August 31, 2006: Arsenal Sell Ashley Cole to Chelsea

March 17, 1978: Elvis Costello & The Attractions release their album This Year’s Model. It included a song titled "I Don't Want to Go to Chelsea."

If only Ashley Cole had listened to that song.

For the record: Costello has said he's a Liverpool F.C. fan.

*

August 31, 2006: On the last day of the Summer transfer window, Arsenal F.C. sell left back Ashley Cole to Chelsea F.C., sending him from North London to West London.

They didn't have much choice.

Making his Premier League debut in 2000, Cole established himself as the best English left back of his generation. He helped Arsenal reach the FA Cup Final in 2001, win the Premier League and the FA Cup in 2002 (winning both is called "The Double"), win another Cup in 2003, produce the PL's only unbeaten season in 2004, and win another Cup in 2005. At 24, he had already won 2 League titles and 3 FA Cups, and had played for England in the 2002 World Cup and Euro 2004.

Unfortunately, like so many other great athletes, he began to confuse payment with respect. English football fans express payment in weeks, not years. He wanted £60,000 a week. With the exchange rate then in effect, this amounted to an annual salary of $3.2 million. Arsenal offered him £55,000 a week -- about $2.9 million a year.

For a team as big as Arsenal, an additional £5,000 a week shouldn't have been too much to keep the man who, at the time, was the best player at his position in the world, maybe 2nd at it to Paolo Maldini of A.C. Milan, and only 24 years old, 12 years younger than Maldini.

But Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein, responsible for such negotiations in place of manager Arsène Wenger, wouldn't pay the extra 5 grand. In his autobiography, which he appropriately titled My Defence, Cole described hearing that over the radio while driving on London's beltway, the M25. "Trembling with anger" as he put it in his autobiography, he pulled over, picked up his phone, and called his agent, Jonathan Barnett. He yelled, "They are taking the piss, Jonathan!"

The expression -- also known as "taking the mickey," which comes from Cockney rhyming slang, from "Mickey Bliss" -- is roughly equivalent to the American expressions "busting your chops" or "busting your balls." But Cole considered it a sign of tremendous disrespect.

In January 2005, Cole and Barnett met with Chelsea's manager José Mourinho and chief executive Peter Kenyon at the Royal Park Hotel in Lancaster Gate, Central London. Simply having the meeting, without having informed his current club first, was a violation of PL rules. So was negotiating a transfer without the permission of the current club. By offering a contract, of any amount, Chelsea were violating a rule as well. The process is called "tapping-up."

Word got out, and while it didn't seem to affect either team on the field as the 2004-05 season came to a close -- Chelsea won the League, and Arsenal won the Cup -- on June 1, an independent commission charged by the PL with investigating the story issued its findings. Cole was found guilty, and fined £100,000, or about 2.6 times the amount of additional money he was demanding. He would have been better of if he'd just sat there and taken it. Chelsea were found guilty, and fined £300,000. Mourinho was found guilty -- a manager should not be present at such a meeting -- and fined £200,000.

Arsenal fans turned on Cole, calling him "Cashley." Rumors abounded, some with more merit to them than others. He was married to Cheryl Tweedy, the lead singer of vocal group Girls Aloud. The joke was that she, white, had to marry him, black, to prove she wasn't a racist; and he had to marry her to prove he wasn't gay. Another rumor spread that he had a gay affair with Jermaine Jenas, a star player with Arsenal's North London arch-rivals, Tottenham Hotspur; and that, for reasons known only to him, he shoved a cell phone up his ass at a party.

The familiar terrace chant, "Ten men went to mow, went to mow a meadow!" became "Ten men went to bed, went to bed with Ashley!" And the rhyming of his name made another song easy: "Oh, Ashley Cole, yer a fuckin' arsehole!"

Cheryl and Ashley got together in September 2004, and married in July 2006, but divorced in September 2010, because of Ashley's infidelity. With women. In March 2006, Ashley sued the tabloids The Sun and News of the World for printing a story about a gay orgy he supposedly attended. Both papers issued retractions, and he retracted the suits.

It's almost as if the whole thing was totally for show.

Cheryl kept using the name "Cheryl Cole" for legal reasons, but became simply "Cheryl" for her music releases -- as if she was Cher or Madonna. (Well, she sings better than Madonna, anyway.) In 2014, he married French restaurateur Jean-Bernard Fernandez-Versini, but they divorced in 2016. She then got together with former One Direction singer Liam Payne. She had a son with him in 2017, but they broke up the next year without having married.

(UPDATE: Ashley married Italian model Sharon Canu in 2023, after they'd already had 2 children together.)

Cole played the 2005-06 season with Arsenal, helping them reach the UEFA Champions League Final. On August 31, having been held out of the team's 1st 2 games of the 2006-07 PL season -- a draw against Aston Villa in the 1st competitive match at the new Emirates Stadium, and a loss away to Manchester City -- Arsenal bowed to the inevitable, and made a trade, a rarity in English football: They sent Cole to Chelsea for £5 million and centreback William Gallas.

Cole made a public statement saying he forgave Arsenal team management for their treatment of him. He... forgave them? They didn't do anything wrong. All they did was offer a great player 91 percent of what he thought he was worth.

Gallas did next to nothing for Arsenal, developed a bad attitude, and was gone within 3 years. Cole played 8 seasons for Chelsea, and, while his private behavior, legal and otherwise, remained troublesome, his on-pitch reputation only grew. Between the 2 London clubs, ended up with 5 Premier League titles, a record 7 FA Cup wins, and, with Chelsea, the 2012 Champions League title.

He played for England in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, and, after they failed to qualify for Euro 2008, in Euro 2012. He left Chelsea for Italy's AS Roma in 2014, came to America in 2016 to play for LA Galaxy, and after 3 years there, closed his career in 2019, back in England with Derby County.

He then went into coaching. At Derby, their manager was his former Chelsea and England teammate, Frank Lampard. He made Cole the academy coach. In 2022, Lampard and Cole went to Liverpool-based team Everton.

Whether Ashley Cole will ever be forgiven by Arsenal fans remains to be seen, but he set the pattern for future dodgy moves for players, including Aliaksandr Hleb in 2008, Emmanuel Adebayor in 2009, Cesc Fàbregas and Samir Nasri in 2011, Robin van Persie in 2012, and Alexis Sánchez in 2018.

So far, though, it looks like, as Billy Joel once claimed in a song, Cole would rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. (Not to be confused with Southampton F.C, whose team is nicknamed the Saints.)

*

August 31, 2006 was a Thursday. There were 10 games played in Major League Baseball that day:

* The New York Yankees beat the Detroit Tigers, 6-4 at Yankee Stadium. Randy Johnson was the winning pitcher, although he didn't pitch especially well. He may have been the most disappointing pitcher in Yankee history. Alex Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs. Derek Jeter went 1-for-2 with 3 walks.

* The New York Mets lost to the Colorado Rockies, 8-4 at Coors Field in Denver. Jeff Francis outpitched Óliver Pérez. David Wright hit a home run for the Mets.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-4 at Fenway Park in Boston. David Ortiz did not play.

* The Washington Nationals beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 6-5 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington. The game went to 10 innings, and both teams scored on mishandled pitched: The Phillies got a run home in the top half, thanks to a passed ball by Nats catcher Brian Schneider; while the Nats tied the game on a Brian Schneider single, and then, with Ryan Church at bat, Aaron Fultz threw a wild pitch, and Marlon Anderson scored the winning run.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Atlanta Braves, 8-6 at Turner Field (now Center Parc Stadium) in Atlanta. Barry Bonds went 2-for-3 with a walk before leaving the game.

* The Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-3 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago. Jorge Cantú singled home the winning runs in the top of the 10th inning.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals, 3-1 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Florida Marlins, 5-2 at the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis. Albert Pujols went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Baltimore Orioles, 7-5 at Ameriquest Field (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* And the Houston Astros beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-3 at Minute Maid Park (now Daikin Park) in Houston.

August 15, 2011: The Summer of Arsenal's Discontent

Cesc Fàbregas, 2005

August 15, 2011: The great plan that Arsène Wenger, manager of Arsenal Football Club, began 6 years earlier comes crashing down. And the worst Summer of his tenure with the North London soccer team would get even worse.

Francesc Fàbregas Soler was born on May 4, 1987 in Arenys de Mar, Catalonia, Spain. "Cesc" was the midfielder that his hometown club, F.C. Barcelona, didn't want, and Wenger bought him dirt cheap. He built his team around Cesc, dismantling the 2004 "Invincible" team in the process. He built a team of very young players, with the idea of "If you are good enough, you are old enough." He took this young team from the old stadium, Highbury, built in 1913, and moved it into the new Emirates Stadium in 2006.

This transition from veterans to youth, and in particular building around Cesc, was the biggest mistake of Wenger's career. To borrow words Wenger likes to use, Cesc had "the quality" to be one of the greatest players in soccer, but he did not have "the mental strength."

Although he put on some spectacular moves and scored some great goals -- such as an absolute stunner against arch-rival Tottenham on Halloween 2009, just 45 seconds after a Robin van Persie goal -- he got hurt frequently, probably costing Arsenal the 2007 and 2011 League Cup Finals.

He and van Persie helped Arsenal win the FA Cup as reserves in their 1st full season, 2004-05, and they reached the 2006 Champions League Final, but losing to Barcelona. But, between the two of them, they won nothing more for Arsenal: They finished 2nd in the League in 2008, and reached the Semifinals of both the FA Cup and the UEFA Champions League in 2009, but got no closer to significant honors.

Barça, always media-savvy, had articles and columns printed suggesting that Cesc was merely on loan to Arsenal, was homesick there, and that it was his destiny to return to his hometown, to his original club -- which had gotten rid of him without realizing what he could be, much as Feyenoord of Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, had done with van Persie.

Cesc was a member of the Spain team that won Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup, and Euro 2012. But at the celebration for the 2010 World Cup in Madrid, the Spain team's Captain, Carles Puyol, also Barcelona's Captain, put a Barcelona jersey on Cesc, over his Spain jersey. And another of Spain's Barça players, Andres Iniesta, called him "The future of Spain, the future of Barcelona" at that ceremony -- in Madrid, where Barça are despised.

And he let them, even though his contract with Arsenal ran 2 more years. In a 2011 Champions League match, he passed not to an Arsenal teammate, but to a Barcelona player, setting up their winning goal.

It was not his last piece of treachery, not his last gift to his once-and-future teammates. Accusations of secret meetings between Cesc and Barça, a.k.a. "tapping-up," abounded. At the dawn of the 2011-12 season, he went on strike, pretending to be injured until he got sold back to Barça. He turned up at a tennis tournament in Spain, appearing not to be injured. For this poisoning the atmosphere at the club, I called him "Cesc Mustardgas."

On July 4, left back Gaël Clichy was sold to Manchester City for £7 million. He was supposed to be the successor to Ashley Cole, after "Cashley" had whined his way across town to free-spending West London team Chelsea.

On July 31, hosting the Emirates Cup tournament, Arsenal lost 19-year-old rising star Jack Wilshere for the season with a broken ankle. He was never the same player. And an own goal in the 84th minute forged a 1-1 draw with the New York Red Bulls, featuring former Arsenal star Thierry Henry. Since club rules mandate at least 10 seasons' service, and Henry had only played 8 seasons for Arsenal, this would be the closest thing to a testimonial that they could give him.

On August 15, Arsenal bowed to the seemingly inevitable. After getting Fàbregas from Barcelona for free 8 years earlier, he was sold to them for £35 million.

More was to come. The next day, popular but inconsistent right back/winger Emmanuel Eboué was sold to Galatasaray of Istanbul, Turkey for £4 million. On August 24, Samir Nasri, a French winger who seemed to play well with Fàbregas, but listlessly without him, was sold to Manchester City for £25 million. Arsenal now had an extra £71 million, but were missing 4 key players, 5 if you count the occasionally effective Eboué.

Arsenal's start to the season couldn't have been much worse. They opened the Premier League season with a 0-0 draw away to Newcastle United. Liverpool came into the Emirates, and beat them, 2-0. And then, on August 28, Arsenal went to Old Trafford to play Manchester United, who were coming off a season where they won the Premier League and reached the Champions League Final. United were at full strength.

Arsenal were not. Fàbregas, Nasri and Clichy had been sold; while goalkeeper Manuel Almunia, usual starting right back Bacary Sagna and centreback Thomas Vermaelen were injured. With 6 players who should have started either sold or injured, Arsenal fell behind 2-0 in the 1st half-hour, allowed 3 goals in a 6-minute stretch in the 2nd half, had emergency right back Carl Jenkinson sent off with a 2nd yellow card in the 77th minute, and lost, 8-2, their goals coming from Theo Walcott and van Persie. The jokes immediately followed: "I'd 8-2 be an Arsenal fan now."

Wenger had brought in reinforcements. The aforementioned Jenkinson had been brought in from Southeast London team Charlton Athletic for £1 million, and turned out to be a good backup. Winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was bought from South Coast team Southampton for £12 million, and he became a good backup. Striker Joel Campbell came from Costa Rica for £1 million.

Left wing Gervinho, of the African nation of the Ivory Coast, came from French team Lille for £10 million. Quickly, to the tune of "Volaré," Arsenal fans began comparing him to Fernando Torres, who had been sold by Liverpool to Cheslea for £50 million: "Gervinho, whoa! Gervinho, whoa! He scores more than Torres! For 40 million less!" But his defining feature was his rather large cranium: "Gervinho, whoa! Gervinho, whoa! His forehead is immense! He'll rip up your defense!"

But after a good start, he "lost his shooting boots." He had this nasty habit of getting within shooting range, or within passing range of a teammate in shooting range, and then hesitating, and then making a bad pass. It got to the point where someone watching a game with me for the first time would think his full name was "Gervinho What the Hell!" I wanted him to succeed at Arsenal, but he just didn't. After 2 poor seasons, Arsenal sold him at a loss to Italian team AS Roma. He did help his country win the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.

On August 31, the final day of the transfer window, Wenger brought in 4 players, in what was largely seen as a "panic buy." Midfielder Mikel Arteta was signed from Everton for £10 million, affecting the club in ways that couldn't yet be guessed. Israeli midfielder Yossi Benayoun was brought in on loan for the season from Chelsea. These acquisitions would shore up the losses of Fàbregas and Nasri.

Needing size in central defense, the 6-foot-6 Per Mertesacker was signed from German team Werder Bremen for £8 million, and "the Big Fucking German" proved very popular among Arsenal fans. Left back André Santos was brought in from Istanbul team Fenerbahçe for £6 million. He would not prove to be popular.

So, 4 players out, 7 players in, and Wenger made a profit of £23 million. Given that the debt for the new stadium had not yet been paid off, this was clever management. But would there be the necessary results on the pitch?

After a week off for an international break, or an "interlull," as Arseblog author Andrew Mangan called it, Arsenal beat Swansea City at home, 1-0. But they lost 4-3 away to Blackburn Rovers. They beat Bolton Wanderers at home, 3-0, then lost away to arch-rival Tottenham, 2-1. Played 7, won 2, drawn 1, lost 4. As late as the last day of the next interlull, October 15, they had won just 7 out of a possible 21 points. They were in 15th place out of 20. The season was 1/6th over, and they were in danger of being relegated.

But they only lost 1 of their next 12 League games, including winning their next 5. A 3-game losing streak in January was followed by a 7-game winning streak. That put them back into a chance for the PL's CL places. A run of a loss and 3 draws put that back in jeopardy, but a hard-fought win away to West Bromwich Albion on the final day preserved a 3rd-place finish and a place in the 2012-13 Champions League.

Back to August 2011: Once the sale of Fàbregas to Barcelona happened, his injury was magically cured. He reported to the Catalan club, and played in their next La Liga game. With them, he won Spain's Copa del Rey in 2012 and La Liga in 2013.

But by 2014, having got what they wanted from him, Barça had frozen him out. Many Arsenal fans begged Wenger to take him back. He refused: Loyalty matters, and Cesc had stabbed him in the back. So Cesc went for the money, signing with Chelsea. He won 2 Premier League titles in 3 years with the corrupt Stamford Bridge club.

More than Ashley Cole, Aliaksandr Hleb, Emmanuel Adebayor, Samir Nasri, Robin van Persie and Alexis Sánchez, Cesc Fàbregas is the great unfaithful servant of Arsenal's history.

*

August 15, 2011 was a Monday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Kansas City Royals, 7-4 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. A.J. Burnett was the winning pitcher. Derek Jeter went 3-for-4 with a stolen base and 3 RBIs. Alex Rodriguez did not play.

* The New York Mets beat the San Diego Padres, 5-4 at Petco Park in San Diego. The winning run was scored in the top of the 10th: Scott Hairston grounded to short, and the fielder's choice allowed Jason Pridie to score.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the San Francisco Giants, 5-4 at Turner Field (now Center Parc Stadium) in Atlanta.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-2 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Detroit Tigers, 9-6 at Comerica Park in Detroit.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 3-0 at Miller Park (now American Family Field) in Milwaukee. Randy Wolf pitched 8 innings of 6-hit shutout ball, and John Axford finished the 7-hit shutout.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Houston Astros, 4-3 at Minute Maid Park (now Daikin Park) in Houston.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Florida Marlins, 7-4 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Los Angeles Angels, 8-4 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

* The Baltimore Orioles beat the Oakland Athletics, 6-2 at the Oakland Coliseum (then named the O.co Coliseum).

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-5 at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in Seattle.

* And the Boston Red Sox, the Chicago White Sox, the Cincinnati Reds, the Cleveland Indians, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Tampa Bay Rays and the Washington Nationals were not scheduled.

July 26, 2014: Arsenal Play In New Jersey

Thierry Henry and Jack Wilshere

July 26, 2014: For the 4th time, Arsenal Football Club of North London came to North America.

The 1st was in 1972. On May 31, days after an FA Cup Final defeat and a year after winning the Football League and FA Cup "Double," they played the Miami Gatos of the old North American Soccer League at the Orange Bowl. Arsenal won 3-2, on goals by Charlie George, John Radford and Ray Kennedy. Attendance: A mere 4,725.

But they came back to this continent the next year anyway, possibly hoping that Canada's status as a nation still in the British Commonwealth would help attendance. If so, I can't find a reference to how many came out. On May 23, 1973, they played at Varsity Stadium in Toronto, against a team called Toronto Select. Charlie George, the 1971 FA Cup Final hero, scored again, in a game that ended, as a later song would say, "One-nil to The Arsenal."

They stayed away for a long time. On August 6, 1989, they returned to Miami, apparently forgetting that Florida is hot as hell, especially in the Summer. At the Dolphins' new stadium (then named Joe Robbie Stadium, now named Hard Rock Stadium), they came as newly-crowned Champions of the Football League Division One, predecessors of the Premier League.

They played Club Atletico Independiente, of Avellaneda in the province of Buenos Aires, the defending champions of Argentina. This was for the Zenith Data Systems Challenge Trophy, a phony "world championship." David "Rocky" Rocastle scored from open play in the 1st half, and from a penalty in the 2nd half, giving The Arsenal a 2-1 win. Attendance: 10,042, the vast majority of them Hispanics rooting for the South American team.

It would be a quarter of a century before they returned. They came to New York, held several events in The City during the week, and played at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, Hudson County, New Jersey, home of Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls -- then featuring Arsenal's all-time leading scorer, Thierry Henry.

Because of my membership in the NYC Arsenal Supporters, I had the opportunity to be among the early birds eligible for the group's ticket offer, putting us in the upper deck of the North Ward, opposite the Red Bulls' supporters' section in the South Ward. It cost me $60 (about $75 in 2022 money), but I knew it would be worth it. Since I became an Arsenal fan in 2008, I have had online wisenheimers, some of them even Arsenal fans, taunt me by saying, "You've never seen your team in person!" That is no longer true.

People really did come from all over the world, not just all over the country. It was natural that people would come from London, elsewhere in England, elsewhere in the British Isles. But when the game was actually played, there were banners for fan clubs from Australia, China and Africa. This was huge. If someone had decided to move this game to the 82,000-seat MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands, I guarantee it would have sold out.

Instead, it was played at Red Bull Arena. In North Jersey. My old stomping grounds. (Okay, mine were Bloomfield and Newark, not Harrison, across the Passaic River.) As they would say in London, The Arsenal were on my manor.

I got there early enough to see Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger give an interview. It was a thrill just to see him. It was a bigger thrill to hear a crowd announced as 25,219 -- most of them Arsenal fans, not (or not just) Red Bulls fans, give him a standing ovation right before the game, and sing his song, to the tune of "Guantanamera": "One Arsène Wenger! There's only one Arsène Wenger!" Especially given how much certain people claiming to be Arsenal fans have abused him, both in person and online.

Henry and Wenger

I arrived in time to watch pregame warmups. Due to the World Cup, several players who had played in it were allowed to stay home and rest, without having to make the flights and the appearances. From Champions Germany, midfielder Mesut Özil, forward Lukas Podolski and centreback Per Mertesacker stayed home.

This was not a tragedy for me: I had previously seen Özil play for Real Madrid against AC Milan at Yankee Stadium in 2012; and had seen Poldi and the 6-foot-6 Mertesacker play for Germany against the U.S. at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington in 2013.

Also not making the trip, due to their participation in the World Cup, were forwards Olivier Giroud of France and the newly-acquired Alexis Sánchez of Chile; midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of England; and centrebacks Laurent Koscielny of France, Thomas Vermaelen of Belgium (Arsenal's official Captain) and Johan Djourou of Switzerland.

Despite having played for England, midfielder Jack Wilshere did make the trip. So did midfielder Santi Cazorla of Spain. They proved to be among the most popular players on the team, and interacted with the fans more than any other players.

The World Cup-induced shortage forced Wenger to bring a lot of young reserves, and put some players in unusual positions. Here was the starting lineup:

1 Goalkeeper: Wojciech Szczesny of Poland.
25 Right back: Carl Jenkinson of England.
45 Centreback: Isaac Hayden of England.
18 Centreback: Nacho Monreal of Spain, normally a left back.
3 Left back: Kieran Gibbs of England.
35 Right wing: Gedion Zelalem of the U.S.
8 Central midfield: Mikel Arteta of Spain, Captain for the day.
10 Central midfield: Jack Wilshere of England.
16 Central midfield: Aaron Ramsey of Wales.
19 Left wing: Santi Cazorla of Spain.
7 Forward: Tomáš Rosický of the Czech Republic, normally a midfielder.

Zelalem, born in Germany to Ethiopian parents, grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. He was only the 3rd American ever to play for Arsenal, after Frank Simek in 2003 and Danny Karbassiyoon in 2004. As a result of this game, he also became the 1st player from a CONCACAF nation to play for Arsenal in any CONCACAF nation, let alone his own.

Since this was a friendly, permissible substitutions were limited only by the size of the roster. For the 2nd half, Wenger made these changes: In goal, Szczesny off, Emiliano Martinez of Argentina on; at RB, Jenkinson off, Héctor Bellerin of Spain on; at CB, Hayden off, Ignasi Miquel of Spain on; at RW, Zelalem off, Number 20, Mathieu Flamini of France on; at CM, Arteta off, Number 34, Francis Coquelin of France on; and at CM, Ramsey off, Number 24, Abou Diaby of France on.

In the 71st minute, Wenger replaced Rosicky at forward with Number 38, Chuba Akpom of England; Cazorla on left wing with Number 53, Kristoffer Olsson of Sweden, and Wilshere in central midfield with Number 56, Jon Toral of Spain.

Only Gibbs and Monreal played the whole game -- ironically, 2 men who usually play the same position.

For the Red Bulls: Luis Robles of the U.S. was in goal, Chris Duvall of the U.S. was at right back, Jámison Olave of Colombia and Ibrahim Sekagya of Uganda were at centreback, Roy Miller of the U.S. was at left back; the midfielders were Lloyd Sam of England, Dax McCarty of the U.S., Tim Cahill of Australia, and Ambroise Oyongo of Cameroon; and the forwards were, of course, Thierry Henry of France; and Bradley Wright-Phillips of England, son of Ian Wright, who set Arsenal's team record for career goals, 185 -- broken by Henry, who raised it to 228.

Subs: 46th, Armando Lozado of Spain at CB for Olave, Eric Alexander of the U.S. at LB for Miller and Andre Akpan of the U.S. at FW for BWP; 57th, Peguy Luyindula of France at FW for Henry; 62nd, Matt Miazga of the U.S. at CB for Sekagya; 63rd, Michael Bustamante of Colombia at MF for Cahill; 70th, Ruben Bover of Spain at MF for McCarty; 78th, Kosuke Kimura at RB for Duvall; 81st, Ryan Meara of the U.S. in goal for Robles, and Connor Lade of the U.S. for Sam (with the South Ward fans chanting, "We got Lade!"). Only Oyongo played the whole game.

Listed time for the kickoff was 5:00 PM U.S. Eastern Time -- meaning Arsenal fans back in London had a kickoff time of 10:00 PM. A small price to pay for those of us having to watch the traditional 3:00 PM Saturday kickoff at 10:00 AM -- leading to the title of a San Francisco-based Arsenal blog, 7AM Kickoff.

There was a light rain falling for much of the day, and maybe they waited a few minutes for it to stop. It did. At 5:12 PM on July 26, 2014, Henry kicked off, and, from that moment onward, anyone who has ever said that I've never seen Arsenal play live has been a liar.

As we would say in American football, these bellends keep "moving the goalposts."

Being an exhibition game, the action wasn't especially intense. No one wanted to get hurt -- and, given both teams' tendencies toward an "injury crisis," this was understandable. The point for the Red Bulls was to give themselves some credibility alongside one of the world's most beloved sports teams; the point for The Arsenal was to grow their brand in the U.S.; and the point for both was much more to put on a show than to win. This was not a Herman Edwards contest: Playing to win the game was secondary.

In the 32nd minute, Henry took a corner kick. Sekagya got to it, headed it, and it landed in front of BWP, who put it past Szczesny. There would be no "One-nil to The Arsenal" song today; it was 1-0 to the Jersey Boys.

Given their experience -- even for the kids -- Arsenal were not fazed. In the 38th, Zelalem passed to Wilshere, who fired at goal, but Robles made a great save to stop him.

Henry was no longer the best player in the world, as he was while with Arsenal from 2002 to 2006, but he still had a lot of moves. When he was subbed off in the 52nd minute, he got as good an ovation as he ever has.

Shortly thereafter, Diaby got the ball. Following a broken ankle in the 2005-06 season -- and he was injured on purpose by Sunderland's Dan Smith -- injuries had rendered the hope that he would be the "next Patrick Vieira" for Arsenal impossible. He was beloved by Arsenal fans, but he always seemed to play poorly when I watched on TV. He didn't seem to grasp that you're supposed to pass to the guys wearing the same color shirts. As Yogi Berra would say if he were a soccer fan, Even when he can play, he can't play.

Which makes what happened here a great irony: Diaby charged toward the north goal, right under us, and fired a shot past Robles. Tie ballgame! The 1st Arsenal goal I had ever seen, and it was by Diaby!

No, it wasn't: The linesman ruled it offside. Incorrectly, I thought. Some things never change: Even in meaningless games on other continents, The Arsenal get screwed over by the officials.

Aside from that, the officiating wasn't bad. There was very little in the way of dirty play. Cahill was shown a yellow card at the end of the 1st half, and Kimura received one in the game's final minute.

In the 79th, Akpom broke away, and it was just he and Robles. A shot, and Robles made a kick-save with his left foot that, across the Passaic at the Prudential Center, New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur would have appreciated.

Since this was a friendly, and there were no injuries, there was no stoppage time at the end of either half. Final score, New York Red Bulls 1, Arsenal 0. Or, as it would be written in world soccer circles, Metro 1-0 Arsenal.

I left the game disappointed at the result. But thrilled at the entire experience. I saw The Arsenal play in New Jersey, something that would have been unimaginable 10 years earlier, and incredibly unlikely even 6 years earlier when I started watching them, just as the growth of international TV coverage of soccer was in mid-explosion.

I saw Arsenal shirts in the Ironbound bars, in Newark Penn Station, and on New Jersey Transit trains.

I saw a team that knew that, due to finances, I couldn't go to see them, so they came to see me.

The Yankees, the Devils, and any other team I support have never had to do that, because they're close. The Arsenal are not.

Yet they came to me. And I was there.

I will always be grateful to them for that. There have been times when I've watched them when I've regretted following this sport. But I have never regretted making them my team.

Arsenal returned to North America in the Summer of 2016, played 2 games in California. On July 28, they beat the MLS All-Stars, 2-1 at what's now PayPal Park in San Jose, home of MLS' San Jose Earthquakes, on goals by Joel Campbell and Akpom. And on July 31, they beat C.D. Guadalajara of Mexico, a.k.a. "Chivas," 3-1 at what's now Dignity Health Sports Park in the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, home of MLS' L.A. Galaxy, on goals by Rob Holding, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Akpom. Despite his success in these friendlies, Akpom never impressed Arsenal management, who loaned him out to 6 teams in 5 years, before selling him in 2018.

In the Summer of 2019, Arsenal came to America to participate in the International Champions Cup. As a warmup, on July 15, they went to Dick's Sporting Goods Park in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado, and beat the host team, the Colorado Rapids -- also owned by Stan Kroenke -- 3-0. Goals were scored by Bukayo Saka, James Olayinka and Gabriel Martinelli.

On July 17, they beat Bayern Munich 2-1 at Carson, thanks to an own goal and an 88th minute winner by Eddie Nketiah. On July 20, they beat Fiorentina of Florence, Italy, 3-0 at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, home of the NFL's Carolina Panthers, with Nketiah scored 2 and Joe Willock 1. And on July 23, they played Real Madrid at FedEx Field in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland, home of the NFL team now known as the Washington Commanders. Alexander Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored in a 2-2 draw, but Real Madrid won the game on penalties, 3-2.

Arsenal had intended to come back for the Florida Cup in 2021, but a COVID breakout canceled that. So they tried again this Summer, and just wrapped up a 3-0 trip. On July 16, they beat Liverpool-based Everton 2-0 at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, with goals by Gabriel Jesus and Saka. On July 20, they went to Exploria Stadium in Orlando, and beat MLS' Orlando City 3-1, with goals by Martinelli, Nketiah and Ainsley Maitland-Niles. And on July 23, they clobbered West London's Chelsea, 4-0 at Camping World Stadium (formerly known as the Citrus Bowl) in Orlando, with goals by Jesus, Martin Ødegaard, Saka and Sambi Lokonga.

Overall, Arsenal's record in the United States is 10-2. In North America, 11-2. Not too shabby.

UPDATE: In the Summer of 2023, Arsenal beat the MLS All-Stars, 5-0 at Audi Field in Washington. They played in New Jersey again, at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands, and lost to Manchester United, 2-0 in front of 82,262 -- though that sellout, which I predicted 9 years earlier, was achieved with a lot of Man U fans. And it did not include me. And they beat FC Barcelona, 5-3 before 70,223 at SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles. This made Arsenal's record in the State of New Jersey 0-2, and in the other 49 States combined 10-0. That wouldn't bother me so much if I weren't from New Jersey!

FedEx Field in Landover is now Commanders Field. Exploria Stadium in Orlando is (now Inter&Co Stadium.

Arsenal played in America again in Summer 2024. On July 24, at Dignity Health Sports Park, they drew 1-1 with Bournemouth, and then won 5-4 on penalties: On July 27, the beat Manchester United, 2-1 at SoFi. And on July 31, they lost to Liverpool, 2-1 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.

*

July 26, 2014 was a Saturday. This games were played in Major League Baseball that day:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-4 at Yankee Stadium. Chris Capuano had a good start, and Brian McCann and Carlos Beltrán hit home runs, but the bullpen blew it. In his last season, Derek Jeter went 2-for-4 with a walk.

* The New York Mets lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-2 at Miller Park (now American Family Field) in Milwaukee.

* The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 10-6 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Antonio Bastardo melted down in the top of the 10th inning, including giving up a home run to Nick Evans.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the San Diego Padres, 5-3 at Turner Field (now Center Parc Stadium) in Atlanta.

* The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox, 3-0 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. How many Rays pitchers does it take to pitch a shutout? This time, 5.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Washington Nationals, 1-0 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Johnny Cueto pitched 7 innings of 4-hit ball, and 2 relievers completed the 4-hit shutout.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat their arch-rivals, the Chicago Cubs, 6-3 at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 7-0 at Target Field in Minneapolis. Chris Sale pitched 8 innings of 5-hit shutout ball.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Cleveland Indians, 7-5 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Texas Rangers, 5-1 at Globe Life Park (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The Miami Marlins beat the Houston Astros, 7-3 at Minute Maid Park (now Daikin Park) in Houston.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-1 at Coors Field in Denver.

* The Los Angeles Angels beat the Detroit Tigers, 4-0 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Matt Shoemaker pitched 7 innings of 3-hit shutout ball, and 2 relievers completed the 4-hit shutout.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat their arch-rivals, the San Francisco Giants, 5-0 at AT&T Park (now Oracle Park) in San Francisco. Clayton Kershaw pitched a 3-hit shutout. But the Giants went on to win the World Series.

* And the Seattle Mariners beat the Baltimore Orioles, 4-3 at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in Seattle.

July 22, 2006: Arsenal Open the Emirates Stadium

July 22, 2006: The Emirates Stadium, the new home of North London's Arsenal Football Club, opens, just 500 yards from their former home since 1913, Arsenal Stadium, nicknamed Highbury for its neighborhood.

Arsenal had played at Highbury since 1913, but after the Taylor Report demanded that all British soccer teams convert to all-seater stadiums, its seating capacity was reduced to about 38,000. In order to compete for top players with the more successful teams in Europe, Arsenal needed a bigger stadium with better amenities to meet revenue needs.

The first event at the 60,704-seat bowl was a testimonial match for retiring forward Dennis Bergkamp.

The current Arsenal players are joined by several former club stars in a game against the club with whom the man Arsenal fans called "God" began, AFC Ajax of Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The 1st half was each team's current players, although several on each side were unavailable due insufficient rest from the recently-concluded World Cup. Arsenal would have Bergkamp (the guest of honor usually plays in the testimonial, presuming he can), but no one else of note, as Thierry Henry was being held back for the "Legends" team in the 2nd half. In contrast, Ajax were able to field Maartin Stekelenburg, Jaap Stam, Wesley Sneijder, Jan Vertonghen, Klaas Jan Huntelaar, and a man who would later captain Arsenal, Thomas Vermaelen. In the 37th minute, Huntelaar scored the stadium's 1st goal.

Bob Wilson, the goalkeeper for Arsenal's 1971 Double-winning team, introduced the Legends teams. Ajax's players included Frank Rijkaard (who had just managed FC Barcelona to defeat Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League Final), Marco van Basten (not quite 41 years old, but hadn't played a competitive match in 11 years due to a knee injury), Edgar Davids, Danny Blind, twins Frank and Ronald de Boer, Edwin van der Sar, and Ajax' greatest legend, Johan Cruijff, 59 years old and 22 years past his last competitive match, who managed and appeared as a substitute.

Arsenal's legends included Henry, David Seaman, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, Patrick Vieira, Steve Bould, Ian Wright, Emmanuel Petit, and 3 men who had played for both teams: Bergkamp, Marc Overmars and Nwankwo Kanu. Also appearing for Arsenal, though he had played for them for just 2 seasons, was Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who had captained the Netherlands at the World Cup, but had starred for Ajax's arch-rivals, Rotterdam side Feyenoord, and had played against Arsenal in the recent CL Final. No hard feelings on either side.

In the 55th minute, Henry put a shot past van der Sar, then the star goalie of Manchester United. Ronald de Boer missed a penalty in the 61st. Kanu gave Arsenal the lead in the 80th. Every Arsenal player seemed to be trying to get Bergkamp the ball to let him score, as is usually the case in a testimonial, but it just didn't happen. (Bergkamp was 37, so maybe it was time to retire.) It did still end 2-1 in Arsenal's favor. Afterward, Bergkamp said a few words to the crowd, and was picked up on his teammates' shoulders, and given a lap of honor.

The 1st competitive match at the stadium didn't go so well: On August 19, 2006, Arsenal opened their Premier League season at home, against Birmingham team Aston Villa. Olof Mellberg, a Villa defender, scored the 1st official goal at the stadium in the 53rd minute. Gilberto Silva scored the 1st Arsenal goal in the 84th, and the match ended 1-1.

Arsenal were in a transition period, and not just from the old stadium to the new one. Paying off the stadium debt meant selling off some stars, including Vieira the season before, and Henry the season after; and some players who were not yet stars.

Manager Arsène Wenger had won 3 Premier League titles and 4 FA Cups, including 2 Doubles, in 1998 and 2002. But now, to save money, he had broken his great team up and rebuilt around youth: Whereas the centerpiece of his trophy-winning side had been French-Senegalese defensive midfielder Vieira, it would now be Spanish-Catalan attacking midfielder Cesc Fàbregas.

But it never seemed to be enough. There was a 2nd-place finish in 2008, trips to the Semifinals of both the CL and the FA Cup in 2009, and defeats in the League Cup Final in 2007 and 2011. But he couldn't finish the job. Over the next few years, for reasons of both finances and players' egos, Wenger would also have to sell Fàbregas, Ashley Cole, Freddie Ljungberg, Jens Lehmann, Aliksandr Hleb, Emmanuel Adebayor, Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie. Wenger still managed to win the FA Cup in 2014, 2015 and 2017, and keep the team in the top 4 places in the PL, thus keeping them in the CL.

Some of these players were more easily forgiven for leaving than others, but many fans blamed Wenger, rather than team management who had to pay off the stadium's debt, for a period of "decline" that would have been considered a spectacular success by most teams' standards. Many people, including Arsenal fans, blamed the new stadium itself, claiming it lacked sufficient "atmosphere" it inspire the players. Fans of arch-rival Tottenham Hotspur, as they had with the previous stadium, called it "The Library," since it sort-of rhymed with "Highbury." Begging the question: How would a Tottenham fan know what the inside of a library sounds like?

On a personal level, knowing that the United Arab Emirates are a dictatorship, treating women, immigrants, and people of religions other than Islam badly, but ignoring such things if they happen to be wealthy tourists for their resort cities such as Dubai, I would prefer that both the stadium's name and the team's shirts would no longer have Emirates Airways as a sponsor. (UPDATE: In 2026, Arsenal signed an extension of that deal, through the 2032 season.)

In 2018, Wenger was given the 1960 Casey Stengel treatment, and he "resigned." Then came a true decline, but it was stopped before it could become disastrous. Mikel Arteta, one of the Cup-winning players Wenger had signed, became the manager, and won the 2020 FA Cup, before restoring Arsenal's PL position. (UPDATE: In 2026, he won the PL title.)

Statues of Wenger, Bergkamp, Henry, former Captain Tony Adams, 1930s manager Herbert Chapman, and Ken Friar, who started working for Arsenal as a 12-year-old messenger boy and, in 2022, is the 87-year-old president emeritus of the club, now stand outside the stadium.

The Emirates Stadium has hosted international matches, including 8 by the Brazil national team through the 2021-22 season. (UPDATE: A 9th was played in 2025.) It has also hosted concerts, including by Bruce Springsteen in 2008, Coldplay in 2012, Green Day in 2013, and The Killers in 2022. In 2008, considered "a shining example of Anglo-French co-operation," it hosted a summit meeting between Prime Minister Gordon Brown of Great Britain and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France.

Fans of other big clubs, or would-be big clubs, wanted their own showplace stadium now. Manchester City had already gotten one in 2003, also now with an Emirati-themed name, Etihad Stadium. In 2016, West Ham United moved from Upton Park in the East End to the 2012 Olympic Stadium, renamed the London Stadium, not tucked so deep into East London, and, like Arsenal, their fans complained about a loss of atmosphere.

In 2019, Tottenham, a.k.a. "Spurs," having left their old White Hart Lane stadium, and spent 2 years playing home games at the new Wembley Stadium while the new stadium was built on the site of the old one, moved into Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which, to one-up Arsenal, had a slightly higher capacity of 62,850.

Of course, Arsenal fans called The Lane "The Shithole," and noticed that the new stadium, from the outside, actually looked like a toilet bowl. Clearly, Spurs management didn't think the design through. Nevertheless, it has begun regularly hosting regular-season NFL games, as had the old Wembley, the new Wembley, and rugby venue Twickenham Stadium.

In Liverpool, Everton FC have begun work on a new stadium to replace Goodison Park, while neighboring Liverpool FC have instead chosen to modernize and expand Anfield. West London's Chelsea FC and Manchester United have also looked into replacing their stadiums, but, through 2022, have been stopped. (UPDATE: In 2025, Everton's new Hill Dickinson Stadium opened, while Man U approved a 100,000-seat "New Trafford" adjacent to Old Trafford, hoping to open it by 2030. Contractual issues still stall Chelsea's plans to either expand or replace Stamford Bridge.)

*

July 22, 2006 was a Saturday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-4 at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Chien-Ming Wang was the winning pitcher. Bernie Williams hit a home run. Derek Jeter went 2-for-3 with a walk and an RBI. Alex Rodriguez went 0-for-4.

* The New York Mets beat the Houston Astros, 4-3 at Shea Stadium. Orlando "El Duque" Hernández was the winning pitcher. Xavier Nady hit a home run.

* The Washington Nationals beat the Chicago Cubs, 7-3 at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington.

* The Tampa Bay Devil Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles, 13-12 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays scored 10 runs in the 5th inning, and the O's scored 9 in the 7th. For the Rays, Julio Lugo went 2-for-4 with 2 home runs and 4 RBIs, Russell Branyan went 3-for-5 with a home run and 4 RBIs, and Dioner Novarro went 3-for-3 with 2 walks and 2 RBIs.

For the O's, Corey Patterson went 5-for-5 with 2 RBIs, Brian Roberts went 4-for-6 with an RBI, Miguel Tejada went 4-for-5, and Jeff Conine went 2-for-4 with a walk and 3 RBIs. For all their 22 hits, none were home runs.

* The Florida Marlins beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-0 at Dolphins Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida. Ricky Nolasco pitched 7 1/3rd innings of 4-hit shutout ball, and 2 relievers finished the 4-hit shutout.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins, 11-0 at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland. Jeremy Sowers pitched a 4-hit shutout. Travis Hafner went 2-for-5 with a home run and 3 RBIs. Grady Sizemore and Joe Inglett each went 3-for-4 with and 2 RBIs, with Sizemore also drawing a walk.

* The Cincinnati Royals beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-7 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Ken Griffey Jr. went 0-for-4 with a walk.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Detroit Tigers, 9-5 at Comerica Park in Detroit.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Chicago White Sox, 3-1 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago.

* The Los Angeles Angels beat the Kansas City royals, 4-3 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. Reggie Willits singled Chone Figgins home in the top of the 10th inning.

* The Arizona Diamondbacks beat the Colorado Rockies, 4-3 at Chase Field in Phoenix.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-1 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres, 4-3 at AT&T Park (now Oracle Park) in San Francisco. Barry Bonds went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* And the Seattle Mariners beat the Boston Red Sox, 5-2 at Safeco Field (now T-Mobile Park) in Seattle. Félix Hernández outpitched Kason Gabbard. Ichiro Suzuki went 2-for-5 with 2 RBIs. Mike Lowell hit a home run. He and David Ortiz both went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

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.

*

July 3, 2001 was a Tuesday. Folarin Balogun, a Brooklyn native of Nigerian descent who has played for Arsenal, AS Monaco, and the U.S. National Team, was born on this day. 

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).