STRIKE ZONE: IT'S EASY TO OVERLOOK THE REAL REASON FOR ATHLETICS

They're playing high school baseball quarterfinals today across Missouri.

In Jefferson City today, the state track and field meet wraps up for dozens of athletes.

The other state-sanctioned sports -- from swimming to golf to cheerleading -- are finished.

As easy as it is to get lost in that dizzying world of numbers, statistics and the ultimate list of winners and losers, it's more difficult to remember the real reason behind high school sports -- education, a positive experience and a situation of maturity and growth.

And graduation.

There's an old message athletes hear when they don't finish No. 1: It's OK. You tried your hardest. You did the best you could.

It's a long-winded cliche. It also still carries a lot of weight.

As much as any athlete -- whether in a soccer league for 6-year-olds or on a state champion high school team -- wants to win, catch the eye of a pro scout and make a career out of a pasttime, the chances are slim that it will happen that way.

It makes an education sound like a nice option.

The athletes from the baseball team at Kelly High School -- a program that held its own against teams from Classes 1A-4A this season -- finished the season with an average 3.5 GPA.

Great job, but a rarity? Hardly.

The swim team at Cape Central hit the books just as well as it hit the water this season. In fact, find a high school athletic team in the area and you'll find at least one scholar student who doubles as a scholar athlete.

And that's just the way it should be.

The readers' note that mentioned the scholastic feats of the Kelly baseball team sounded almost frustrating, even a little apologetic.

"It's not earth-shattering news," the note read, "(not) barn burning, Dennis Rodman headbutts again news, but it would be nice if the newspaper acknowledged accomplishments like this from time to time."

As should everybody.

Potpourri ...

* The list of area high school basketball coaches continues to change.

At Caruthersville, Scott Bowlin is leaving after just one year. He's going to Gibson Co., Tenn., for a similar job.

Poplar Bluff has hired hometown product John David Patillo to lead its program, replacing Larry Morgan (he left for an administrative job).

Patillo spent recent seasons at Marquette, where he arrived to build the program from the ground up when the school opened two years ago. His teams there had amazing back-to-back 20-win seasons.

* At last check, the Stampede -- St. Louis' Arena Football League franchise -- was 1-2. Memphis was wallowing near the bottom of the pack as well.

Funny, but at this point of the season, they still seem more interesting than the Cardinals.

* Roy Frakes is leaving as Sikeston's baseball coach, handing the job to Kevin Self.

* The IRL-vs.-Indy feud -- which hits a high point with the U.S. 500 and Indianapolis 500 races Sunday -- is a perfect example of what happens when grown men let their egos get in the way of good judgment. They forget their customers, lose sight of their purpose and toss all logic and reason out the window.

Sounds like racing really is a professional sport.

Jamie Hall is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian