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Branden Albert never had a chance to try to block Jared Allen. He barely had a chance to block anyone.

Albert, one of the Chiefs' first-round draft picks and a key to their offensive success both long-term and short, injured his ankle and did not finish Thursday night's practice against the Minnesota Vikings.

Albert, the left tackle, walked back to the locker room before the practice concluded. Coach Herm Edwards said he didn't believe the injury would set Albert back much if at all.

"He'll be fine," Edwards said. "It's nothing bad."

Even if Albert returns to practice soon and plays in next Thursday's preseason opener against the Bears in Chicago, he missed an opportunity to get some quality snaps against the Vikings.

Geography lessons via the National Baseball Congress World Series reveal a limited world view. Anything east of the Mississippi River barely matters and east of the Appalachians barely exists.

The tournament is dominated by teams from Alaska, with 16 titles and 31 championship-game appearances to their credit. And Kansas, with 16 and 30. California, Oregon and Arizona claim three of the past four champions.

The East?

"Nonexistent," said Vienna (Va.) Senators manager Chris Burr, who would like very much to change that map.

The Senators will make their fourth appearance in the tournament, which begins today at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium and ends with a championship game Aug. 15. It is the 74th NBC, an event crowning as many champions from Chinese Taipei (2003) as New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Florida and Virginia (Fort Meyer, Va., 1952).

Before Chris Colton could figure out opposing pitching, he had to figure out himself.

Extra work in the batting cages before and after games has paid off for the Wingnuts center fielder.

On Thursday, Colton extended his hitting streak to six games and blasted a three-run home run, helping Wichita to a 7-6 win over St. Paul at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium.

"I've been working a little bit in the cages and I've changed my stance up a little bit and that has helped out a lot," Colton said. "I was straight up, now I've opened up a little bit. That forces me to keep my head on the ball and take a nice, easy swing."

Colton is 9 for 19 during his hitting streak but has competition for the title of Wichita's hottest hitter. During the same stretch, second baseman Brenan Herrera is 11 for 25.

The only thing that spoiled John Cook's comeback at the U.S. Senior Open was Fred Funk's finish.

Cook, who blew a big lead on the back nine at the British Senior Open on Sunday, carded a 4-under 66 Thursday in Colorado Springs, which was good for the clubhouse lead for most of the day until Funk birdied the 16th and 17th holes to go 6 under before three-putting the final hole and finishing at 5-under 65.

Funk had two birdies and an eagle on the first four holes of a spectacular round that was bogey-free until the 18th hole.

Wichita's Rod Nuckolls was 1 over through 13 holes before posting a 4-over 74 in his first Senior Open appearance. He was tied for 58th. Hutchinson's Matt Seitz and Champions Tour veteran Jim Colbert of Manhattan carded 75s.

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational -- Retief Goosen, a late arrival and an early starter, took advantage of a Firestone South course that played long and short on his way to a 4-under 66 that gave him a one-shot lead at the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio.

City Girls Junior

At Sim G.C., par 71

Final results

17-18-year-olds--Katy Nugent 66-68--134; Emily Adamson 81-85--166; Rachael Stanley 90-84--177; Brittany Meeks 86-92--178; Sara Ebarb 93-89--182; Sarah Rowe 91-92--182; Emily Hendricks 108-90--198; Kayla Wellemeyer 101-102--203.

16-- Laura Oxler 86-79--165; Mikala Payne91-85--176; Lauren Mermis 89-89--178; Whitney Ronshagen 92-91--183.

Thursday's results

Cruiser Driver

A Feature -- 1. Nick Biggs, Park City; 2. Brian Russell, Wichita; 3. Brian Wonders, Newton. Heat 1 -- 1. Brian Russell, Wichita; 2. Harry Prewitt, Wichita; 3. Nick Biggs, Park City. Heat 2 -- 1. Trevor Campbell, Wichita; 2. Brian Wonders, Newton; 3. James Deringer, Wichita.

Cruiser Gas

A Feature -- 1. Duane Zwickl, Wichita; 2. Derek Kreager, Park City; 3. Gary Wonders, Newton. Heat 1 -- 1. Derek Kreager, Park City; 2. Gene Gresty, Derby; 3. Duane Zwickl, Wichita. Heat 2 -- 1. Robbie Carter, Valley Center; 2. Gary Wonders, Newton; 3. Sarah Stevenson, Maize. Hornets

Calendar

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

Baseball

• Saturday, Aug. 7, Aug. 9: Wichita Bucs 14-U Westurban/tournament team tryouts at Wichita Trinity. Go to wichitabucs.com or call 316-771-8636.

• Sunday: Wolf Pack 12-U Westurban/tournament team tryouts, 1-4 p.m. Call Kelly Norlin, 316-733-5571.

Baseball

• The Wichita Longhorns won the 13U NBC Hap Dumont World Series in Pratt July 26-28 and were second in the 13-U NBC state tournament. Team members are Justen Burba, Trent Dunnegan, Bryce Whitchurch, Alex Leff, Alex McNew, Garrett Koehn, Junior Guerrero, Kane McCarthy, Dane Byfield and Tony Resendez. Coaches are Alan McNew, Adam McNew, Steve McNew and Brian Steele.

• The 14U Wichita Jets finished second in the Super Series American Division West World Series in Woodland Park, Colo. Team members are Cale Walsh, Chase Reibenspies, Seth Holman, Braxon Byfield, Craig Nicks, Bradyn Butcher, Jacob Schwindt, Cody Weston, Kevin Luman, Ryan Engels, Garrett Hoover and Alec Maly.

• The Wichita AASA A's finished second in the 13-U SuperSeries national tournament at McKinney, Texas, July 12-19. Team members are Dylan Kuhn, Bryce Minor, Ryan McBroom, Trevor Hughes, Jake Jones, Trevor Reid, Dalton Meyer, Christian Mucciaccio, Matt Henning and Masen Allen. Coaches are Brian Mucciaccio, Steve Meyer and Paul Minor.

• The 10-year-old Wichita Yankees won the Super Series American Division national championship in Broken Arrow, Okla., July 19-26. Team members are McCae Allen, Bobby Armstrong, Dalton Dinkel, Dylan Gates, Kyler Helm, Nick Henning, Patrick Henning, Kaleb Johnson, Braden Minor, Trevin Thomas and Colton Woodard. Coaches are Paul Minor, Ron Henning and Cary Dinkel.

It has a reputation for being one of Wichita's most dangerous intersections -- a magnet for aggressive drivers and those prone to fender bending.

But 21st and Woodlawn might also be one of Wichita's most delicious intersections, a magnet for those who love authentic ethnic food.

Over the past several years, the corner has become home to a number of locally owned eateries specializing in exotic fare.

Two Indian places. A Thai restaurant. A Cajun Shak. A branch of a popular local Mexican chain.

Following is a look at some of the restaurants you might sample the next time you buckle up and carefully navigate your way to 21st and Woodlawn.

Wichita Children's Theatre and Dance Center has young actors taking a closer look at the American working-class citizen.

The musical "Working," based on the best-selling novel "Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do" by Studs Terkel, will be performed today through Sunday at the theater, 201 Lulu.

A small cast of actors, ranging in age from high school to college, will examine the lives of American workers, from schoolteachers to parking lot attendants.

"The biggest challenge was getting young people who haven't been in the work force to grasp the characterizations of people who do the same thing their whole life," said Kelly Wonsetler, producing director.

Wonsetler thinks audiences will identify with the powerful subject matter.

Bookstores across Wichita are throwing parties tonight to celebrate the release of the new book "Breaking Dawn," the final installment of author Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga series. The book, aimed at teenagers and young adults, will go on sale just after midnight tonight.

Here are some of the participating bookstores:

1) Watermark Books & Cafe, 4701 E. Douglas, 316-682-1181. The party will be from 9 p.m. to midnight. Snack on "vampire skin" pastries before entering a costume contest. An excerpt from "Breaking Dawn" will be read.

2) Barnes & Noble at Bradley Fair, 1920 N. Rock Road, 316-315-0421. The party, with a prom theme, begins at 10 p.m. Come dressed as a vampire or werewolf and have your "prom" picture taken. There will also be a trivia hunt.

3) Barnes & Noble at Eastgate, 8021 E. Kellogg, 316-685-3600. The party begins at 11 p.m. Compete in a trivia contest and join in a raffle to win a Stephenie Meyer Twilight Saga series T-shirt.

You've had it drummed into your skull since junior high civics class: Every single vote counts. Diebold machines and hanging chads notwithstanding, it's still a resonant, if improbable, message: Any citizen of our nation might cast the deciding vote in an election.

"Swing Vote" puts a seriocomic twist on the premise, turning a trailer park layabout (Kevin Costner) into the sole decider of a presidential tie.

Through an electoral college stalemate, the race comes down to the swing state of New Mexico. It comes down, in fact, to Bud Johnson, a beer-marinated single dad who promised his socially responsible 12-year-old daughter (Madeline Carroll) that he would shake off his usual lethargy and visit the polling station.

Through a mechanical malfunction, Bud's ballot is not recorded, and he's allowed to cast it again. But first he's courted one-on-one by the Republican incumbent (Kelsey Grammer) and Democratic challenger (Dennis Hopper) who converge on his flyspeck hometown to convince disenfranchised Bud that they deserve his vote.

The film's strengths are Costner's laid-back work as Bud, an affable ignoramus with a heart of gold, and the absurd policy contortions the candidates go through to woo him. In a series of satirical campaign commercials, the conservative beams approvingly at gay couples and champions environmental protection while the liberal lashes out at Roe v. Wade and praises "God's intelligent design."

The modern Mummy movies seem like cheap plastic knockoffs of "Raiders of the Lost Ark." But with the most recent Indiana Jones entry appearing like an extra-expensive video game itself, there are times when the new "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" almost exceeds the better franchise's (lowered) standard.

But these times are few. Some hokey CG -- we're talking victory-dancing yetis bad -- accompanies yak puke gags and "banter" that would sound childish in elementary school yards. The movie somehow never locks in on any narrative momentum, even though it's a breathlessly paced set of elaborate action sequences.

Moving the action out of Egypt and into China makes for some nice new visuals. It's also an excuse to toss in that title dragon. And a bunch of reanimated terra-cotta warriors. Yetis, too, unfortunately.

Brendan Fraser is back as all-American hero Rick O'Connell. As this one takes place a year or so after World War II, he has retired to an English estate with his wife, Evelyn (Maria Bello in for Rachel Weisz who, let's face it, has an Oscar and doesn't need this nonsense anymore). They're bored to death, and are delighted when British Intelligence asks them to run an easy little mission to Shanghai.

In China, the O'Connells' now-adult son Alex (Luke Ford) has unearthed the titular burial site. Seems an evil warlord (Jet Li), who worked his conquered foes to death building the Great Wall, was also into immortality. But p.o.d sorceress Zi Yuan (Michelle Yeoh) made it so the spell covered him and his army in creamy milk chocolate... er, I guess it's supposed to be liquid clay.

Philip Morris International pulled down billboards and posters that promoted an Alicia Keys concert Thursday in Jakarta, Indonesia, after the singer protested the cigarette company's sponsorship.

The logo and slogans of A Mild cigarettes, produced by a Philip Morris affiliate, featured prominently in promotional materials for the concert.

The Washington-based Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids anti-smoking organization initially drew Keys' attention to the company's association with the show.

In a letter released by her record company, Sony BMG Music Entertainment, she said she had asked the company to stop the branding.

"I am an unyielding advocate for the well-being of children around the world and do not condone or endorse smoking," she said.

The music of Air Supply, Graham Russell says, takes people back.

The soft, simple sounds of the band, of which Russell is a member, act like a time warp. Listeners are transported to a time when music didn't come on little silvery discs, a time when the Soviet Union kept us awake at night, and reality was reality, rather than TV programming.

That was a time when bands such as Air Supply ruled the radio with songs like "All Out of Love," "Making Love Out Of Nothing At All" and "Even the Nights Are Better."

"We have a lot of songs locked in people's memories," Russell said in a recent phone interview. "Every time we sing one of them, it's like we never left."

Those days will be back Saturday, at least for a few hours. Soft-rock titans Air Supply will perform a free concert at Crestview Country Club as part of the Wichita Open golf tournament.

With a second CD under their guitar straps, local indie outfit The Brittle Lens play the Artichoke, 811 N. Broadway, today.

The band's new release, recorded at Greenjeans Studios in Wellington, is "Whisper to the Bomb."

Lead vocalist Brock Shannon says his songwriting has been influenced by the likes of John Lennon, Wilco and the Smashing Pumpkins. He's joined by John Bomhoff on guitar, Bryce Abood on drums and Hans Drachenberg on bass.

The shows will run from 8 to 11 p.m. and the cover is $4, with the 'Choke's usual money-back guarantee.

Doors band to exit

Juan Carlos Salmeron was playing for a dinner crowd recently when he learned that one of the diners was from Paraguay.

"I sang a song from Paraguay, and the girl starts crying," he said. "When that happens, I say, 'Boom, mission accomplished.' "

If anyone is qualified to tug heartstrings, it's Salmeron.

He sings in five languages -- English, French, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese. He's been entertaining people since he was in his teens, so he knows hundreds if not thousands of songs. With a bit of gray around the temples, he's got the dark good looks and easy smile of an aging matinee idol.

Salmeron's current gig is at Sabor Latin Grill in Old Town Square, where he strolls between tables -- and sometimes along the sidewalk outside -- singing and strumming his guitars, "Princess" and "Penelope." He's performed in numerous other eateries through the years, including El Paisa, Cortez, Italian Gardens, Mexico Cafe and Ruben's.

The key to farce, says Barb Schoenhofer, one of the stars of Crown Uptown's new show, "Caught in the Net," is not to approach it as comedy but, rather, as drama.

"To do it properly, you have to treat it like tragedy. You have to play it honest, not cartoony. If it were just a cartoon, it would ultimately not be funny. It would become too much to take for two hours," says Schoenhofer, who got her professional start at Crown in 1985 and has been a local, regional and national tour fixture since then.

"You also have to treat the characters honestly. They are all good people in ridiculous situations, but it you don't believe them, you won't like them. And if you don't like them, the show won't work," says the actress, who was most recently in Crown's blockbuster "Church Basement Ladies."

For co-stars Rob Summers and Craig Green, who also got their acting starts at the Crown in the 1980s, the thrill of farce is the speed of the show.

"You have to stay right on top of it and not let up. You don't play it for laughs. You find laughs in the pacing. You build the show as a series of vignettes," says Summers, who returned to Wichita and the Crown last fall after an absence of several years. He most recently played the pastor in "Church Basement Ladies."