THE LATEST LINE: TYSON GOT WHAT HE DESERVED

A couple of things are pretty clear regarding the sad saga of Mike Tyson.

One, he's definitely a very unstable and troubled person. That has been apparent for quite some time and was clearly reinforced when he bit out a chunk of Evander Holyfield's ear in their recent heavyweight title fight.

Two, he deserved to be punished pretty severely for his actions in the ring that June 28 night in Las Vegas, when he chomped on not one but both of Holyfield's ears and was subsequently disqualified as Holyfield regained his title.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission sentenced Tyson to the stiffest possible penalty on Wednesday with the revocation of his license to box and a $3 million fine.

While that fine probably doesn't amount to a whole lot for a guy who reportedly made around $30 for biting -- I mean fighting -- Holyfield, at least the revocation should force Tyson to clean up his act.

The way the revocation is supposed to work is that Tyson must wait until next July to ask for his license back, but even then there is no guarantee the commission will give it back. That's probably going to depend on how Tyson has acted -- outside of the ring -- over the next 12 months.

Will Iron Mike try to straighten out his overall life and start acting like a responsible human being or will he continue to be the knucklehead that most people perceive him to be?

That's what the Nevada commission will no doubt be watching for and we'll just have to wait and see how it all unfolds.

* Former Southeast Missouri State University football standout Marquis Walker is gearing up for what hopefully will be his second season in the National Football League.

Walker, a cornerback, had a successful rookie campaign with the St. Louis Rams last year. Signed out of SEMO as a free agent, Walker played in eight games and made four starts. He finished with 24 tackles, 11 passes defensed and one interception.

A St. Louis native, Walker will attempt to make the Rams' roster again when training camp begins this week in Macomb, Ill.

* It was recently announced that the local Heartland Girls Softball League will host the 1997 national girls fast-pitch tournament Aug. 13-17 in Benton.

The Heartland Girls Softball League has been actively participating in the national tourney for the last five years and will finally get the opportunity to host the event.

Host teams along with six other regional winners will compete for the national title in three age divisions: 12-under, 13-15 and 16-18.

* Ex-SEMO baseball star Steve Bieser, who had been in his first season with the New York Mets after spending the previous eight years in the minor leagues, was recently sent back down to the minors.

The Ste. Genevieve native was batting .246 with the Mets when he was demoted to Triple A Norfolk, Va.

* My vacation in Southern California -- where the humidity is low and the prices are high -- was fun, but it's always good to get back to familiar surroundings and the people you're closest to.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian