College Basketball: The Lexington Herald Leader reports longtime official John Cahill is retiring. The 60-year-old Cahill who has officiated games for 40 years, will still be involved with officiating as the supervisor of officials of the new Big East Conference. Cahill worked 11 Final Fours and was on the national championship game this year when Louisville defeated Michigan. The Albany, New York native is a lawyer by trade.

College Football: One of the newest members of the SEC is expanding its stadium. Texas A&M plans to expand Kyle Field from its current capacity of over 82,000 to 102,500, making it the largest stadium in the SEC and the third largest in the nation behind Michigan and Penn State. The expansion will begin following the 2013 season and be completed before the start of the 2015 season.

MLB: The Cincinnati Reds open a weekend series against the Chicago Cubs this afternoon at Wrigley Field, St. Louis continues its series at Milwaukee this evening, with Atlanta opening a weekend series with the NY Mets.

NBA: The playoff schedule features four possible closeout games, as four teams can all advance with Game 6 wins. 

In Eastern Conference play, the Pacers will visit Atlanta with a 3-2 lead while the Knicks are in Boston and will try for a third time to finish off the Celtics.

Western Conference action has the Thunder in the same position as the Knicks, having won the first three games of their West quarterfinal against Houston, only to see the Rockets win the last two. The Grizzlies have won three straight over the Clippers and will try to finish off LA in Memphis.

NHL: Tonight’s playoff schedule features four games. The Pittsburgh Penguins will
try to build a 2-0 lead on the New York Islanders following a Game 1 win on Wednesday. Also in the East, Ottawa will try to grab a 2-0 series lead against Montreal.

In the West, the Chicago Blackhawks take a 1-0 series advantage into a home game against the Minnesota Wild and the San Jose Sharks will try for another victory following a home win over the Vancouver Canucks in Game 1 on Wednesday

High School Softball-Thursday scores:   University Heights swept the season series with Hopkinsville by taking a 15-0, 6 inning victory. Home runs from Makenzi Hamby, Chelsea Cansler and a grand slam by Tyler Shemwell highlighted the game for the Lady Blazers, who got a four hit shutout from Lexie O’Daniel. University Heights improved to 17-6/3-1 with the win, while Hopkinsville fell to 1-19/1-3 in district play.

Other games saw Heath edge Christian County 5-4, Franklin Simpson run ruled Russellville 15-0 in 3 innings, Trigg County swept a pair from Todd Central 5-4 and 4-3, Madisonville shut out Caldwell County 8-0, Hopkins Central defeated Dawson Springs 3-1, Henderson County over Union County 6-4, Livingston Central shut out Crittenden County 8-0, Graves County edged Calloway County 2-1, Lone Oak swept Paducah Tilghman 11-0 and 11-1, and also defeated St. Mary 10-0, Marshall County blanked Reidland 4-0.

Today’s games(WEATHER PERMITTING): Hopkinsville hosts Dawson Springs, Caldwell County hosts Trigg County, Hopkins Central meets Hancock County and Central Hardin at the Sports Warehouse Classic in Owensboro, where Madisonville plays South Spencer, IN, Muhlenberg County meets Bowling Green, who also plays Marshall County, Heath takes on Allen County Scottsville and Lone Oak takes on Woodford County.

High School Baseball-Thursday scores: Logan County defeated Christian County 10-6, Caldwell County shut out University Heights 3-0, Lyon County blanked Fort Campbell 11-0, Trigg County defeated Marshall County 3-1, Russellville edged Barren County 4-3 in 8 innings, Madisonville run ruled Hopkins Central 10-0 in 6 innings, Livingston Central nipped Crittenden County 5-4, Union County defeated Henderson County 3-1, Lone Oak drilled Reidland 28-1, Paducah Tilghman over Heath 4-1.

Today’s games(WEATHER PERMITTING): Christian County hosts Russellville and Caldwell County in a doubleheader, Hopkinsville welcomes Trigg County, University Heights entertains Crittenden County, Dawson Springs hosts Fort Campbell, Logan County hosts Muhlenberg County, Hopkins Central welcomes McLean County, Madisonville at Union County, Webster County goes to Henderson County, Lyon County hosts Mayfield.

Two local student/athletes signed collegiate letters Thursday in the sport of baseball. Christian County’s Logan Patterson signed with Millsaps College, while Hopkinsville’s Gus Sholar signed to play with Berea College.

College Basketball: The Courier Journal reports John Hardin High School point guard Brandon Price accepted a preferred walk on Thursday night from Western Kentucky University. The 5-9 Price averaged 17.9 points per game last season for the Bulldogs.

The Southeastern Conference announced Thursday a 20-year agreement with ESPN to operate the SEC Network, which will hit the airwaves in August, 2014. SEC commissioner Mike Slive says the network will produce 1,000 live events each year and will carry approximately 45 football games and a depth of content across all sports each year.  Financial terms for the deal were not disclosed, but the contract goes through 2034.

The Kentucky Oaks takes place at Churchill Downs this afternoon, with trainer Todd Pletcher having four fillies in the 10 horse field. Pletcher trained Dreaming of Julia is the 3-1 favorite, with other Pletcher horses in the field including Unlimited Budget, Silisita and Princess of Sylmar.

Pletcher also have a record tying five horses running in the 139^th Kentucky Derby scheduled for tomorrow.

Golf: The Links at Novadell has cancelled this weekend’s scheduled Bud Light two man tournament because of the threat of inclement weather. The tournament has been rescheduled for June 15-16.

There’s a seven way tie for the lead after the opening round of the PGA Tour’s Wells Fargo Championship. Rory McIlroy, Nick Watney, Ryan Moore and Robert Garrigus are among the group at five under 67. Phil Mickelson, Boo Weekley, Zach Johnson and Lucas Glover are among a group of six players one shot back.

The Champions Tour’s Insperity Championship begins today with Paducah’s Russ Cochran and Franklin’s Kenny Perry both in the field.

Minor League Baseball: The Bowling Green Hot Rods were rained out at Kane County, with the two teams playing a doubleheader this evening.  The Nashville Sounds were swept by Oklahoma City, losing 9-1 Thursday night. The Sounds begin a four game series at Round Rock this evening.

High School Softball: Christian County is ranked 10^th in the latest Kentucky Softball Coaches Association Top 25 poll, which has Greenwood ranked first again this week. Lone Oak is 4^th, Owensboro Catholic 5^th, Reidland 7^th, Bowling Green 13^th, Madisonville 14^th, Marshall County is 18^th and Livingston Central is 21^st.

MLB: While the Cincinnati Reds are off today, their weekend opponent, the Chicago Cubs close out a series with an afternoon game hosting San Diego, Atlanta closes out a series with Washington this evening, while St. Louis opens a weekend series with the Milwaukee Brewers.

NBA: Thursday's playoff schedule features a pair of crucial Game 6’s. In the Eastern Conference, the Brooklyn Nets will look  to avoid elimination again after earning a
19-point victory in Game 5 when they visit Chicago to take on the Bulls.

In the West, the Golden State Warriors will try to close out their series at home after
failing to do so in Game 5, when the Denver Nuggets muscled their way to a seven-point victory.

NHL: First round action resumes this evening with two games in the Eastern Conference and two in the Western Conference.

Action opens in Montreal, as the Northeast Division champion Canadiens host the Ottawa Senators in Game 1. The other contest will also see a series opener, as the New York Rangers head to the nation's capital to take on the Washington Capitals.

A pair of Game 2’s are on tap in the Western Conference, as the St. Louis Blues look to take a 2-0 series lead as they host the reigning Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings. The other contest has the Detroit Red Wings hoping to bounce back from a Game 1 loss as they will play in Anaheim against the Ducks.

High School Baseball-Wednesday scores: Hopkinsville run ruled Livingston Central 15-1 in five innings, Muhlenberg County over McLean County 7-3 and Ballard Memorial shut out Mayfield 10-0 in 6 innings.

Today’s games: University Heights travels to Caldwell County, Fort Campbell hosts Lyon County, Todd Central hosts a doubleheader against Whitesville Trinity, Trigg County at Marshall County, Hopkins Central is at Madisonville, Crittenden County at Livingston Central, Henderson County goes to Union County, Muhlenberg County at Butler County, Calloway County at Murray, St. Mary hosts Sikeston, MO, Reidland at Lone Oak, Paducah Tilghman hosts Heath, Graves County goes to Carlisle County,

High School Softball-Wednesday scores: Ballard Memorial edged University Heights 4-3, Henderson County defeated Evansville Memorial 9-1.

Today’s games: 8^th district action has Hopkinsville meeting University Heights for the second time this season at Hopkinsville. First pitch is at 5:30, with the Heritage Bank pre game show airing at 5:15 on News/Talk WHOP.

Other games have Christian County at Heath, Todd Central hosts Trigg County in a doubleheader, Dawson Springs goes to Hopkins Central, Russellville at Franklin Simpson, Webster County hosts Owensboro, Muhlenberg County hosts Whitesville Trinity, Crittenden County at Livingston Central, Union County at Henderson County, Calloway County at Graves County, Murray is at Ballard Memorial, Marshall County at Reidland, Paducah Tilghman hosts a doubleheader with Hickman County and Lone Oak, Lone Oak is also at St. Mary.

College Basketball: Kentucky coach John Calipari announced the Wildcats non conference schedule for next season Wednesday. The Wildcats will open with home games against UNC Asheville November 8^th and Northern Kentucky November 10^th.

Other games include Michigan State November 12^th in the State Farm Champions Classic in Chicago, Providence December 1^st in Brooklyn, along with Baylor at Cowboys Stadium December 6^th and North Carolina returns to the schedule in Chapel Hill December 14^th.

Other home dates include Robert Morris—the team that beat Kentucky in the NIT—November 17^th, Boise State December 10^th, Belmont December 21^st, and defending national champion Louisville December 28^th.

The University of Tennessee announced Wednesday Pat Summitt will remain head coach emeritus of the Lady Vols. Summitt agreed to a one year contract worth $85,000. Summitt’s new contract states she wants more time to devote to her foundation, which is dedicated to fighting Alzheimer’s disease. Summitt left the UT bench in April, 2012 one year after announcing she had early onset dementia.

Horse Racing: Orb is the 7-to-2 morning-line favorite for Saturday's 139th running of the Kentucky Derby.  The post-position draw was held Wednesday, and Orb will break from gate 16 in the 20-horse field.  Verrazano is the second choice at 4-to-1 and will occupy post 14.  Goldencents is the third choice at 5-to-1 and will start from gate eight. Louisville basketball coach Rick Pitino is a part owner of Goldenscents.

Minor League Baseball: The Bowling Green Hot Rods lost at Kane County 5-4 in 10 innings. Game two of the series is this evening. The Nashville Sounds lost again at Oklahoma City 4-2, with the series finale this evening.

Golf: The University of Alabama women’s team has been awarded the top seed for the NCAA East regional at Auburn University Club May 9-11. Princeton native Emma Talley—who’s a freshman at Alabama—will play in her first NCAA regional.

This week’s PGA Tour stop is the Wells Fargo Championship, which begins today near Charlotte, NC. A star studded field includes Phil Mickelson, Sergio Garcia, defending champion Rickie Fowler, Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson and Danville native Josh Teater.

College Basketball: Louisville coach Rick Pitino announced Tuesday seniors to be Russ Smith and Luke Hancock will be the co-captains for the defending national champions next season. Pitino also said junior Chane Behanan will be counted on to be a leader for the team. Pitino also introduced new assistant coach Mike Balado.

MLB: Cincinnati and St. Louis close out their series with an afternoon game at Busch Stadium. Atlanta meets Washington again this evening, while Chicago entertains San Diego.

NBA: Three games are on the playoff schedule this evening. Eastern Conference action has Boston taking on the NY Knicks, where the Knicks lead the series 3-1. Indiana meets Atlanta with the series tied 2-2. Western Conference action has Houston at Oklahoma City where the Thunder lead the series 3-1.

NHL: Two game ones are on the docket this evening. Eastern Conference action has the NY Islanders at Pittsburgh, with Western Conference having San Jose at Vancouver.

Horse Racing: Post positions for Saturday’s 139th Kentucky Derby will be announced later today at Churchill Downs. 23 horses are expected to be in the field for the race.

Trainer Dallas Stewart announced today jockey Robby Albarado will be aboard Golden Soul in Saturday’s race. The Courier Journal reports Stewart dismissed questions this morning about Albarado’s legal troubles before last year’s Derby, where he was arrested on assault charges.

The future of Cardinal Stadium at the Kentucky State Fairgrounds in Louisville seems to have been determined.  A study recently conducted on the 56 year old stadium showed that the grandstand had deteriorated to a point that it is no longer safe. The facility is still being used to host concerts during the Kentucky State Fair.

Fair Board President Rip Rippetoe says they are exploring what to do with the former home of the University of Louisville football program. Rippetoe says demolition is the likely option. A timeline has not been set. Since it is a state operated facility, the money for the demolition must be approved in the budget submitted to the state.