The New York Times reported this week, 100 days before the start of the Athens Olympics, organizers still need to install 75,000 seats in the stadium, which still needs a roof. Which means we're less than 100 days away from a train wreck of Woodstock '99 proportions.

Snookered

At this week's World Snooker Championship, 200-1 underdog Ronnie O'Sullivan rallied from an 0-5 deficit to win the title and the $443,000 winner's purse. The 28-year-old Brit then dedicated the win to his father, Ronnie O'Sullivan Sr., who's serving a life sentence for murder.

Can you even begin to imagine the dialogue between the British announcers, describing this story? That's got to be the "Do You Believe in Miracles" of English 21-ball billiards ... and it's got to be unbelievable.

Ichiro: A Life

The Seattle Times recently reviewed a biography chronicling the life of Mariners outfielder Ichiro Suzuki. The newspaper focused mainly on Ichiro's relationship with his overbearing Mommy Dearest father, who once fired baseballs at his son for pouting in the field. The book also reports that Ichiro "practiced baseball 360 out of 365 days a year, with only five to six hours a year to play with his friends."

King Gheorghe II

The next coming of Gheorge Muresan was the focus of a Seattle Times feature this week. Jerry Sokoloski, a 7-foot-5 Canadian, is drawing the attention of some NBA teams. He can pinch a basketball between the thumb and forefinger of each palm and is believed to be the leading candidate for the title role in My Giant 2: Electric Boogaloo.

Oh Billy ... Billy, Billy, Billy

White Sox pitcher Billy Koch, pretty much the coolest guy in the major leagues, went ballistic after his performance in a save Wednesday. Koch allowed a run on two walks, a hit and a sacrifice fly, but Chicago won 6-5. Afterward, the reliever explained his night as follows:

"That's a pathetic showing. It's not fair to the 24 guys in this room or the coaching staff or the fans of Chicago."

"There's absolutely no reason in the world I should walk those guys. Let them put the ball in play and get themselves out."

"I apologize to everyone out there. It's not fair to have to bite your nails down to a bloody stump watching me pitch."