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A generic thriller with a generic title, "Deception" is so predictable you could guess what happens next even if the trailer hadn't already given away just about every plot development.

Jonathan McQuarry (Ewan McGregor) is a gray, colorless CPA who moves from corporate headquarters to corporate headquarters, spending a week auditing the books before moving on to his next gig.

He's got a bad haircut, nerdy glasses, a closet full of identical bland suits and few social skills.

So when he's befriended by a slick executive of one of those companies, Jonathan responds like an abused dog who's finally found someone to scratch him behind the ears.

Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman) is everything Jonathan is not: dashing, personable and irresistible to women. Soon he sucks the dweeby accountant into his lush life -- including a secret club in which high-powered women with no time for romance have anonymous sex with the likes of Wyatt, and now Jonathan.

A lot has changed since Harold and Kumar last partied their way onto the big screen way back in '04, White Castle burgers in hand and sex on their minds.

Issues of politics and race have muscled their way to the cultural center stage, perhaps even outpacing recreational eating as a pastime in this election year. So studious Harold and stoner Kumar get with the spirit of the times in "Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay," the uneven and too-long but occasionally hilarious sequel to "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle." The new film bounces between the raunchy and the relevant, the profane and the political, like Homer Simpson at a bake sale.

The story picks up not long after the end of "White Castle," with investment-banker Harold Lee (John Cho) and med-student friend Kumar Patel (Kal Penn) off to Amsterdam to win the heart of Maria (Paula Garces), the woman on whom Harold was crushing big time in the first film. But the would-be romantic European getaway is hijacked by events, as well as H&K's dorky stupidity.

First there's a confrontation with a TSA inspector in the security line, but that's just the appetizer for the banquet of troubles that greet them once onboard. Suffice it to say, it's enough to get them hauled off the plane, branded as terrorists and sent to detention at Guantanamo Bay. They flee, first to South Florida, then to Central Texas, in search of help in getting their reputations back.

As with "White Castle," much of the humor is about as sophisticated as a college kegger. Within the opening minutes, there's a brief, sex-related sight gag that no doubt will repulse as many viewers as it entertains. Their pal Neil Patrick Harris, once again playing the Bizarro version of himself, returns with an even bigger sexual appetite. And the whole men-in-prison scenario plays out like "Oz" meets "Beavis and Butt-head."

David Draiman, singer and lyricist for Disturbed, had specific instructions for his bandmates when it came time to start writing music for the band's soon-to-be-released fourth CD, "Indestructible."

He wanted the darkest, angriest and most gnarly music that guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren and bassist John Moyer could come up with. And Draiman said his bandmates were only too happy to oblige.

"That's exactly the mind-set they had," Draiman said. "They fed me with exactly what I wanted to be fed with."

The rock band will play a sold-out concert Sunday at the Cotillion.

For "Indestructible," which arrives in stores June 3, Draiman had plenty of real-life ammunition to feed off as he wrote lyrics for the CD.

Tina Fey is a limited actress who probably will never escape her inner geek -- at least we hope she won't. There's something about her combination of smarts, goofiness and integrity that keeps us coming back long after Hollywood's latest bimbos have worn out their welcome.

Fey is the main reason to see "Baby Mama," a film from the "Saturday Night Live" crowd that pairs her with Amy Poehler for a comedy about motherhood.

Fey plays Kate, a successful and single career woman who has risen to the vice presidency of a national chain of natural food groceries. But at 37, Kate hears her biological clock ticking.

"Some women got pregnant," she laments. "I got promotions."

When her efforts to conceive meet with failure ("I don't like the look of your uterus," her OB/GYN observes unhelpfully), Kate decides to take extraordinary steps. Through the very expensive services of a surrogate facilitator (Sigourney Weaver) she hooks up with Angie. One look tells us that Angie (Poehler) is a gum-snapping citizen of white-trash nation -- but she's willing to rent out her womb for a chunk of cash.

Prominent Kansas photographer Larry Schwarm will unveil "Greensburg After the Storm" today and Saturday at the Ulrich Museum of Art at Wichita State University.

The exhibit will be on display through Aug. 10.

A reception from 7-9 p.m. Saturday will feature comments from Schwarm, as well as an appearance by Greensburg Mayor John Janssen, music by the Greensburg High School vocal ensemble, wine and refreshments.

Admission is $7 for nonmembers, free for museum members. RSVPs should be made to 316-978-3664 or ulrich@wichita.edu.

Schwarm, who grew up in Greensburg, also will give a talk at noon today and again at 6 p.m. June 5 at the Ulrich. Today's talk will be in the Beren Gallery; the talk on June 5 will be at the McKnight Art Center.

BYTIMOTHY FINN

These days, Kid Rock is as rock as he has ever been.

His latest album, "Rock 'n' Roll Jesus," is a mix of classic rock, hard rock, Southern rock, heartland rock, country rock -- plus a country ballad or two.

Resemblances to his first and best-selling album, "Devil Without a Cause," are minor and rare: not much rap-rock and even less macho-pimp braggadocio (and not as much low brow wit, either). Just lots of heavy riffs and party anthems.

In 2008, Kid Rock, 37, has stepped away from his alter egos. He is more interested in showing off the music and performers he grew up with -- the sounds influenced by Bob Seger, Peter Wolf, AC/DC, Skynyrd, Warren Zevon, Hank Jr., Run-DMC.

Star Jones Reynolds, who worked so hard to secure corporate backers to pay for her over-the-top November 2004 wedding to Al Reynolds in exchange for plugging the companies' products, is divorcing Al.

Syndicated celebrity show "Entertainment Tonight" says Star, 46, quietly filed divorce papers on March 26 in New York Supreme Court in Manhattan. Sadly, notes "ET," the papers are sealed.

"Several years ago I made an error in judgment by inviting the media into the most intimate area of my life. A month ago I filed for divorce," Star tells "ET."

"The dissolution of a marriage is a difficult time in anyone's life that requires privacy with one's thoughts. I have committed myself to handling this situation with dignity and grace."

A slice of J.Lo

The Betty Angulo Memorial Concert Series at First Presbyterian Church kicks off a new season on Sunday with a performance by Richard Elliott, principal organist at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City.

Here's what you need to know about the concert:

1) Elliott accompanies the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on its weekly radio and TV broadcast, "Music and the Spoken Word." He's performed on 15 recordings with the choir. This year, his second solo CD will be released on the Klavier label.

2) Elliott's program will include Handel's Concerto in F, Op. 4, No. 5; Bach's Fantasia and Fugue in G minor; Clair de lune by Claude Debussy; and Fountain Reverie by Percy Fletcher.

3) This is the second season for the organ series, which was made possible through a gift left to the church by longtime member Betty Angulo. Sunday's concert will be the first major event on the church's new 4-manual Rogers console, which was just dedicated last month.

Motorcyclists looking for a midweek pit stop can find one every Wednesday at Neighbors Bar and Restaurant, 2150 Amidon.

"Bike Nights" featuring barbecue, entertainment and outdoor seating will be held from 6-9 p.m. Wednesdays in the restaurant's parking lot, weather permitting.

Neighbors is located in Twin Lakes Shopping Center.

Sunny day

Food from 10 local restaurants will be sampled during the Sunflower Community Action organization's annual food festival Saturday.

The Wichita Gem & Mineral Show will take place today through Sunday at the Cessna Activity Center, 2744 George Washington Blvd. The family-friendly event attracts thousands of visitors over three days. Here are three reasons to check it out:

1) This year's show is focusing on gemstones. An exhibit of popular gemstones in an array of color from around the world will be presented by McMullen Jewelry. And Leslie Kinder of Melange Custom Jewelry will talk about how to identify gemstones and determine their value.

2) Vendors from across the United States will be on hand to sell finished products, as well as materials for working with rocks, minerals and fossils.

3) Children can sort through a pile of rocks to look for gems amd observe while rocks are polished and hand-crafted.

4) A program at 3 p.m. Saturday will focus on how meteorites impact Earth and another one at 2 p.m. Sunday will look at unique meteorites in Kansas. Both are being presented by the Kansas Meteorite Society. A 108-pound pallasite found near Greensburg will be on display.

An autograph was more than enough.

A photograph would have been perfect.

Watching Darnell Jackson jack up three-pointers? A bonus.

Jackson and five other Kansas seniors -- Sasha Kaun, Russell Robinson, Jeremy Case, Brad Witherspoon and an injured Rodrick Stewart -- stopped by East High on Friday for the latest leg of the annual barnstorming tour, a trek that will whisk the national champion Jayhawks who have exhausted their collegiate eligibility around the Sunflower State and allow most to earn their first check for playing basketball.

None of that mattered to approximately 3,000 fans who paid $10 a ticket to wedge themselves into a high school gym on a Friday evening. Officially, there was a "game" -- an exhibition pitting the KU quintet against the Wichita All-Stars, a group led by former Shockers such as P.J. Couisnard and Paul Miller -- but that's not what Friday was about.

Wichita State lost control of Friday's game and lightning and rain took advantage.

WSU's game against Indiana State was suspended until today at noon with the Shockers leading 8-7 in the ninth. A storm rolled into Terre Haute during the ninth inning and nearby lightning strikes cleared players from the field and fans from the aluminum bleachers. The Shockers will have two runners on base and Kenny Williams at the plate with a 1-0 count when the game resumes today.

"It's nothing really new, especially this spring," WSU shortstop Dusty Coleman said. "We've had a bunch of weather problems. We'll be able to come out and finish this game up and win the next one."

Today's regularly scheduled game will follow the completion of Friday's game. No doubt the 14th-ranked Shockers feel as if they should have ended the series opener ahead of the bad weather.

WSU led 8-3 entering the eighth inning. That seemed safe until control problems hit three Shockers pitchers. Starter Rob Musgrave walked the leadoff hitter and hit the next batter. Reliever Khol Nanney walked his first batter on four pitches.

When her first IndyCar victory finally came, as Danica Patrick always knew it would, everything was in place to take full advantage of the moment.

"You want to make the most of this event for everybody: the team, the sponsors, the league and everybody," Patrick said Friday at Kansas Speedway, where she will try to make it two wins in a row on Sunday.

Patrick appeared relaxed and confident after a whirlwind of publicity following her win in Japan last weekend. The frenetic week included a series of TV appearances, dozens of interviews, attending a movie premiere and an outpouring of adulation from her fans and the general public.

"Yeah, I worked my butt off for a week," Patrick said, grinning. "I feel pretty good, though. I think that everything happens for a reason and, if this would have come three years ago on the heels of Indy or something like that, maybe I wouldn't have been so calm and prepared."

The then-22-year-old Patrick exploded into the consciousness of the American public as an IRL IndyCar Series rookie in 2005 when she qualified second and finished fourth at a race in Motegi, Japan. She then qualified fourth for the Indianapolis 500 and led the race before finishing fourth -- all firsts for a woman at the famed Brickyard.

Big 12 Championship

At Whispering Pines, Trinity, Texas

Team scores--1. Oklahoma State 285-282--567; 2. Texas 288-294--582; 3. Texas A&M 299-284--583; 4. Texas Tech 302-282--584; 5. Oklahoma 295-297--592; 6. Baylor 298-296--594; 7. Kansas 303-295--598; 8. Nebraska 303-300--603; 9. Kansas State 297-307--604; 10. Iowa State 298-313--611; 11. Colorado 311-303--614; 12. Missouri 312-304--616.

Top individuals--T1. Rickie Fowler, OSU, 72-68--140; T1. Kevin Tway, OSU, 72-68--140; T3. Charlie Holland, UT, 70-71--141; T3. Tyler Rody, OU, 70-71--141; T3. Chris Ward, TT, 72-69--141.

KU individuals--T11. Brad Hopfinger 75-70--145; 15. Walt Koebel 74-72--146; T32. Nate Barbee 76-76--152; T40. Patrick Roth 78-77--155; 60. Zach Pederson 81-85--166.

Bishop Carroll's baseball team has learned a lot during its win streak. But the Golden Eagles may have learned the most important lesson of the year Friday against Heights at West Side Athletic Field.

Against the Falcons, Carroll learned the value of resiliency, coming from behind in the sixth inning to defeat Heights 5-4. The win was Carroll's seventh in a row.

"We had to gain confidence," Carroll coach Charlie Ebright said. "We're on a nice run and right now we are feeling real good about ourselves."

Down 4-3 in the sixth inning with a runner on third, Carroll's Zach Stucky beat out a ground ball that was bobbled by Heights third baseman Dustin Jones, allowing the tying run to score. Matt Jacobs gave the Golden Eagles the lead, blasting a double into left-center field that scored Stucky.

With the lead, Carroll (9-4, 9-2 City League) turned to its ace, Aston Hoffman, to bring the game home.

The depth of the Kapaun Mount Carmel golf team continues to pay off.

At the Hutchinson Invitational on Friday, it was sophomore Max Lazzo's turn to lead the Crusaders, firing a 75 to place sixth in windy conditions at Carey Park.

"The good thing about our team is that all of our players have the ability and talent to play really well and post some good scores," coach Blake Wells said. "Time will tell as the season progresses, but I think it was a good experience to play in that tournament."

Kapaun finished fifth as a team in the largest regular season tournament in the state, featuring 36 teams and over 180 golfers. Manhattan shot a 309, defending its team championship.

Lazzo was able to fight through windy conditions by staying mentally strong over the course of his five-hour round. Consistency was key in a day that featured several long delays.

Longtime Hanston football coach Jerry Slaton died Thursday night after battling cancer for several years.

Slaton, 62, is survived by two daughters, two sons and 10 grandchildren.

Slaton was one of the winningest coaches in Kansas history. His 250 career victories, 234 at Hanston, rank 14th in the state.

"The big thing I remember that he used to tell us is, 'I just love that cool fall air and that Star Spangled Banner,' " Little River football coach Shane Cordell recalled on Friday.

In Slaton's final season in 2004, Hanston was 13-0 and outscored its opponents 676-120. Hanston was 49-1 in Slaton's last four seasons, winning three 8-Man II championships. Slaton won five state championships.

Understatement of the month: If you want to advance in the Stanley Cup playoffs, you have to protect three-goal leads.

The Rangers couldn't Friday night, as the Penguins scored four consecutive goals -- in two sudden strikes 14 seconds apart in the second period and 20 seconds apart in the third -- to erase that margin. Although Scott Gomez's blast tied the score, Sidney Crosby's one-timer from the right boards on a power play hit Evgeni Malkin's leg and flew past Henrik Lundqvist with 1:41 left for the Game 1 winner.

With the 5-4 victory in an up-and-down game that featured dozens of giveaways, the Penguins took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals. Game 2 is here Sunday afternoon.

Malkin's goal came with Martin Straka in the box at 16:40 of the third period, the only penalty of the period, for interfering with Crosby along the right side.

The Rangers need to answer numerous questions before Sunday's game.

Oklahoma State's Kevin Tway and Rickie Fowler each shot 4-under-par 140 Friday to help the Cowboys build a 15-shot lead over Texas after 36 holes of the Big 12 Men's Championship at Trinity, Texas.

The Cowboys posted four-man scores of 285 and 282 for a 9-under 567 total. Big 12 South teams occupied the top six spots in the standings heading into today's third round of the 72-hole tournament.

Kansas is seventh at 598 and Kansas State is ninth at 604. Oklahoma, which is fifth, was led by sophomore Tyler Rody. The Andover Central product is tied for third individually at 141, one shot behind Tway and Fowler.

• Oklahoma State shot 303 for a 12-stroke lead after the first round of the Big 12 Women's Championship at Stillwater's Karsten Creek. Kansas was seventh at 333 and K-State was tied for ninth at 335. Michelle Regan was tied for fourth individually for the Wildcats after carding a 77.

• Adam Scott shot a second-round 67 on Friday at the EDS Byron Nelson Championship to take the lead at 5-under 135.

Kid Rock wears many hats, and not just of the fedora and cowboy varieties he displays in public and during his concerts.

Kid has songs describing himself as a cowboy, lowlife, American bad guy and cocky. The last one may be deserved since he's a world-famous musician who was once married to blonde beauty Pamela Anderson.

Kid brought his cockiness - and the rest of his self-described personas - to the Kansas Coliseum on Friday night, playing a three-hour show and displaying his knack for performing songs in the hip hop, country and rock 'n' roll genres.

Kid, whose real name is Robert James Ritchie, was joined for the show by J. Geils Band lead singer Peter Wolf, who would place high in a Mick Jagger sound-alike contest, and iconic rapper Rev Run, member of the group Run DMC.

The show was scheduled to start at 8 p.m. but Kid took the stage 28 minutes later wearing a white suit with a black shirt, white tie, black fedora and his trademark sunglasses.

Event

Midwest Winefest

The Midwest Winefest, an annual event that celebrates all things wine, will be a night event this year. The grand tasting, which features samples of wines from around the world and gourmet appetizers, will be from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. today 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 the door. Proceeds benefit Guadalupe Health Foundation.

Stage

'Gridiron'

Hard poker rule: You must be able to put an opponent on a hand or a range of hands in order to know how to bet, even if it's the wrong read.

At the World Series of Poker $10,000-buy-in main event at Las Vegas' Rio Hotel in 2007, Gavin Griffin drew A-7 suited in late position. With blinds at $100-$200, Griffin saw the player under the gun raise to $600 and decided to call.

"I don't always call with that hand," said Griffin, who won the $3,000-buy-in pot-limit hold 'em event at the 2004 WSOP, becoming at 22 the youngest-ever bracelet winner at the time. "It depends who I'm playing against. The guy who made the raise seemed like he was steaming and didn't seem like he was in the best state mentally.

"I'm not necessarily trying to make a pair of aces. With a hand like A-7 of hearts, I want to flop a big draw. If he checks, I'm usually going to bet to see if I can win the pot right there."

The flop came 8-4-9, two spades.

Stevie Nicks began an abbreviated schedule of late spring and summer solo dates April 18 in Pennsylvania, hoping to continue the string of generally glowing reviews she received for her 2007 dates both with Chris Isaak and on her own.

In recent weeks, however, most of the chatter has been not about Nicks or her tour, but the band she sings with, Fleetwood Mac.

Late last month, the veteran rock group's plans to tour in the first half of 2009 became known when Sheryl Crow, who is close friends with Nicks, announced she might be joining the Mac lineup on the road.

Singer Lindsay Buckingham has confirmed that Mac is planning to tour, but says Crow's involvement is not a done deal.

"I think we were all a little surprised she (Crow) was announcing that to the world with such certainty," Buckingham told Billboard magazine. "We have talked about the possibility of bringing another woman into the scene to kind of give Stevie a sort of foil and shake it up a little bit. She /(Crow/) was certainly a name that has come up. We'll have to see."

The ramp-up to the Run for the Roses will be a little longer this year. NBC's coverage of the most famous two minutes in horse racing will clock in at a whopping 2 ½ hours.

Beginning at 3 p.m. May 3, the network will air "Access at the Kentucky Derby," which producer Sam Flood describes as "a vehicle to take you places you can't normally go on Derby day, from the jocks' room to the barns."

Flood, producing his third consecutive Derby program, said he plans features on pre-Derby parties and the Churchill Downs infield crowd, as well as horses, trainers and owners.

A red carpet segment, hosted by Billy Bush of "Access Hollywood," will focus on the famous faces at the race.

"You'll see a lot of celebrities, and a lot of hats," Flood said, referring to the traditionally outlandish headgear favored by many female Derby-goers.

A simple twist of fate spun Chris Altice's life in ways he could never imagine. The Manassas, Va., man should have boarded the Washington state-based USS Carl Vinson after naval training school, but a delay sent him to Southern California and a tour of duty aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.

Within a few short months, Altice, then 20, fell in love with a young woman who became pregnant with their child just before he deployed to the Persian Gulf from May 7 to Nov. 8, 2005. His long-distance relationship under stressful conditions is among the stories chronicled in "Carrier," a 10-hour documentary series on PBS.

"I never thought it would be such a big part of the film," Altice said. "But what I was going through was just what a lot of the guys on the ship go through."

The Nimitz is a floating city that stands 24 stories high and is three football fields long. It carries 85 military aircraft and more than 5,000 Navy personnel with an average age of 19.

Executive producer Maro Chermayeff said it was a long and difficult process to get access to film, but once that was accomplished there was no interference. The filmmakers embedded on the ship got unprecedented access to film the crew, who gave unfiltered interviews about everything from how the war on terrorism was being fought to gays in the military.

As they finished their preparations and waited for the draft to unfold, the Chiefs concluded LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey would be out of their reach.

Not even the fifth pick would be high enough to grab Dorsey, who the Chiefs believed could be the draft's best player. Surely, they decided, one of the teams ahead of them in the first round Saturday would snatch Dorsey first.

The Chiefs even talked themselves into being content with Virginia offensive lineman Branden Albert as their top selection.

That they wound up with both Dorsey and Albert with their two first-round picks speaks to their satisfaction with the day.

"I never thought in my wildest dreams," said Bill Kuharich, the Chiefs' vice president for player personnel, "that we would have the opportunity to get both of these guys."

Indiana State coach Lindsay Meggs motioned to an empty dugout. Wichita State had cleared out, but the images the Shockers hammered into Meggs' memory lingered.

" Those guys come here to beat your.... They don't come here to win 3-2. They want to 10-run you and get back to the hotel as fast as they can."

The 14th-ranked Shockers (33-8, 11-3 Missouri Valley Conference) looked that part, as they should against one of the Valley's weaker teams. Saturday, WSU took advantage of sloppy pitching and defense to overwhelm the Sycamores 14-7 in the resumption of Friday's rain-delayed game and 11-2 in the scheduled second game of the series. Two losses by Northern Iowa to Southern Illinois moved WSU into first place in the MVC by percentage points.

"We have our off days like everybody else," WSU third baseman Conor Gillaspie said. "But that's kind of the way we were taught to play. That's the way you should play."

Nobody did more than Gillaspie, who has three home runs -- one a grand slam -- a triple and a double in the two games. He is 6 for 8 with eight RBIs and his coach thinks the scorekeeper robbed him of a double and two more RBIs.

Kansas junior cornerback Aqib Talib and Kansas State senior wide receiver Jordy Nelson were both first-day NFL Draft selections.

Talib was taken in the first round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the 20th overall pick.

Nelson was taken in the second round by the Green Bay Packers, the 36th pick overall.

Talib, the Orange Bowl MVP and a first-team All-American as a junior last season, became the first ex-Jayhawk to be drafted in the first round since defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield was taken by San Francisco with the 26th pick in 1993.

"We got a guy with a lot of juice," Tampa Bay coach Jon Gruden said. "He's got a lot of energy. He has tremendous ball skills, rare ball skills."

Things were going so normally, so predictably at Saturday's NFL Draft. All six players the league invited to the festivities hit the stage in the first half-dozen selections.

Yawn.

Then came the wake-up call: trade after trade after trade, affecting 14 of the 31 first-round picks.

At one point, five of seven selections had been bartered. A little while later, it was another five of six.

Jake Long just sat back and smiled -- right from the outset.

The text messages popping into Helio Castroneves' cell phone have nothing to do with racing.

And yet they have everything to do with his new approach to racing in the IndyCar Series.

The texts are from Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, who is competing in the ABC series "Dancing With with the Stars," a competition Castroneves and dance partner Julianne Hough won in dazzling fashion last winter.

Taylor, a Pro Bowl defensive end, asks Castroneves for tips on mastering the tango, the mambo, the fox trot and cha-cha, among other things.

"How do you do this?" Taylor inquired.

Texas Rangers team president Nolan Ryan said a decision hasn't been made about the future of manager Ron Washington as the Rangers stumble to one of their worst starts in team history.

Ryan spoke to reporters for the first time since he met for several hours Friday with owner Tom Hicks and general manager Jon Daniels after the Rangers returned from a 2-9 road trip.

"I thought it was important to get the team home and see how they responded to what's happened," Ryan said before Saturday's game against the Minnesota Twins. "I think it says something about the makeup of your ballclub how they respond to adversity like that."

Texas (8-16) entered Saturday with the worst record in the American League, and matched the Rangers' worst start since moving to Texas in 1972.

The Rangers were outscored 37-10 during a seven-game losing streak which capped their disappointing road trip. Texas snapped the skid with a 6-5 victory over the Twins on Friday night.

Jim Thome hits long homers, prodigious homers, majestic homers, a lot of homers.

Thome is patient and powerful, a left-hander hitter with an open stance, with an uppercut swing and with forearms as massive as telephone poles. Before he ever swings, he looks like someone who should pound homers.

With Thome, looks are not deceiving. When he bashed his 513th homer, for the Chicago White Sox against the New York Yankees on Thursday, Thome chugged past Ernie Banks and Eddie Mathews on the career list. Only 18 major league players, three of whom are active, have accumulated more homers than Thome.

"It's very humbling," Thome said. "You're talking about being grouped with the greatest home run hitters who ever played."

Still, when Thome's career statistics are dissected and debated, he is not universally considered an automatic Hall of Famer. Of the 16 players with at least 500 homers who are eligible for the Hall, 15 have made it. Mark McGwire, who has been suspected of using steroids, is the one player in the 500 club who does not have a spot in Cooperstown.

Derek Schermerhorn's first professional baseball season included a promotion within the Chicago Cubs organization and ended with his release. But he wasn't about to let his pro career end after 146 at-bats.

Looking for a path back to affiliated ball, Schermerhorn accepted an offer this winter to play for the inaugural version of the Wichita Wingnuts, an independent team in the American Association.

It isn't the path Schermerhorn expected, but independent ball is for those whose careers have taken a wrong turn somewhere.

"I got over getting released," Schermerhorn said. "I realize that happens to people, but I still know that I have what it takes to play up there (in the minors). It'll be nice to prove to people that I can still play."

Schermerhorn, who batted .329 or better in three of his four seasons at Wichita State, was undrafted after the 2007 season, but he signed as a free agent with the Cubs in mid-June.

The April slump endured by the Wichita State softball team almost defies explanation.

Perhaps that is the most frustrating to Mike Perniciaro. The WSU coach has tried everything - switching the batting order, changing the lineup and using a wide array of motivational tactics.

Nothing has worked for the Shockers, who moved to 5-10 in the month after a doubleheader split with Northern Iowa on Saturday afternoon at Wilkins Stadium. Perniciaro believes the only explanation to the slump is that there isn't one.

"We just need to hit," Perniciaro said. "It's frustrating because we haven't hit the ball the last month. We need to put the runs on the board. We need to be able to outscore people."

During the month of April, Wichita State has hit .209 (79 for 378) and those problems persisted Saturday. WSU found ways to manufacture runs in a 2-0 victory the first game, but could only muster four hits in a 6-1 loss the second.

P.J. Couisnard did it all during his five seasons as a basketball player at Wichita State. Now he's writing about it.

What started as a 16-page outline is turning into a book about his experiences from a redshirt freshman to the Sweet 16 as a sophomore to his senior season. No title ("Cooz" is the early choice) or publisher yet, but he is working on those details.

"It's mostly basketball," Couisnard said. "There's going to be a couple good stories that nobody's heard."

Gretchen Torline and Val Wadsworth of the academic services department help with the editing. Darren DeFrain, an author and creative writing professor, helps guide the process.

"It's really the story of P.J.'s life and basketball," Torline said. "Big games. His redshirt season. The coaching change. His memory is amazing. He remembers things about every game."

Adam Scott figured there was no point wasting his good play to take money from his mates in Australia. So he cut short his trip home to get back on the PGA Tour.

"I came here to get in contention and win a golf tournament," said Scott, who stayed home only a week after the Masters. "I feel like I've been playing well this year and haven't quite done it. So I'm kind of pushing myself a little bit to do that."

He only needs one more good round to win the EDS Byron Nelson Championship.

Scott took a three-stroke lead into the final round after a 3-under 67 Saturday got him to 8-under 202. He birdied two of the last three holes, including a 3 ½-footer at the 429-yard 18th.

"It all depends on Adam," said Bart Bryant, among the quartet of players three strokes behind. "Obviously, he's a world-class player. He has the potential to go out and kind of run away with it."

Winning never gets old. Just ask Bishop Carroll's tennis team.

The Golden Eagles locked up their fifth consecutive City League championship by finishing second at the league meet Saturday at the Coleman Tennis Complex. Heights won the tournament.

"That was big for us," Carroll assistant coach Dan Engel said. "It's been our goal all year.

"The kids came in, won the matches they were supposed to win, and took care of business."

Carroll started the day one point ahead of Kapaun Mount Carmel in the league standings.

The Eagle track honor roll lists the top three times, distances and heights, regardless of class. Then the remaining class leaders, not covered in the top three, are listed. Even if a team goes to an out-of-town meet, it is the responsibility of coaches to report statistics (1-800-825-NEWS or 268-6252.) One may also e-mail results to stats@varsitykansas.com. This form is online at VarsityKansas.com. The Eagle wishes to thank Carol Swenson for his assistance in compiling this honor roll.

Boys

100 meters

Dario Franchitti broke his left ankle in a hard crash Saturday at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway that sent him and another racer to a hospital for observation.

Franchitti, who came to NASCAR this season as the reigning IndyCar Series champion and Indianapolis 500 winner, also was treated for contusions and was unlikely to race today in the Sprint Cup event.

Chip Ganassi Racing didn't immediately announce a replacement driver, but David Stremme said following the race that the team had approached him about filling in. Stremme drove that car for two seasons before he was replaced by Franchitti this season.

Franchitti wrecked when his car apparently lost its right rear tire on the 10th lap of the Nationwide Series race.

His Dodge bounced into the wall and spun down the track, finally drifting down to the apron. It was there that the real damage was done -- a car driven by Larry Gunselman slammed into his driver side door.