THE LATEST LINE: BIG MAC DESERVING HR KING

Mark McGwire has become the greatest show on earth.

He's Michael Jordan, Elvis and the Beatles all rolled into one.

He hits a home run -- and the nation explodes.

He strikes out -- and fans in whatever stadium the Cardinals happen to be playing give him a standing ovation.

Right now, McGwire is baseball's all-time single-season home run king -- and he'll probably stay that way for a long, long time, unless Sammy Sosa goes on an unbelievable hot streak over the final days of the season.

And it all couldn't have happened to a better guy.

McGwire is the kind of person any sports fan should love to root for.

He's well spoken and friendly -- and certainly doesn't seem to have a chip on his shoulder like so many of today's professional athletes. He appears to genuinely enjoy what he's doing and seems to consider himself extremely fortunate for being able to make millions for playing a kids' game.

He seems to be a genuinely caring and thoughtful person who has tried to make time for just about everybody -- from the unbelievable media hordes that have been following his every move to the millions of adoring fans who clamor for autographs from the new Sultan of Swat.

McGwire isn't afraid to show his emotions, an admirable trait indeed. The scenes of him hugging just about everybody in sight after he hit his historic 61st and 62nd home runs will live in the minds of sports fans for a long time.

And the scenes of him emotionally hoisting his batboy son Matt and giving the youngster a huge kiss -- in front of the entire nation -- are things that had to cause some moist eyes for even the most cynical of people.

The nation -- and probably even the world -- has embraced the Cardinals' Big Mac with open arms and sports fans from all walks of life have immersed themselves in arguably one of the biggest sports stories of all time.

And it couldn't have happened to a better guy.

* One more note on the subject of McGwire and the home run record.

I don't want to sound greedy, but if I had a chance to sell one of those monumental home-run balls for somewhere in the range of a million dollars -- which some collectors were reportedly offering -- no way do I pass that up.

* There must be quite a bit of parity in the local high school football ranks this season.

How else do you explain that, after just two weeks of the season, only three area squads are undefeated?

Scott City, St. Vincent and Sikeston are all 2-0 to lead the local pack.

And all three seem like good bets to advance into the playoffs in their respective classes this season.

* I figured the Rams would be pretty sorry this season.

But losing to the Saints at home? Now that's what you call really sorry.

The Rams have a chance to atone for that pathetic opener when they host the Vikings today.

But I can't see an upset happening.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian