CLICK & DOUBLE CLICK: PLAY BALL! INTERNET OFFERS EXTENSIVE BASEBALL SITES AT ALL LEVELS (COLUMN 82)

Play ball. Major League Baseball kicks off the 1998 season today, one of the earliest starts on record.

Many high school and college teams already are in full swing.

Baseball fans can keep track of their favorite teams and players on the Internet.

We'd like to start close to home at the virtual dugout for the Cape Girardeau Central High School Tiger baseball team. Find the dugout at

www.geocities.com/Colosseum/Stadium/7590/index.html

Joni: This page is top-notch and was designed by Cape Central senior Paul Dobbins. You get a view of Central High from the baseball field, and you get to hear "Eye of the Tiger."

Peggy: You can find the current record: 2 and 1. You can also find the times, dates, locations and opponents for upcoming games and tournament. Wait a minute, I hear organ music playing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

Joni: The team plays Jackson today at 4:15 p.m. If you can't make the game, you can find out how the team did here. After each game, he provides stats, highlights and picks a Virtual Dugout Player of the Game.

Peggy: The site also features the team roster, with information and a photo on each player. You can also learn a little about each player while listening to that player's favorite song.

Joni: You can also find links to baseball links, including one to the 1997 Central Tigers' page. This isn't the first year for the Web site. Keep up the good work.

Peggy: Not to be outdone, Southeast Missouri State University has its own Web site at

www2.semo.edu/athletics/baseball/baseindx.htmlJoni: Here you can find the 1998 roster and player profiles. You will find a photo and information on every player, including their season outlook, what they did in high school and their history at Southeast.

Peggy: Mark Hogan begins his fourth year as head coach. You can find out his background, including the fact that he was recently inducted into the El Dorado, Kan., Baseball Hall of Fame.

Joni: Right now, the team is 14-10 and the Ohio Valley Conference stats are 4-5. You can find the game stats for the whole season and schedules for upcoming games.

Peggy: Lots of baseball talk can be found here also. You can scout the opponents and read about the outcome from the teams' last meetings.

Joni: You can also link to the OVC page, or you can go there directly at

www.ovc.org/baseball.htm

Peggy: Again you can find schedules, weekly stats and tournament information. You could do a little homework here if this part of the site works when you visit. It didn't work for us.

Joni: You can contact the OVC officials using phone and e-mail addresses found here. You can also find telephone numbers for coaches and athletic programs at all the member schools. Now to the major leagues.

Peggy: The St. Louis Cardinals kick off their season today complete with brand new logos. A pep rally is scheduled at 11:30 a.m. and pre-game starts at 2:35 p.m. A moment of silence for the late Harry Caray will precede the national anthem.

Joni: Let's take a look at the new logos. You can compare the old and the new. They are a little bolder and a little darker, but very similar. I know one helpful thing about the site. I printed the entire season schedule and all the game-day promotions.

Peggy: You can also visit the minor league affiliates to take a look at the Cardinals' future stars. There are six minor league teams. Can you name them? I can, now that I've looked.

Joni: You can find the final spring stats from Jupiter, Fla., games. You can order tickets online from a secure site.

Peggy: You can look at seating in the stadium before you order tickets. And after today, you can view the field from each section. You can also listen to the games via the Internet from this site.

Joni: And you can watch real-time scoring in handwriting. You can check your scorecard with the professionals.

Peggy: If the Cardinals aren't your favorite team, take a look at Major League Baseball to link to all the teams.

www.majorleaguebaseball.com

The page has been redesigned and should launch this week. Check back today and see what you think.

Joni: If you are interested in even more baseball on the Internet, take a look at

www.baseball-links.com

This site has 3,813 unique links, indexed by category. They consider themselves the most comprehensive list of sites related to baseball.

Peggy: It's pretty comprehensive and includes links to youth baseball, umpiring, trivia, stadiums, dugout chat and lots more.

Joni: If you're a real baseball fanatic, I'm sure you could find something here. There's even software. If you would like a free baseball screensaver, come here.

Peggy: Lots of baseball player pages are also indexed here. You can find both the official and unofficial pages for famous and not-so-famous players.

Joni: One last place to check for baseball stuff is Fastball, which is a comprehensive site for the sport.

www.fastball.com

Peggy: The page includes several places to chat with other fans or with players. There's also lots of statistics and up-to-date game news.

Joni: As the season starts, Wade Boggs and Tony Gywnn begin their countdowns to 3,000 hits. Ken Griffey Jr., Mark McGwire, Juan Gonzalez and others try to beat Roger Maris' 61 home runs. And Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays become big league teams.

Peggy: And the best news, everyone begins the day tied for first.

Joni: What's your favorite baseball site on the Internet? E-mail us at click@semissourian.com

See you in cyberspace.

~Peggy Scott and Joni Adams are members of the Southeast Missourian online staff.