Even in tough times, sports has always been there

Get some quarters ready and step into the wayback machine. I mean a whole roll of quarters, because we're going way back.

In the 1930s people clung to their radios and books, and they went to "the show" to keep their minds off of their financial struggles.

During World War II women formed their own softball league just to give citizens a sport to keep their minds off the worldly struggles.

We all need an escape, that one hour in the day where we get away from everything and immerse ourselves in something we love.

For some of us, that role is filled by sports. For 10 hours every day this weekend we had the opportunity to escape the madness by observing the Madness.

Thank you, Myles Brand.

Of course, the tournament doesn't take precedence this year, and its usual glow has taken a back seat to the strike on Iraq. But it's like a backup parachute: It's there if you need it.

Sure, it's just a game, but there's nothing like seeing guys lay out everything trying to achieve a common goal ... sounds like some other guys we know.

After moving up two classes, the Notre Dame girls basketball returned to the state finals this year in Class 4. Though the team did not come back to Cape Girardeau with gold hardware, the journey they took is a testament to the strength of the program. The qualifier rule is one of the most ludicrous rules in high school sports and is unfair at best. Congratulations to coach Jerry Grim and the team for defying the odds.

You'll have to defy the odds yourself if you want to attend everything in your week ahead:

Today

You've read the stats. You know the hype. Now it's time to play ball. The first high school baseball game of the year will be Notre Dame at Jackson at 4 p.m. Notre Dame begins a four game road trip; its first home game will be in this very spot in next week's "The Week Ahead."

Tuesday

I hope Saddam was on his high school track team or is at least a good runner. Here are some guys and girls that are. Central hosts Notre Dame in the first track and field event of the spring at 3:45 p.m.

De Soto travels to Cape Girardeau for the area's first high school tennis match against Central at 4 p.m. Saddam's head probably feels like a tennis ball right now. He's sure getting bounced around by the "Shock and Awe" campaign.

Wednesday

The weather is warming, birds are singing, and the grass is growing. Sounds like baseball season to me. Central debuts at home game against Chaffee at ... Lou Muegge Field? Apparently the grass isn't growing on Central's new baseball fields, but let's play anyway. Central hosts Chaffee at 4 p.m. at 205 Caruthers.

Do you think they have swimming teams in Iraq? Maybe sand swimming. Notre Dame and Central have teams that swim in water, and they will compete against each other at 4 p.m.

Thursday

Hockey season is winding down, and obviously teams are scraping the bottom of the barrel in search of promotional night sponsors. Thursday night is Maxwell House coffee mug night when the Blues host the Panthers. This is about as stupid as a couple of Iraqi soldiers thinking: "Maybe if we run and hide, they'll get bored and just go away." But it's the last night for a discount with a student identification. And it's at the Savvis Center.

Friday

Notre Dame hosts its annual Spring Classic soccer tournament on Friday and Saturday. The event will feature the usual suspects: Central, Jackson, Perryville. Pairings and times are TBD, which stands for Total Buildings Destroyed in Iraq, but it's To Be Determined in this case.

Saturday

After a 71-day absence from the area, the Harlem Globetrotters have returned. If you missed them in Memphis or St. Louis, here's another opportunity. The Blue team will be in Poplar Bluff (Black River Coliseum) today and then Jonesboro, Ark., on Sunday.

David Wilson is a student at Central High School and a columnist for the Southeast Missourian.