THE LATEST LINE: MISSOURI'S HEAT SURE HARD TO BEAT

I've just returned from a week-long vacation to southern California -- glorious Newport Beach, which is right on the ocean, to be exact -- and, as you might expect, I had a blast.

But -- and don't think I'm crazy here -- it's nice to be sweating again.

Sure, you can sweat a little bit in Newport Beach. But only if you try really, really hard. When temperatures barely reach into the upper 70s in July -- on an extreme day -- and humidity is very low, it's hard to work up a good lather.

Oh, you can bet the people out there think it's pretty warm. And I'm sure they get mighty uncomfortable when a sweat bead or two begins to roll down their arms or backs. My brother, who I was visiting -- and who spent plenty of his life in Missouri -- commented several times about how hot it was getting.

Please. The guy has been out of the heat loop too long to identify a good steam bath any more.

Hot -- I'm talking really hot -- is when you walk out of your house and are already sweating profusely by the time you reach your car. Hot is when you are soaking wet early in a baseball game -- and you're just a spectator. Hot is when you're taking a midnight stroll -- and can hardly catch your breath.

Many people -- especially the ones who live where I just came back from -- would no doubt call the above torture.

I don't. Some people like to sweat, and count me among them. I love playing outdoor basketball and tennis during the summer, and there's no better feeling (well, maybe a few) than coming off the court totally drenched. I shot some hoops during my vacation and could have worn those workout clothes to dinner that night, they were so dry.

The people who live in the coastal communities of southern California might have their beautiful beaches and mild year-round weather, but they don't know a thing about heat and humidity.

When it comes to sweating, our heat is definitely hard to beat.

* Now, for a little bit of real sports talk.

Just a few days ago, the Cardinals looked like they were going to turn the National League Central Division race into a runaway by the All-Star break.

But, thanks to three straight St. Louis losses and three consecutive Cincinnati wins, the Reds have pulled to within seven games back and have assured themselves of at least carrying a pulse into the second half of the season.

* SEMO basketball recruit Joel Shelton made quite an impression recently during a high school all-star game that featured a team of national standouts against a squad of St. Louis-area stars.

Shelton, a 5-8 guard who was named Mr. Show Me Basketball as a senior at Vashon High, scored 21 points as the St. Louis team barely missed out on an upset, falling 112-108.

Shelton's performance even caused a few St. Louis media members to wonder why the state's most well-known college basketball programs -- Missouri and St. Louis U. -- did not offer Shelton a scholarship.

Earl Austin Jr., a St. Louis prep hoop expert, even went as far as to say that SEMO got a real steal by signing Shelton.

Let's hope he's right.

~Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian