sports in brief

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Aug 19, 2008

Local & state: Kansas football hosting Fan Appreciation Day

Kansas Football will host its annual Fan Appreciation Day on Aug. 20 at 5:30 p.m.

Kivisto Field at Memorial Stadium will be the site of the event and fans will be admitted to the stadium to watch the conclusion of the team's practice.

Selected players will also be abailable to sign autographcs after the workout.

Parking is free in all lots adjacent to Memorial Stadium after 5 p.m. Fans are asked to park and enter on the west side of the stadium. The KU Store and concession stands on the west concourse will be open during the event. Fans may pick up free Kansas football promotional items including posters, schedule cards and t-shirts while supplies last.

Basketball: Mikalauskas dismissed from Virginia team

Laurynas Mikalauskas, one of the more popular players at the University of Virginia, was dismissed from the team by coach Dave Leitao on Monday, while he announced that Tunji Soroye will return next season.

Leitao said that Mikalauskas, a 6-foot-8 native of Lithuania, is no longer a member of the team because he has not lived up to the standards set by the program. Leitao said he will not elaborate.

Mikalauskas played in just 20 games last season because of injuries, but averaged 7.1 points and 3.5 rebounds.

He shot 65.4 percent from the field and was usually greeted by fans with a rousing welcome.

Football: Manning, Hixon lift Giants to exhibition victory

Eli Manning was in Super Bowl form for the New York Giants and Domenik Hixon was even better.

New York's 37-34 exhibition victory Monday night was made easier by the Cleveland Browns, who had a season's worth of mistakes in little more than a quarter, including 98 penalty yards and a fumble that resulted in a 95-yard TD for the Giants.

That return gave New York a 30-3 lead less than a minute into the second quarter, one that second- and third-stringers barely managed to maintain.

Hixon, starting at wide receiver because Plaxico Burress, Amani Toomer and Steve Smith didn't suit up, caught 11- and 24-yard touchdown passes from Manning in the first quarter.

Browns quarterback Derek Anderson left Monday night's exhibition game against the New York Giants early in the second quarter with what the team said was a possible concussion.

The New Orleans Saints signed former Pro Bowl safety Lance Schulters on Monday.

The 33-year-old Schulters joined the squad on Monday, making New Orleans the latest stop in a career that has included stints with San Francisco, Tennessee, Atlanta and Miami.

He was selected for the Pro Bowl in 1999 while playing for San Francisco. Although Schulters has not been a starter during his past two seasons, coach Sean Payton said the veteran's experience could be valuable.

Tarvaris Jackson's status for next Saturday's game against Pittsburgh is in question.

Jackson sprained his right knee on a run in the first quarter against Baltimore

The Minnesota Vikings quarterback participated in individual drills and did some throwing at practice on Monday, but did not do any team work, coach Brad Childress said.

"Guys don't always feel chipper in the first part of the week when they get dinged up, but they find a way to push to Saturday," Childress said. "That's how he's approaching the thing and that's how we're approaching the thing -- to play in Saturday's game."

THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS placed defensive tackle Kenderick Allen on injured reserve on Monday in another hit to their already thin defensive line.

Allen injured his right wrist in the preseason opener against Seattle and will miss the season. He was signed in the offseason as a free agent from Green Bay to provide depth behind starting tackles Kevin and Pat Williams.

The defensive line also lost end Jayme Mitchell (knee) for the season in the Seahawks game and has been without Kenechi Udeze while he undergoes treatment for leukemia.

End Brian Robison also has missed significant time after having surgery to repair a varicose vein in his leg, though he hopes to be back by the regular-season opener.

Jordan Steffy was picked to start at quarterback for Maryland in the season opener against Delaware by coach Ralph Friedgen on Monday.

Steffy lost his starting job last season when he left the fifth game of the season, against Rutgers, with a concussion.

Chris Turner took over, guided the Terrapins into the Emerald Bowl and entered summer practice as the favorite to beat out Steffy and Josh Portis.

But Steffy, a fifth-year senior, impressed the coaches in practice enough to start in the opener. Friedgen made his choice after a discussion with his coaching staff.

Hockey: NHL refuses offers from Russian league for Radulov

The NHL refuses to entertain compensation offers from a newly formed Russian hockey league for the signing of forward Alex Radulov while the player was under contract with the Nashville Predators.

And until Radulov's contract with the Predators is honored, the NHL won't consider negotiating a player transfer agreement with the Continental Hockey League (KHL), NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Associated Press in an e-mail on Monday.