When Howard County Supervisor of Athletics Don Disney looked at his calendar yesterday morning, he was reminded that on this day last year, temperatures hovered in the mid-70s.

Consider that a cruel twist to a day Disney spent by calling county athletic directors, talking to school officials and performing damage control after the first blast of the winter season.

The 10 inches of snow that accumulated in some areas around the state wiped out the first play day of the season for state public high schools and forced postponements or cancellations of several other athletic events.

Then it was announced later yesterday that schools in Baltimore City and Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Carroll, Harford and Howard counties will be closed again today, postponing much of a heavy athletic schedule. Some two-day boys basketball and wrestling tournaments have already been modified into one-day Saturday events.

"It's very stressful, but there's nothing you can do about it," Disney said. "There's not a good time for this to happen in the winter. You want to get the season under way before kids have to play four games in one week."

About 60 area high school varsity games were postponed yesterday, with many being nonconference contests, which usually dot the early-season schedules for public schools. Some private schools already have played games.

Bob Wade, the Baltimore City supervisor of athletics, said that he couldn't remember ever losing the first play day to inclement weather.

While the Niagara-Loyola and Mount St. Mary's-UMBC men's collegiate games went on as scheduled last night, three other state games were postponed, highlighted by the Division I game pitting Towson against Morgan State at Hill Field House.

All four of the state's collegiate women's basketball games scheduled for last night were postponed. The only Division I game, between local rivals Coppin and Morgan State, was rescheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday.

The weather also forced Laurel Park, which was set for a nine-race card, to keep its doors closed and to cancel simulcasting. It was only the third weather-related cancellation of a card in the last two years. Mike Gathagan, the director of broadcast and communications for the Maryland Jockey Club, was optimistic that today's nine-race card, set for a 12:35 p.m. post time, will go on.

As usual, the postponements seemed to hit the hardest at the high school level, where athletic directors and supervisors just recently wrapped up a fall sports season marred by the sniper shootings, which caused a month's worth of scheduling confusion and uncertainty.

Athletic directors were already busy with makeup arrangements yesterday before it was decided that some school jurisdictions would be closed today.

"It doesn't put the stress on you that it would in January or February when you're near crunch time and state playoffs are coming up," said Ron Belinko, supervisor of athletics in Baltimore County.

Said Disney: "If this is going to be an indication of the kind of winter season we have, we're going to have trouble getting this season in."