When the NCAA Basketball Tournament became the first casualty — and then everything else seemed to follow in rapid succession — we wondered if things would ever return to the way we’ve taken for granted in the past.

March Madness turned into March Sadness, then April Angst, May Malaise, etc. 

While the timing might seem to be a little off, go ahead and exhale. There will be no fans in the stands at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway or Churchill Downs or at the U.S. Opens in golf and tennis, but we don’t care. We’re used to seeing that by now.

Get ready for an onslaught of must-see sporting events.

The Indianapolis 500 has pivoted from its traditional Memorial Day weekend spot to Sunday (noon on NBC). Seeing those sleek machines barreling down the straightaway at 230 mph-plus is eagerly anticipated by millions around the world.

The best two minutes in sports, the Kentucky Derby, always is on the first Saturday in May. Those magnificent animals charging down the Churchill Downs stretch is truly captivating. Having a wager on something never hurts interest, either.

While the Derby is now slated for the first Saturday in September, who cares? We’re getting back another slice of our world.

The U.S. Open in tennis hasn’t moved its dates. It will begin Aug. 31 and finish on Sept. 13. Although many of the big names from foreign countries are taking a pass, not wanting to travel, seeing smashes and baseline rallies from New York brings back memories of McEnroe, Sampras, Navratilova, Evert and Agassi.