Thursday, August 9, 2007 | 2:00 AM

Athletes’ new best friend...water

It’s no secret that it’s been hot lately.

Considering there was a span in mid-July where the temperatures barely crept into the 80s, we can’t really complain. But last week and this week were way too hot. I can say I hardly envy fall sports participants.

This week marked the start of football and girls’ golf practices for high school athletes. Next week boys’ soccer, cross country and boys’ tennis join in the fray.

Words of advice:

Talk quietly and carry a big bottle of water—several actually.

My grandma used to say: “Water, water all around, but never a drop to drink.”

Sorry grandma but…baloney! Sure the adage has a deeper meaning when you dig beyond the surface. At face value it means very little. She used to also say: “Holy mackerel” when astonished by something and “Heavens to Mergatroid” when disappointed, which was usually in me—a lot. Neither of those aphorisms really make much sense either.

Maybe in Mergatroid, wherever or whatever that might be, water was hard to come by but the mackerel had to come from somewhere. Right?

Anyway, water couldn’t be easier to come by today and is the athlete’s greatest friend this time of the year. Take your pick. Bottled water comes in a rainbow of colors and variety of flavors and packed with vitamins, oxygen, energy enhancers, electrolytes, minerals and who knows what else. The most important thing is to drink it—preferably the clean and clear kind.

Back in the day—the day when mackerel were still called mackerel and the cartoon lion Snagglepuss was scratching his head muttering something about Mergatroid in the late 50s and early 60s—it was originally preached, for reasons unknown, to athletes not to take in water during workouts and games. There is no scientific foundation to this claim as stated in the document “Heat Stress & Athletic Participation” provided by the National Federation of State High School Association and found at the Michigan High School Athletic Association website www.mhsaa.com.

It has been proven that without water in high-heat situations the body can and will most likely suffer heat cramps, heat syncope, heat exhaustion or heat stroke or all of the above.

Due to the equipment needed in football most of the heat related health issues are associated with that sport. From 1995-2005 there were 19 high school heat stroke deaths, according to “Heat Stress & Athletic Participation.”

Water tops the list of what should be slurped up on the sidelines. But other approved fluid “replacers” include Gatorade, 10k, Quickick and Max.

Since 1965 Gatorade, with its mix of water, flavor and beneficial carbohydrates and electrolytes, is the leading sports drink available. Again take your pick from original, Rain, Frost, X-Factor, Fierce, Xtremo and A.M.

I’ll even drink this stuff up in the cheap seats at football games. That is until the temps cool down and I trade it in for coffee—not recommend for athletes.

So, there you have it: Water, water (and sometimes sports drinks) all around…and plenty enough to go around. So, holy mackerel, drink it up. Heavens to Mergatroid!

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