THE LATEST LINE: ELITE TRACK ATHLETES WILL HEAD TO CAPE

Joey Haines is the first person to admit that track and field might not rate as a `must-see' event with the majority of the area's sports fans.

But Haines insists that the sport he coaches is extremely exciting and features some of the best athletes around.

And he urges local fans to come out this weekend and take in some of the 17th annual All-Sport Relays that Southeast Missouri State University will host at the Abe Stuber Track & Field Complex.

The meet, featuring some of the region's top track and field powers, will be held Friday and Saturday. Action will begin at noon Friday and 10:30 a.m. Saturday with the opening ceremonies.

"We're looking forward to another great meet," said Haines, the outstanding coach who has built one of the elite programs at SEMO and one of the best in the Ohio Valley Conference. "There will be a lot of tremendous athletes here."

Among the top squads is Haines' own women's team that is the defending All-Sport Relays champion and has also dominated the OVC in recent years. SIU won last year's men's title.

Haines expects some rugged competition for this year's championships, with SEMO, Missouri, SIU and others making strong runs for the titles.

* Former SEMO football standout Angel Rubio continues to draw plenty of attention from the NFL, meaning there is a good chance the big defensive lineman will be selected when the NFL draft is held on April 18.

Tampa Bay scouts were in Cape Girardeau this past week to put Rubio through a workout and he was scheduled to be in San Francisco later in the week to work out in front of 49ers' coaches and scouts.

Rubio made several NCAA Division I-AA All-America teams after a standout 1997 senior season at Southeast and he also received an invitation to attend the prestigious NFL Combine held recently in Indianapolis.

* Congratulations to SEMO gymnasts Erin Chenier and Malia Roberts as they both qualified for the NCAA Central Regional Championships, to be held Saturday at Alabama.

Chenier and Roberts will now attempt the extremely difficult task of qualifying for the national meet.

* Watching bits and pieces of the McDonald's All-America basketball game the other night brought back memories of a few years ago when I attended the contest that annually showcases the nation's premier high school hoopers.

It was a Sunday afternoon at the brand-new Kiel Center in St. Louis and the list of prep standouts was dazzling. Among the players participating that day were Kevin Garnett, Stephon Marbury, Paul Pierce and Robert "Tractor" Traylor, just to name a few.

And what a show they put on.

Among the things I remember most was the 6-foot-10 Garnett firing on-the-money bounce passes from halfcourt and Marbury running his team with the precision of a seasoned pro.

And the `Big Man' showing up late -- but we still had a great time.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian