun yet?" he yelled. "Cause I had a whale of a great time tonight, I want you to know. This is a great team, the guys compete and never give up."

Lots of important words have been spoken at the White House, but to the impassioned citizens of Jayhawk Nation, none more so than those uttered Tuesday.

"Rock chalk Jayhawk!" President Bush said slowly, as if invoking some great spirit.

And he did, because the crowd of University of Kansas alumni and fans in the White House Rose Garden, basking in basketball adulation, offered a loud and approving ovation upon hearing their sacred chant.

Even the day was dressed in Jayhawk colors, with crimson roses and a deep blue sky overhead.

"It's a big deal as far as I'm concerned to welcome KU to the Rose Garden," Bush insisted.

A feisty Big Brown was back in his barn after a final workout Tuesday for the Belmont Stakes, and Rick Dutrow Jr. wasted no time zeroing in on the crack in the colt's left front hoof.

No blood.

"I didn't see any," the trainer said, promptly relaying the good news to hoof specialist Ian McKinlay by phone. "I said that he went good and I don't see any issue at all. I told him that everything was beautiful."

Big Brown ran five furlongs in 1:00.03 with Dutrow and co-owner Michael Iavarone looking on near the finish line, where they expect Big Brown to be proclaimed a Triple Crown champion on Saturday.

No such celebration has taken place at this track since 1978, when Affirmed dueled with Alydar and captured thoroughbred racing's highest honor.

The Stanley Cup was out of its crate, getting one last polish.

The Detroit Red Wings had rallied, taken the lead and were only 35 seconds from hoisting that shiny prize. That's when a player no one expected to be on the ice struck for the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Three overtimes later, with 23-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury stopping everything the Red Wings shot at him, a goal shortly before 1 a.m. Tuesday sent the series back to Pittsburgh -- and maybe put a shred of doubt into the minds of those in Hockeytown.

"Here we go again," Red Wings forward Kris Draper said Tuesday after returning to Pittsburgh. "We would have loved to have been able to wrap things up, but that wasn't the case. We've got another crack at it.

"We're still up 3-2 in the series and we have another opportunity to close Pittsburgh out."

Travis Kane allowed an early run Tuesday, then limited the Wingnuts to four hits in 8 2/3 innings to lead the Sioux Falls Canaries to a 5-1 victory over Wichita at Sioux Falls, S.D.

The Wingnuts (15-11) had a promising start to their six-game road trip, as Kevin Hooper led off the game with a triple and scored on a groundout by Blake Gailen. But after scoring one run in a 10-inning loss to Sioux City on Monday, Wichita again struggled to muster runs.

Despite the lack of offense, the Wingnuts held a 1-0 lead until the bottom of the sixth inning. But starter Brad Davis took the loss, allowing two runs in 6 2/3 innings.

Sioux Falls added three runs in the eighth.

Michael Thompson went 2 for 4 for Wichita, which fell into a second-place tie with Sioux Falls in the American Association's North Division.

Half of the radio team that brought Wichita State fans most of the baseball action from the past 13 seasons is off the air.

Just when the season is hitting its peak.

Color analyst Terry Elliot will not be part of the WSU radio broadcasts at the super regional in Tallahassee, Fla., this weekend. He is surprised and puzzled at the move by BGM Sports Marketing, the company that owns and produces WSU broadcasts.

Elliot, who started calling WSU games in 1995 and took over full time in 1997, called games ending Sunday at the Stillwater Regional. He said he was not removed from the broadcast due to anything he said on the air.

"I am unclear at this time why I am not doing the games," Elliot said.

Super Regionals

(Best-of-3)

At Cary, N.C.

Saturday: Coastal Carolina (50-12) at North Carolina (49-12), 11 a.m.

Sunday: Coastal Carolina at North Carolina, noon

Fourball Championship

At Alvamar G&CC, Lawrence

Stroke-play qualifying

Open Division

Top teams--1. John Hess, Leawood-Aaron Sheaks, Wichita 64; 2. (tie) Ben Lowman, Manhattan-Riley Piles, Topeka and Travis Deckert, Wichita-Jeff Bell, Wichita 66; 4. (tie) Spencer Alefs, Wichita-Ross Geubelle, Lakin; Josh Taylor, Overland Park-Matt Ewald, Leawood; Mitch Carlson, Overland Park-Korbin Kuehn, Overland Park; and Shawn Barker, Bartlesville, Okla.-Jordan Miller, Bartlesville, Okla. 67;

Girls Soccer

Coaches All-Region

Class 6A

First Team

Offense--Yvette Alvarez, Northwest; Cindy Benitez, Garden City; Whitney Berry, Goddard; Jackie Craft, Northwest; Elizabeth Fuller, East; Hannah Kern, Maize; Selby Polley, Heights; Lorielle Slates, Campus; Tia Stovall, Maize; Leah Talley, Maize; Shelbie Walburn, Southeast. Defense--Erin Widrig, Northwest; Kayde Kluge, Maize; Ali Schreiber, Derby; Alex Leach, Goddard; Miranda Holmes, Maize. Goalkeeper--Christina Farid, Maize; Shelby Austin, Goddard.

Influential IOC officials accused the U.S. Olympic Committee on Tuesday of refusing to renegotiate its "immoral" share of global Olympic revenues, reopening a dispute that could harm Chicago's bid for the 2016 Games.

Under a long-standing deal with the International Olympic Committee, the USOC receives nearly 13 percent of U.S. TV rights fees and 20 percent of global marketing revenues -- totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.

Discussions about reducing the U.S. share deal have failed to produce an agreement, leading several top IOC and international sports federation officials to accuse the USOC of footdragging.

"Nothing moves -- this cannot go on," said Dutch IOC member Hein Verbruggen, vice president of the association of summer Olympic sports federations (ASOIF). "I am angry with these people."

Verbruggen called the USOC's revenue share an "immoral amount of money compared to what other people get." He said the USOC is expected to receive about $300 million from the 2005-2008 period, and $450 million for 2009-2012.

Katie Burkhart threw a four-hitter, Kaitlin Cochran finally showed off her hitting prowess with a three-run home run and Arizona State claimed its first Women's College World Series title with an 11-0 win against Texas A&M on Tuesday night.

Burkhart struck out 13 to win her 11th straight decision, and Cochran demonstrated why opponents started the World Series by intentionally walking her six straight times.

She went the opposite way for her 14th home run of the season, giving the sixth-seeded Sun Devils (66-5) a commanding 4-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning in Game 2 of the best-of-three championship series.

Mandy Urfer reached on a fielding error by third baseman Jamie Hinshaw, and Rhiannon Baca followed with a base hit that also deflected off Hinshaw's glove to bring Cochran to the plate in a situation where the Aggies wouldn't think about walking her.

Jackie Vasquez, who was hitting behind her, had already won a semifinal game with a three-run home run and she had driven in Arizona State's first run with a RBI single in the third.

Rafael Nadal's French Open quarterfinal began more than 1 ½ hours after Novak Djokovic's did Tuesday. Which is why, after wrapping up a three-set victory, Djokovic figured his coach could head over and check out some of Nadal's match.

So much for a fresh scouting report ahead of Friday's semifinals.

Turns out Nadal was only moments away from winning 6-1, 6-1, 6-1 against Nicolas Almagro, the most lopsided men's quarterfinal at Roland Garros in the 40-year history of the Open era. Almagro's no slouch, by the way: He was seeded 19th and has won more matches on clay than anyone else this season.

"I told my coach -- I think it was 6-1, 6-1, 5-1 -- I told him, 'Look! Go! Go fast! See one game! Try to catch at least a game and see how it goes,'" Djokovic said. "'Maybe he'll play some bad shots."'

Not a chance. Hard as it is to believe, Nadal is playing more relentlessly than ever, treating each point -- no, each and every stroke -- as though the outcome hangs in the balance.

What made the cover

• "Dr. Phil's $200 million divorce!" (National Enquirer)

• "Brad (Pitt) fears for the babies" (In Touch)

'Indy' tying the knot?

• "Summer wedding for Harrison (Ford) & Calista (Flockhart)" (National Enquirer)

The Midwest Nationals traveling baseball team played in a tournament in Manhattan last weekend. By computer and phone, the players kept track of NCAA regionals.

There were plenty of local favorites to keep track of for the kids from Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri.

"It was a big topic," Nationals coach Randy Merryman said. "They were texting or following it on the Internet. I pretty much knew every score."

Only one team from the region came out with winning scores all weekend.

Wichita State won the Stillwater Regional to advance to a super regional for the second straight season. Last season's super regional at Eck Stadium helped the Shockers sign what coaches believe is one of their best recruiting classes in recent seasons. While the draft may alter that outlook, WSU coaches are happy to get another chance to sell their program as one of the top 16 in the nation.

The attention is flattering, but Goddard infielder Logan Watkins is weary of the phone calls and the talking.

The baseball draft begins today and Watkins is eager to move on with his baseball future. He is signed to play at Wichita State, but won't know his destination for sure until after the draft.

"I really am wanting to get the whole thing to get over with so I know what I'm doing," he said. "I want to go to WSU, but if I'm offered something I can't refuse, obviously I have to make the best decision for me."

Watkins is prized for his speed and athletic ability. He played shortstop for the Lions and hit .476 with 33 runs. He will likely move to second base at WSU. Goddard coach Tom Campa also sees the outfield in his future.

"He has great, great range and a great arm," Campa said.

Derby 14, Newton 13

Newton batting: Underhill 1-4, Elliott 2-5, Revall 2-4, Adams 1-4, Wade 0-4, Mahler 1-5, Gowder 0-3, Ybarra 1-4, Rehnstrom 3-4.

Derby batting: Ferguson 1-4, Waddell 1-3, Voorhees 1-4, Martinez 3-4, Theriot 0-2, Taliaferro 2-2, Brown 0-4, Templeton 1-4, Murphy 2-5, Uechi 3-5.

Newton pitching: Ebinger 1 1/3-5, Creamers 1 2/3-0, Amos 3-2, Prior 2-7.

Beau Torbert homered twice, including a tiebreaking shot to lead off the bottom of the seventh inning, boosting Sioux Falls to a 9-7 victory over the visiting Wingnuts on Wednesday.

Sioux Falls scored two runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to send Wichita to its third straight loss.

Torbert, Josh Patton and Ben Van Inderstine each drove in two runs for the Canaries, who moved ahead of the Wingnuts into second place in the American Association's North Division.

The Wingnuts scored against former major-league pitcher Pat Mahomes in four of the six innings he pitched. But Sioux Falls countered by roughing up Wichita's Justin Young for six runs _ five earned _ on eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Still, Wichita tied the score at 6-6 in the top of the sixth on catcher Felipe Del Rosario's two-run double. But Torbert belted his second homer of the game off Wichita reliever Richard Salazar (0-1) to give the Canaries the lead for good.

Terry Elliot is back in the radio broadcast booth for the super regional.

Beyond that is a question.

Wednesday, a day after he was removed from the Wichita State baseball radio team, Elliot was reinstated in a statement from the president of BGM Sports Marketing, which owns WSU radio rights.

"I'm happy I get to go to the super regional," Elliot said. "We got it worked out. We're both happy."

Elliot, a former Shocker catcher, said public anger with the move helped his return. He first called games with play-by-play voice Mike Kennedy in 1995 and took over full-time in 1997.

• The 50-round draft begins at 1 p.m. today and finishes on Friday. Check Kansas.com frequently for updates of drafted Kansans.

• The first round will be televised by ESPN2 from Disney's Wide World of Sports complex near Orlando.

• Players drafted must sign by Aug. 15 or go back into the draft pool.

• The Tampa Bay Rays pick first, followed by Pittsburgh and Kansas City.

Brad Albrecht of Bellevue, Neb., shot a 1-under-par 71 on Wednesday for a two-shot lead after the first round of the inaugural Woody Austin Midwest Junior Invitational at Crestview Country Club.

Albrecht was the only golfer under par in windy conditions on Crestview's North course. Augusta's Jordan Lytton was alone in second after shooting a 73.

The three-day tournament features two boys and two girls age divisions. Albrecht led the boys 16-18 competition, while Colby's Ryley Haas (75) topped the boys 13-15 field.

Wichita's Alaina Cleland shot an 80 for a six-shot lead in the girls 16-18 group. Topeka's Taylor Fagan topped the girls 13-15 field with a 93.

Smell, Willman earn KGA Fourball top seed -- Kansas State golfer Kyle Smell and Nebraska signee Scott Willman fired a 9-under-par 63 Wednesday to grab the No. 1 seed for match play in the Kansas Golf Association Fourball Championship in Lawrence.

Hockeytown is home to the Stanley Cup -- again.

Using a little Motown magic on the road, the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup for the fourth time in 11 seasons Wednesday night with a 3-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 6 of the finals.

The celebration came two nights later than expected. The Penguins forced the series back to Pennsylvania by tying Game 5 with 34.3 seconds left in regulation and winning it shortly before 1 a.m. in Detroit on Petr Sykora's power-play goal in triple overtime.

Undeterred, the Red Wings wrapped up their fourth straight series on the road in these playoffs. Detroit is third in NHL history with 11 Stanley Cup titles, trailing fellow Original Six clubs Montreal and Toronto.

In the best night for Swedish hockey since the national squad won the gold medal at the 2006 Turin Olympics, defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom became the first European captain of a Stanley Cup champion, and Henrik Zetterberg, who had a goal and assist in the Cup clincher, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Wednesday was Adam "Pacman" Jones' second day of offseason workouts with the Dallas Cowboys since commissioner Roger Goodell said this week that Jones could join his new team at practice after being suspended for the entire 2007 season. Jones worked out at cornerback, on kickoff and punt returns and intercepted a pass for the second day in a row. Jones, acquired by the Cowboys from Tennessee in April, can also take part in training camp and preseason games, but remains suspended from the regular season. Goodell will rule on that by Sept. 1, six days before the Cowboys' opener.

• An attorney says New England Patriots lineman Nicholas Kaczur was arrested on drug charges, then helped federal authorities in a sting operation that led to the indictment of a supplier. Kaczur was arrested in New York in April on a misdemeanor charge of illegal possession of oxycodone.

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Jerramy Stevens was suspended without pay for the first two games of the season and fined an additional game check Wednesday for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

SOCCER

The United States ended a two-game European trip with its second straight loss, giving up a late goal to Xavi Hernandez in a 1-0 defeat against Spain on Wednesday night in Santander, Spain.

McCain invites Obama to town hall meetings

Tiller grand jury awaiting files

With time running out, the grand jury investigating abortion provider George Tiller has yet to see any medical records subpoenaed directly from the doctor.

State's May income falls $51 million short

Preliminary figures from the Department of Revenue show that the state collected $51 million, or 7.7 percent, less than anticipated in taxes in May.

Top-ranked Roger Federer rallied to defeat Fernando Gonzalez 2-6, 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 and reach the final four at his 16th consecutive Grand Slam event.

"It's always a great pleasure being in the last four," Federer said. "It's really where it gets most interesting."

Seeking the only major title he has yet to win, Federer next will face unseeded Frenchman Gael Monfils, who delighted a capacity crowd on center court by beating No. 5-seeded David Ferrer 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 6-1. No. 2 Rafael Nadal, the three-time defending champion, will play No. 3 Novak Djokovic in the other semifinal Friday.

By this week's standards at Roland Garros, Federer's comeback against Gonzalez was modest. Dinara Safina came within a point of defeat for the second consecutive match, but made the semifinals by beating fellow Russian Elena Dementieva 4-6, 7-6 (5), 6-0.

The semifinal berth is the first in a major tournament for Safina, the younger sister of two-time Grand Slam champion Marat Safin. Her latest rally was remarkably similar to the one she mounted against top-ranked Maria Sharapova in the fourth round.

Big Brown is No. 1 again before he even stampedes out of the gate at the Belmont Stakes.

Big Brown will take his shot at Triple Crown history from the inside, drawing the No. 1 post for Saturday's race. The post could be a lucky one for an undefeated colt that really doesn't need any extra edge: It's produced the most Belmont winners (23) since 1905.

Big Brown was installed as the early 2-5 favorite against nine rivals Wednesday for the grueling 1 ½-mile race.

Big Brown won the Kentucky Derby from the outside and he dominated the Preakness starting in the middle of the pack. Now, the colt has a shot at winning from the rail. Jockey Kent Desormeaux, whose flawless handling of the horse has Big Brown in position for the first Triple Crown in 30 years, said the inside was a better spot.

"Absolutely, because it's an easier trip," he said. "I would be able to just guide and glide. Now, I'm going to have to jockey for position. He's so fast away from the gate, though, the race might be over in 40 yards."

"Fear Itself" premieres at 9 tonight on NBC and KSNW, Channel 3.

It's NBC's revival of Showtime's "Masters of Horror," featuring the blood-curdling chops of a bunch of solid directors who know how to curdle the blood -- and splatter, smear, spread and splotch it, too.

Some of the names are Darren Bousman ("Saw II, III and IV"), Brad Anderson ("The Machinist"), Mary Harron ("American Psycho") and John Landis ("An American Werewolf in London"). Alums of "Masters" are onboard, too.

The 13-episode run invokes a classic form of TV -- the anthology -- that has fallen out of favor because audiences seem to prefer serial storytelling.

The horror anthology has had a slightly different fate over the years, as some of these seminal titles attest: "The Twilight Zone," "The Outer Limits," "Tales From the Darkside" and "Tales From the Crypt."

Ed McMahon, who for decades appeared as Johnny Carson's sidekick on "The Tonight Show," is fighting to avoid foreclosure on his multimillion-dollar Beverly Hills home, according to published reports.

The former "Star Search" host was $644,000 behind on payments on $4.8 million in mortgage loans when a unit of Countrywide Financial Corp. filed a default notice Feb. 28 with the Los Angeles County Recorder's Office, the Wall Street Journal first reported late Tuesday.

McMahon, 85, has been a pitchman for the American Family Publishers' sweepstakes. However, he has been unable to work since he broke his neck 18 months ago, said his spokesman, Howard Bragman.

The six-bedroom, five-bath house is listed for sale at $6.25 million. It has been on the market two years, according to real estate agent Alex Davis.

The house is near that of pop star Britney Spears, which doesn't always work in its favor.

"Sex and the City: The Movie" stormed into theaters last week, bringing with it cosmopolitans, racy talk and the outrageous wardrobes of Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda.

In a moment of marketing synergy, the film's lead star, Sarah Jessica Parker, is simultaneously launching the third collection in her Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker line for $9 fashion emporium Steve and Barry's.

Yes, everything in the entire store, including Bitten items, is $8.98. Or less.

Parker's latest duds might not be on the level of Carrie Bradshaw's beloved Manolo Blahnik, but they do meet her label's mantra: Fashion is not a luxury. And besides, isn't it all about mixing high and low fashion right now?

Bitten is filled with "it girl" items such as denim trench coats, menswear vests, scoop-neck T's, sailor pants and the printed strapless dress Parker recently wore to a premiere. Her red-carpet bravado prompted the New York Times headline "Is this the world's cheapest dress?" It just may be.

"A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," the 1962 Tony Award-winning farce with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, opened this week as the first show of the 37th summer season for Wichita Music Theatre. It runs through Sunday.

The story centers on a slave who makes a pact with his lovestruck young master, Hero, to help him woo the girl of his dreams, Philia, in exchange for the slave's freedom. Trouble is, the girl is a concubine who has been reserved for beefy warrior Myles Gloriosus upon his return from the battlefield.

Among songs in "Forum" are "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid," "Lovely," "Love, I Hear," "Bring Me My Bride," "That Dirty Old Man," "That'll Show Him" and the blockbuster opening, "Comedy Tonight."

The show is rated PG-13 for bawdy humor and humorously risque dancing.

Shows are at 8 p.m. today through Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday and 7 p.m. Sunday, in Century II Concert Hall. Tickets are $18-$52 for evening shows and $16-$44 for matinees. Call 316-265-3107.

Look closely at the top summer movies and notice the special effects they're having on the perception of age.

At 65, Harrison Ford is saving the world again in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," and, yes, that's gray hair under his beat-up fedora.

In "Iron Man," Robert Downey Jr. flies across the ocean in a metal suit and, just as incredibly, demonstrates a superhero can be a 43-year-old guy with crow's-feet.

All the fun stuff in "Sex and the City" -- the high heels, designer handbags, fancy cocktails and steamy passions -- is reserved for actresses of a certain age. Three of them are in their fabulous 40s (Sarah Jessica Parker, 43, Cynthia Nixon, 42, and Kristin Davis, 43) and Kim Cattrall is fit and foxy at 51.

As summer trends go, older is the new hip.