Andanh.com

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."

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.

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

He knows how it sounds. And Bill Snyder knows because he's responsible for the story being told, and re-told.

If the legendary Kansas State coach doesn't call Jordy Nelson, then a walk-on defensive back, into his office following an uneventful freshman season and "suggest" a position change, if the legendary K-State coach doesn't, in his words, "realize" Nelson is better suited at wide receiver, this story -- which has almost become a fable by now -- doesn't have a happy ending, a resolution that might include the Riley County native being selected during the first day of this weekend's NFL Draft.

Nelson's agent can see it happening.

"He's solid second," Vann McElroy said. "He has the potential to sneak into the bottom of the first."

At worst, according to the mock drafts that overpopulate the Internet at this time of the year, he's a third-round choice.

Oklahoma State's Reynolds Stadium, known as a hitter's paradise, did not do much to wake up Wichita State's bats.

Maybe Sycamore Field will help. The 14th-ranked Shockers travel to Indiana State this weekend to face the Missouri Valley Conference's second-worst pitching staff.

Sounds like just what WSU (31-8, 9-3 MVC) needs. The Shockers managed just five hits in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to No. 13 Oklahoma State. They have been shut out twice in the past seven games and are hitting .226 in their past 10 games against NCAA Division I opponents.

"We better find our hitting shoes pretty quick," WSU coach Gene Stephenson said after Wednesday's loss. "We can't press. What we have to do is focus on the opportunity that's in front of us, and focus on getting a good pitch to hit and doing something with it."

Indiana State (12-24, 5-7) may boost WSU's confidence by the time the series wraps up Sunday. The Sycamores rank eighth in the Valley with a 6.50 ERA and opponents are hitting .308 against them. No. 1 starter Michael Manus opens with a 5.32 ERA and it gets worse from there.

An indication of how different Independent League baseball is from affiliated ball surfaced when the Wichita Wingnuts' spring training roster was released this week.

On it, a category of "Rank" is listed, indicating how many years of professional baseball a player has logged.

The ranks range from rookie to veteran, with Limited Service (LS) Nos. 1-5 in between. Only a select number of players from each rank can be included on a roster.

It's almost as complicated as it sounds, but Wingnuts manager Kash Beauchamp seems to have it figured out.

"You just need to know the facts that you're allowed four veterans (players with at least five years of professional experience)," Beauchamp said. "And we have to have four rookies if we go with a 22-man roster."

Whenever she walks out to the pitching circle for the Wichita State softball team, her presence has a calming effect through the rest of the team.

Every time WSU senior Ashly Bright pitches, Wichita State hitters know that one or two runs will usually be enough for a victory.

"We know when Ashly throws she has the potential to shut the opposing team out," WSU coach Mike Perniciaro said. "It's just great to know we've got the best pitcher in the Valley on our side."

Bright, a senior from Oklahoma City, has found success on every mound she has stepped on, clocking in on the radar with a 68 mph fastball, which would be the equivalent of mid-90s in baseball.

Bright has assaulted the Wichita State record books this season. She obliterated the school record of 247 strikeouts in a single season, breaking the mark with 17 games left in the season. Bright has 313 strikeouts in 219 2/3 innings pitched while compiling a 17-15 record with a 1.85 ERA.

Wichita State is seeded second in both the men's and women's Missouri Valley Conference tennis tournaments.

That makes their position easy to explain. Each WSU team is trying to get to the final and avenge its only conference loss of the season.

Both tournaments begin today in Omaha. The WSU men play seventh-seeded Bradley (2-17) at 3 p.m.

The WSU men went 5-1 in the Valley, with a 5-2 loss to top-seeded Drake a week ago. Should they meet again, WSU director of tennis Chris Young says winning the doubles point is crucial. Drake won two of the three doubles matches, both handily, last week in Des Moines.

"We were a little disappointed with our doubles," he said. "That's where the match swung a little bit."

The series: 5 tonight; noon, Saturday; noon, Sunday

Probable rotations: WSU -- LH Rob Musgrave (5-1, 2.25); RH Aaron Shafer (6-2, 3.03); LH Anthony Capra (7-0, 1.65). ISU -- Michael Manus (1-6, 5.32); RH Matt Shelton (3-4, 5.51); RH Micah Spencer (2-3, 6.23)

• WSU has won eight consecutive games against the Sycamores. The Shockers have won nine straight in Terre Haute dating to 2002.

• WSU outscored the Sycamores 31-6 in three games last season. C Tyler Weber went 9 for 9 in the series with three home runs and seven RBIs.

• Indiana State LF Brady Shoemaker is second in the MVC with 47 RBIs. He is hitting .317 with an on-base percentage of .424 and five home runs. CF Chris Schmidt is hitting. 346 with 27 RBIs. He has stolen 13 bases in 15 attempts.

Long before A.J. Gebert was old enough to attend Kapaun Mount Carmel, his father regaled him with stories about legendary football and golf coach Ed Kriwiel.

His dad, Steve, had firsthand knowledge, having played football and golf for Kriwiel. Steve Gebert and his brothers Chris and Dan were a part of state golf and state football titles.

"My dad had nothing but fantastic words about the man," said A.J. Gebert, which is why he was adamant that he would attend Kapaun and play golf for Kriwiel.

Gebert got his wish last year, but in early December, Kriwiel died at the age of 81.

In memory of Kriwiel, the Kapaun golf team wears hats, golf shirts and windshirts on which the coach's initials are embroidered.

SOUTHEAST TRACK

Aarian Tipton is in her first season as a a sprinter at Southeast. The sophomore missed track last season after suffering a knee ligament injury during basketball. Now she's making up for lost time.

The 16-year-old runs the 100- and 200-meter dashes as well as the 400 and 1600 relays.

The 400 relay finished second at the Kansas Relays.

Which do you like better, running on a relay team or as an individual?

El Dorado senior Laura Nightengale is taking on all comers in long distance running. She is the defending Class 4A champion in the 800-meter run and finished second last year in the 1600. She owns the school records in both races.

"I am really happy with how the season has been going," Nightengale said. "I was a little disappointed with my performance at the KU Relays, but I felt like I ran well in the mile. We'll see how everything turns out the rest of the year."

Nightengale finished sixth in the 800 and fifth in the 1600 at KU.

On paper, there appears to be a budding rivalry between Nightengale and Baldwin standout Heather Garcia. Nightengale edged Garcia last year at state in the 800, while Garcia returned the favor in the 1600.

Actually, the two are friends, running with each other on a relay last summer at the USATF national meet.

Bishop Carroll's tennis team took advantage of a depleted Kapaun Mount Carmel roster Thursday en route to finishing the regular season unbeaten.

The teams entered Thursday's matchup -- the final contest before Saturday's City League meet -- tied atop the league standings.

After Carroll took four of six singles matches and Kevin Klein and Jordan Keller won at No. 1 doubles, all the drama was gone.

"That's kind of the idea," Carroll coach Darren Huslig said. "It's big for us to gain a point on them going into Saturday."

Klein will try for his fourth league doubles championship Saturday.

The annual Kansas Barnstorming Tour makes its Wichita stop tonight at Wichita East. The event is sold out. The tour pits Jayhawks seniors against a group of local players. Players will sign autographs at 6:30 p.m.; game time is 8.

• Brooks Middle School will celebrate its 50th anniversary May 1, including a 6 p.m. basketball game featuring alumni players.

Longtime coach Gordon Long will coach one of the teams. The 6 p.m. game is part of a night of events, including tours beginning at 5 p.m., guest speakers at 7:15 and a meet-and-greet session with past students and staff at 7:45 p.m. Call Brooks at 316-973-6450 for information.

• Larry Brown resigned as Philadelphia's executive vice president with the intent to pursue a coaching job at the NBA or college level.

• Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest had surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb which will keep him out for up to 10 weeks.

Johan Franzen scored two goals and had an assist to help Detroit build a three-goal cushion, and the Red Wings held on to beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-3 Thursday night at Detroit in Game 1 of their second-round series.

Franzen's second goal early in the second put Detroit ahead 4-1, but Colorado pulled within a goal by the end of the period.

Detroit's Chris Osgood made 18 saves.

The Avs pulled Jose Theodore after he gave up four goals on 16 shots, then said they sent him to the team hotel because he was sick. Peter Budaj gave the Avs a chance to come back by stopping all 20 shots he faced.

Joe Louis Arena was buzzing when the puck dropped and a rivalry was renewed, then the Avs quieted the storied arena with the game's first goal when Paul Stastny scored midway through the first period.

College baseball: Texas A&M International at Newman (DH), 5 p.m.

Track: Wichita State at Oregon Invitational

Tennis: Wichita State men and women at MVC Tournament in Omaha; Newman men and women at Heartland Conference Tournament in Austin

Boys golf: Hutchinson Invitational

Girls soccer: Manhattan at Heights, 5:30 p.m.

Spring Fling

Mary's Supper Club

April 5

Blind Draw: 1. Mike Durham-Dale Casey; 2. Danny Scott-Richard Pike; 3. Brian Byrnes-Jimmy Dinsmore; 4. Carmen-Robert Geer.

Gymnastics

Wine is fine in the afternoon.

But it might be a little more fun in the evening.

That's why organizers of the annual Midwest Winefest -- a celebration of all things wine that's now in its 13th year -- are moving the event's "grand tasting" forward a few hours.

Instead of running through the afternoon, the tasting will be from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.

Organizers are hoping that the evening hours will encourage people to make the Winefest a destination -- not just another thing to cram into a sunny spring afternoon.

After 40, maturity is supposed to set in.

Fortunately, the cast and crew of the annual comedy satire show "Gridiron" didn't get that memo.

This year's show, "Gridiron 2008: 40 Years of Magnificent Mediocrity," will continue the tradition of irreverent skewering of local and national news events.

It stars and is written by area journalists, including Bonnie Bing, Bucky Walters, Ted Woodward and emcee Randy Brown -- who's back after missing last year's show to recover from a serious motorcycle accident.

Gridiron's producer, Barney Byard, promises that Gridiron hasn't gotten any tamer with age.

Don't be concerned if you're unfamiliar with the south Asian dance called Manipuri. Even dance lovers in India often don't know much about it.

That's because Manipuri dance was founded in Manipur state, a valley hemmed in by the Himalaya Mountains in the far northeast of India. The region and its culture are remote.

But on Sunday, Wichitans can discover Manipuri dance when Manipuri Dance Visions from Los Angeles performs at the 20th Century Center. The concert is sponsored by the Wichita Indochinese Center, which over the past few years has presented troupes representing three of India's six classical dance styles.

Manipuri is a devotional dance and is still performed by worshippers at religious festivals. Manipuri Dance Visions will present four dances that convey in movement the creation stories and heroic figures of Hinduism.

Hinduism came to Manipur about 200 years ago when its king converted to it, said Sohini Ray, artistic director, choreographer and chief performer in Manipuri Dance Visions.