July 3, 2001: Arsenal sign Sol Campbell

Sol Campbell with the FA Cup (in his right hand)

and the Premier League trophy (in his left)

July 3, 2001: Arsenal Football Club sign Sol Campbell. The centreback had been Captain of their North London arch-rivals, Tottenham Hotspur F.C., and had led "Spurs" to the 1999 League Cup. But, his contract having run out, he was not given any assurances by team management that they would bring in new talent to improve the team.

In contrast, Arsenal offered the 26-year-old East Londoner the chance to stay in London, and play Champions League games. After he had rejected all overtures by Spurs, and from European giants FC Barcelona, Internazionale Milano and Bayern Munich, Campbell signed with Arsenal. Spurs' Captain was now the rock of Arsenal's defense, ready to replace the aging team Captain, Tony Adams.

Tottenham fans were livid, turning as red as their rivals' shirts. Not with embarrassment, as they should have, but with rage.

Result? In his 1st season with Arsenal, they won the Premier League and the FA Cup -- the Double. 2nd season? The FA Cup again. 3rd season? An unbeaten League season, clinching the title at, of all places, Spurs' White Hart Lane. 4th season? Another FA Cup. 5th season? Arsenal reached the Champions League Final, and Sol scored in the game, although Arsenal lost.

He then left Arsenal, signing with Hampshire team Portsmouth FC. In 2008, Portsmouth made an unlikely run to win the FA Cup, with Campbell as Captain.

To this day, Spurs fans sing about Sol being "Judas," and that's one of the more printable things they say. But he says he has no regrets.

Since he made the North London switch, Spurs have won just 1 major trophy, and that's if you consider the League Cup to be a "major trophy," doing so in 2008, meaning that Campbell still outdid them that season by leading Portsmouth to the FA Cup.

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July 3, 2001 was a Tuesday. These Major League Baseball games were played that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles, 10-6 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Derek Jeter, Tino Martinez and Scott Brosius hit home runs. Randy Keisler started, but only went 4 innings, so Ramiro Mendoza became the winning pitcher. Cal Ripken, in his final season, went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

* The New York Mets lost to the Chicago Cubs, 3-0 at Shea Stadium. Kerry Wood had a 5-hit shutout going through 6 1/3rd innings, but had thrown 110 pitches and already had a history of injury. Kyle Farnsworth and Tom Gordon went the rest of the way, without allowing another hit. Sammy Sosa and Ron Coomer hit home runs for the Cubs.

* The Florida Marlins beat the Montreal Expos, 7-0 at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal. Ryan Dempster pitched a 4-hit shutout.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 14-7 at Turner Field (now Center Parc Stadium) in Atlanta. Tom Glavine started for the Braves, but didn't get past the 3rd inning. Still, the Phils blew a 5-1 lead. Chipper Jones hit 2 home runs, and the Braves scored 8 runs in the 7th inning. Bobby Abreu homered for the Phillies.

* The Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 7-2 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Boston Red Sox, 9-1 at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Cincinnati Reds, 3-2 at Cinergy Field (formerly Riverfront Stadium) in Cincinnati.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Kansas City Royals, 8-4 at Comerica Park in Detroit.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-3 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 2-0 at Miller Park (now American Family Field) in Milwaukee. Jamey Wright pitched 8 innings of 3-hit shutout ball. For some reason, Brewer manager Davey Lopes decided he needed 3 pitchers to finish the 9th inning, and Wright wasn't one of them. Mark McGwire went 0-for-3 with a walk for the Cardinals.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Texas Rangers, 8-4 at The Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. "Rookie" sensation Ichiro Suzuki went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a stolen base.

* The Houston Astros beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 6-5 at Enron Field (soon to be renamed Minute Maid Park, now Daikin Park) in Houston.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Colorado Rockies, 6-5 at Qualcomm Stadium (formerly San Diego Stadium and Jack Murphy Stadium). Rickey Henderson went 1-for-4 with a walk. In his final season, Tony Gwynn appeared as a pinch-hitter, and did not reach base.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat their arch-rivals, the San Francisco Giants, 4-3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. Barry Bonds went 0-for-3 with 2 walks, 1 of them intentional.

* And the Oakland Athletics beat the Anaheim Angels, 5-2 at the Oakland Coliseum (then named the Network Associates Coliseum).