Cheap Seats

Only in the IOC

The reason Stratis Stratigis resigned as president of the organizing committee for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens is reportedly because he is feuding with the Greek government over his intention to attend the wedding of the daughter of the Greece’s deposed king in London.

Look, Mark, up on the screen

When Mark Langston walked out to the mound at Yankee Stadium on Saturday, he saw a videotape of a night he’d rather forget: Tino Martinez’s grand slam off him in Game 1 of last year’s World Series.

Then Langston gave up nine runs in his worst outing in 11 years as Cleveland lost to the Yankees 21-1.

Yankees manager Joe Torre was livid, immediately calling upstairs for an explanation.

“The New York Yankees should be above that,” Torre said.

Even before he talked about the win, the Yankees’ biggest in 46 years, Torre wanted to send a message to Langston.

“I just thought it was in bad taste,” Torre said. “I have no idea who was responsible for it.”

Uh, Joe, have you checked with George?

A real card at the library

Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Derrick Thomas, after an original payment of a little more than $61,000 about a year and a half ago, has canceled the remainder of a $127,000 pledge to Kansas City, Mo., libraries because of bad publicity over the unpaid amount.

The donation was supposed to pay fines for lost and overdue books for more than 4,000 children in the city, thereby enabling them to check out more books.

Thomas’ spokeswoman said another problem, in addition to his being upset by the public disclosure of the matter, is that John Elway has not yet fulfilled his promise to sign footballs that would be sold to raise money.

Elway’s representatives said they had never heard of any such plan.

It’s our international pastime

The Boston Red Sox last week optioned a right-hander from Korea, Jin Ho Cho, to Triple-A Pawtucket and recalled a right-hander from Japan, Tomokazu Ohka, to take his place.

Green for gopher balls

Former Spokane Indians manager Tim Flannery, normally San Diego’s third-base coach, became an emergency relief pitcher during the home run contest at the All-Star Game. He was a big success, serving up 13 blasts in 16 swings to a certain slugger.

“I’m in there after batting practice, icing down, eating about two dozen clams and sipping on a Guinness,” Flannery said. “Mark McGwire comes up to me before the Home Run Derby and says he doesn’t have a guy to pitch to him.

“I don’t know what happened to the guy who was supposed to throw, but I start thinking: Irish guy hitting, Irish guy throwing, Irish beer, Irish city. Gotta be. Gotta do it.”

Apparently, Jeff Fassero wasn’t available.

The last word …

“He got his highlight, but I told him the next time I would try to break his wrist.”

- Kevin Garnett of the U.S. basketball team after Argentina’s 19-year-old Andres Nocioni drove by him for a reverse slam dunk.