THE LATEST LINE: OVC AGAIN CAN'T HANDLE SE SOFTBALL

Those Ohio Valley Conference softball teams that thought this was the season to finally dethrone Southeast Missouri State University evidently underestimated the depth and quality of the Otahkians' program under veteran coach Lana Richmond.

The Otahkians rolled to the past two OVC regular-season championships with a combined 44-6 league record.

Last year's team -- which also captured the OVC Tournament title -- was particularly potent, winning its first 32 games on the way to a 39-9 overall record.

But six key starters used up their eligibility after last season, meaning Richmond had a major rebuilding job on her hands. And don't you just know that the other OVC contenders were just licking their chops.

But now they're only licking their wounds because the Otahkians won their third consecutive OVC regular-season championship and will enter next weekend's conference tournament in Morehead, Ky., as the No. 1 seed.

Added to all the success the volleyball, gymnastics and track teams had this season, the Otahkian softball squad has certainly done its part in helping SEMO's women's sports programs ascend to big-time heights.

* The NBA playoffs just got under way in the past few days and I've just got one thing to say:

I can't believe how people are so quick to dis the Bulls.

All Chicago did is tie for the second-best regular-season record ever with a 69-13 mark. And that's on the heels of last year's best-ever 72-10 mark.

But all I've been hearing lately is that these Bulls are vulnerable and so many people are saying they won't be able to win another NBA championship.

To those doubters, I say the Bulls are the best until somebody proves different.

And with Michael Jordan taking over whenever necessary, I just can't see that happening.

* I don't necessarily believe that Fuzzy Zoeller meant anything racially derogatory toward Tiger Woods by his inane comments after the Masters.

But I've got to say that Zoeller will go down as one of his sport's all-time biggest idiots by those wacko remarks. I can't imagine anybody saying that kind of stuff during an interview.

* Here are some belated kudos to Woods' incredible performance at the Masters.

I'm not really into golf, but I couldn't help but be mesmerized -- like much of America -- by Woods' phenomenal tournament.

And it had absolutely nothing to do with the color of his skin. It's more a matter of appreciating the work of somebody who simply dominates his sport.

* SEMO senior baseball player Jim Gerwitz recently became the school's single-season record-holder in being hit by a pitch.

Gerwitz has been nailed 12 times this year, breaking the previous record of 11 set by Tom Breuer in 1995.

* I inadvertently left out of a recent article about all the improvements made at Capaha Park's main baseball diamond that Pepsi donated the bulk of the money for the state-of-the-art scoreboard that went up a few years ago.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian