THE LATEST LINE: CHAFFEE UP IN ARMS OVER QUALLS FIRING

As far as I can tell, the four Chaffee High head coaches that the Chaffee School Board recently decided not to rehire for next year are all fairly solid citizens who worked hard to try and build their programs up.

I do not know three of the coaches nearly as well as I know the fourth. The teams of three of the four coaches in question did not have winning records in recent seasons and two of the squads were way below .500, which may or may not be a valid reason for making a change.

But the coach I do know extremely well -- Bruce Qualls -- led his baseball team to an impressive 84-57 record in eight seasons and last year he was voted Scott-Mississippi Conference Coach of the Year by his peers.

Qualls led the Red Devils to a state semifinal appearance, which should be cause for celebration at a school that has been extremely non-competitive over the last decade-plus in the so-called high-profile sports of football and boys basketball.

I've known Qualls since his days as a standout player for Southeast Missouri State University in the mid-1980s and later as a star for the Capahas summer team.

In my opinion -- and many other people seem to share it -- Qualls is one of the more astute baseball men in Southeast Missouri. And based on the nearly 15 years I've known him, he's also a heck of a good guy and a solid family man.

As far as his personal life, I haven't heard anything that might have put him in disfavor with the Chaffee School Board, which sure couldn't have any problem with his record.

Based on the many calls I've gotten in the last week after the school board's decision got around -- and based on some of the comments I've heard on a local radio sports talk show -- a whole lot of people in Chaffee and the surrounding area are upset. They can't imagine why in the world a coach like Qualls would be canned.

Neither can I. And ditto for Qualls, who told me he was stunned when he heard the school board's decision and can't for the life of him figure out what he did wrong.

Qualls, who will coach the Red Devils during the 1999 season that begins this week, would like an explanation. He certainly deserves one.

Come to think of it, so do a lot of other people in this area who follow high school sports and are wondering what is going on down in Chaffee.

* I really enjoyed the interview I had last week with personable new SEMO athletic director Don Kaverman, who seems to be an extremely classy person and a very talented administrator who I think will do a great job in Cape Girardeau.

* Although the season is still several months away, SEMO football team will begin spring workouts later in the week.

* What a travesty boxing had last Saturday when Lennox Lewis clearly dominated Evander Holyfield -- yet the heavyweight title bout was ruled a draw.

What fight were two of those judges watching? Certainly not the one in the ring.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian