December 2, 1993: Pablo Escobar Is Killed

December 2, 1993: Pablo Escobar is killed. The "King of Cocaine" was a day past his 44th birthday.

Pablo Emilio Escobar Gaviria was born on December 1, 1949 in Rionegro, Colombia. In 1976, he founded the Medellín Cartel, and established the first smuggling routes from Peru, Bolivia and Ecuador, through Colombia and eventually into the United States. Escobar's infiltration into the U.S. created exponential demand for cocaine, and, by the 1980s, it was estimated Escobar led monthly shipments of 70 to 80 tons of cocaine into the country from Colombia.

He became the wealthiest criminal in history, worth about $30 billion at the time of his death. But he constantly battled rival cartels, domestically and abroad, leading to massacres and the murders of police officers, judges, locals, and prominent politicians.

Like many famous criminals, he compensated with charitable works. In the 1982 Colombian parliamentary election, he was elected as an alternate member of the Chamber of Representatives, as a member of the Liberal Party. Through this, he was responsible for community projects such as the construction of houses and football fields, which gained him popularity among the locals of the towns that he frequented.

However, Escobar's political ambitions were thwarted by the Colombian and U.S. governments, who routinely pushed for his arrest, with Escobar widely believed to have retaliated by orchestrating the Avianca Flight 203 and DAS Building bombings, both in 1989.

In 1991, Escobar surrendered to authorities, and was sentenced to 5 years' imprisonment on a host of charges, but struck a deal of no extradition with Colombian President César Gaviria, with the ability of being housed in his own, self-built prison, La Catedral. He knew how to escape, and, in 1992, he did.

He went into hiding, leading to a nationwide manhunt. As a result, the Medellín Cartel crumbled, and on December 2, 1993, the Colombian National Police found Escobar in his hometown, and shot him in the head.

He was seen as a Robin Hood-like figure for many in Colombia, as he provided many amenities to the poor. His killing was mourned and his funeral attended by over 25,000 people. Additionally, his private estate, Hacienda Nápoles, has been transformed into a theme park.

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December 2, 1993 was a Thursday. Baseball was out of season. Football was in midweek. There were 5 games played in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks lost to the Houston Rockets, 94-85 at Madison Square Garden.

* The Seattle SuperSonics beat the Washington Bullets, 105-95 at the USAir Arena (formerly the Capital Centre) in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland.

* The Phoenix Suns beat the Detroit Pistons, 102-101 at The Palace in the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, Michigan.

* The Utah Jazz beat the Indiana Pacers, 103-87 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City.

* And the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Golden State Warriors, 103-91 at the Oakland Coliseum Arena.

And there were 6 games in the NHL:

* The New York Islanders lost to the Boston Bruins, 7-3 at the Boston Garden.

* The New Jersey Devils played the Pittsburgh Penguins to a tie, 2-2 at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh.

* The Florida Panthers beat the Buffalo Sabres, 2-1 at the Miami Arena. Jesse Bélanger scored the winning goal, just 23 seconds into overtime.

* The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the St. Louis Blues, 5-4 at the St. Louis Arena.

* The established Los Angeles Kings played the expansion Mighty Ducks of Anaheim for the 1st time. The Kings won, 3-2 at The Forum outside Los Angeles in Inglewood, California.

* And the Philadelphia Flyers beat the Vancouver Canucks, 6-3 at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver.

July 2, 1994: Andrés Escobar Is Killed

July 2, 1994: The World Cup continues in America, with the Round of 16. Spain beat Switzerland, 3-0 at RFK Stadium in Washington. And Germany beat Belgium, 3-2 at the old Soldier Field in Chicago.

Unfortunately, the worst thing that could have happened as a result of this World Cup happened: Somebody was killed. Not in the stands, or outside the stadium, in a hooligan fight. Not even on U.S. soil. But because of something that happened inside the stadium. Andrés Escobar was 27 years old.

On ESPN, Steve Levy made the point that we may mock notable sports goats like Ralph Branca and Bill Buckner, but we don't kill them. That was not true with Andrés Escobar.

Born in 1967 in Medellín, he had been a centerback for his hometown team, Atlético Nacional, helping them win the Copa Libertadores, South America's version of Europe's Champions League, in 1989; and Colombia's national league, Primera A, in 1991. He was considered one of the best players in the country.

But Medellín was also the capital of the country's drug trade, home of the Medellín Cartel, run by the unrelated Pablo Escobar, killed in a shootout with the National Police the preceding year. Colombia's drug issues were so bad that, in 1983, having been awarded the 1986 World Cup, the federal government handed it back to FIFA, claiming they could not guarantee the safety of the players and the spectators. It was held in Mexico City instead.

It was suspected that some of the drug lords, in a flash of patriotism, had bet heavily on their national team during the World Cup, and lost big in part due to the own goal committed by Andrés Escobar in the 35th minute of Colombia's 2-1 loss to the U.S. on June 22 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.

Colombia finished last in their Group. Afterward, Escobar decided to return to Colombia instead of visiting relatives in Las Vegas. On July 1, he called his friends, and they went to the El Indio nightclub. His friends split up.

At approximately 3:00 the next morning, Escobar was alone in the parking lot of El Indio, in his car, when 3 men appeared. They began arguing with him. Two of the men took out handguns. Escobar was shot six times with a .38 caliber pistol. It was reported that the killer shouted "¡Gol!" ("Goal!") after every shot. The group then drove away in a Toyota pick-up truck, leaving Escobar to bleed to death. Escobar was taken to the hospital where he died 45 minutes later.

In 2013, Francisco Maturana, Escobar's manager at Atlético Nacional, denied that Escobar's murder had any connection to football or the World Cup, but rather was due to his being "in the wrong place at the wrong time" at a violent time in Colombia's history. Few people believed him.

In 2001, as Colombia was preparing to host the Copa América, South America's national-team tournament, the city of Medellín inveiled a statue of Andrés Escobar.

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July 2, 1994 was a Saturday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Seattle Mariners, 12-6 at Yankee Stadium. Dave Fleming outpitched Jimmy Key. Ken Griffey Jr. went 5-for-6 with an RBI. Bernie Williams hit a home run.

* The New York Mets lost to the San Diego Padres, 4-1 at Jack Murphy Stadium in San Diego. Tony Gwynn went 3-for-4 with a walk and 3 RBIs. Rico Brogna hit a home run for the Mets, but they only had 3 other hits and a walk.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Oakland Athletics, 10-2 at Fenway Park in Boston. Mo Vaughn, Tom Brunansky and Wes Chamberlain hit home runs for the BoSox. Rickey Henderson went 0-for-2 before being removed for a pinch-hitter.

* The California Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles, 1-0 at Camden Yards in Baltimore. Cal Ripken went 2-for-3.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Florida Marlins, 5-0 at Joe Robbie Stadium (now Hard Rock Stadium) in Miami Gardens, Florida. Greg Maddux pitched 7 innings of 4-hit shutout ball, and 2 relievers finished the 4-hit shutout.

* The Houston Astros beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-4 at the Astrodome in Houston.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-2 at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Minnesota Twins, 9-1 at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 5-0 at the new Comiskey Park (now Rate Field) in Chicago. Alex Fernandez pitched a 4-hit shutout, no walks, 10 strikeouts.

* The Colorado Rockies beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-5 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals, 7-6 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Texas Rangers, 6-1 at The Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 9-3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And the Montreal Expos beat the San Francisco Giants, 10-9 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. Barry Bonds went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.

June 26, 2003: The Death of Marc-Vivien Foé

June 26, 2003: Marc-Vivien Foé dies of a previously undiagnosed heart condition, while playing midfield for Cameroon against Colombia, in the Semifinal of the Confederations Cup, a match being held in his adopted hometown of Lyon, France. He was 28, and was survived by a wife, but no children.

Foé was born on May 1, 1975, in Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon. A midfielder, he won his country's version of the FA Cup with Canon Yaoundé in 1993. He moved to France, and helped Racing Club de Lens win the League title in 1998.

He spent the next season with West Ham United of East London, and helped them win the 1999 UEFA Intertoto Cup, a 3rd-tier European tournament. He moved to Olympique Lyonnais, and helped them win the Ligue 1 title in 2002. In addition, he helped Cameroon with the Africa Cup of Nations, the continent's national team tournament, in 2000 and 2002.

Lyon loaned him to Manchester City for the 2002-03 season, and he played in 38 of their 41 games, scoring 9 goals, including the last goal at their old stadium, Maine Road, on April 21, 2003.

The Cameroon team, known as the Indomitable Lions, reached the World Cup in 1994 and 2002. Foé was in both squads, but they did not get past the Group Stage either time. They played in the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup. Foé played in wins over Brazil and Turkey. With the team having thus qualified for the knockout stage, he was rested for their game against the United States, a 0-0 draw that knocked the Americans out of the tournament.

Only 4 teams qualified for the knockout stage. On June 26, Cameroon faced Colombia in the Semifinal, at what was officially his club home field, the Stade de Gerland in Lyon. In the 72nd minute, with Cameroon leading 1-0, he ran to the center circle, and collapsed. No other player was near him, so he hadn't been fouled.

The medical team attempted to resuscitate him on the pitch. He was stretchered off, and for 45 minutes, they tried to restart his heart. It didn't work, and he was dead at 28.

His wife, Marie-Louise, said that he had been suffering from stomach issues, but he wanted to play this game in his adopted hometown. Winfried Schäfer, Cameroon's German manager, had noticed that Foé seemed fatigued. He signaled to Foé that he wanted to substitute him off, but Foé signaled that he wanted to keep going.

The game was played to a conclusion, and Cameroon hung on to win. That night, in the other Semifinal, at the Stade de France in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, France beat Turkey, 3-2. Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Sylvain Wiltord, all players for North London team Arsenal, scored for France, and each pointed to the sky as a salute to Foé. Three days later, France beat Cameron in the Final at the Stade de France, with Henry scoring a "golden goal" in the 97th minute.

Unlike in North American sports, retiring uniform numbers is unusual in world soccer, and is rarely done for a player who is still alive. Lens retired the Number 17 shirt that he wore for them, and Manchester City did the same with Number 23. Plaques honoring him were installed at the new City of Manchester Stadium (now the Etihad Stadium) and in the memorial garden at the housing complex built on the site of Maine Road. A street outside Stade Bollaert-Delelis in Lens was renamed for him.

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June 26, 2003 was a Thursday. These Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, 4-3 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Mike Mussina got the win, supported by home runs from Jason Giambi and Raúl Mondesí. Derek Jeter went 0-for-5.

* The New York Mets lost to the Florida Marlins, 6-1 at Shea Stadium.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Detroit Tigers, 6-4 at Fenway Park in Boston.

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Atlanta Braves, 8-1 at Turner Field (now Center Parc Stadium) in Atlanta. Randy Wolf outpitched Mike Hampton, and was supported by home runs from Jim Thome and Mike Lieberthal.

* The Toronto Blue Jays beat the Baltimore Orioles, 13-8 at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre) in Toronto.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Cleveland Indians, 4-1 at Jacobs Field (now Progressive Field) in Cleveland.

* The Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs, 5-3 at Wrigley Field in Chicago. Sammy Sosa hit a home run, but the Cubs blew a 3-2 lead in the 9th inning, including a home run by Geoff Jenkins.

* The St. Louis Cardinals beat the Cincinnati Reds, 11-7 at Busch Memorial Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-1 at the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

* The Oakland Athletics beat the Texas Rangers, 13-0 at The Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas. Tim Hudson pitched 7 innings of 3-hit shutout ball, and 2 relievers finished a 4-hit shutout.

* The Seattle Mariners beat the Anaheim Angels, 10-6 at Edison International Field (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim). Ichiro Suzuki went 1-for-5 with an RBI.

* And the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Colorado Rockies, the Houston Astros, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Montreal Expos, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the San Diego Padres and the San Francisco Giants were not scheduled.

February 17, 2017: A Soccer Lineup From 11 Different Countries

February 17, 2017: Granada Club de Fútbol play Seville-based Real Betis, at Nuevo Estadio de Los Cármenes in Granada, in Andalusia in southern Spain. This game, in Spain's La Liga, is a milestone: Granada fielded players from 11 different countries. No two of their players came from the same country. This is believed to be the first time it has ever happened in any soccer league, anywhere in the world. Here is the lineup:

Goalkeeper: Number 13, Guillermo Ochoa, Mexico.

Right Back: 25, Sverrir Ingi Ingason, Iceland.

Left Back: 3, Gastón Silva, Uruguay.

Centerback: 23, Héctor Hernández (known by just his first name), Spain

Centerback: 22, Dmitri Foulquier, France, the team's Captain.

Central Midfielder: 5 Uche Agbo (also known by just his first name), Nigeria.

Right Midfielder: 29, Martin Hongla, Cameroon.

Left Midfielder: 8, Mubarak Wakaso, Ghana.

Center Forward: 18, Andreas Pereira, Brazil

Right Wing: 16, Mehdi Carcela, Morocco.

Left Wing: 7, Adrián Ramos, Colombia.

That's 11 different players, from 11 different countries, and from 4 different continents: 4 from Africa, 3 from Europe, 3 from South America, and 1 from North America.

And it worked: Carcela scored in the 18th minute. Ramos scored in the 28th. Pereira scored in the 33rd, and Granada went into halftime up 3-0. Ramos scored again in the 64th. There was a fight in the 66th minute, and both Pereira and Matías Nahuel of Betis were sent off, leaving both teams to finish the game with 10 men. Brazilian player Petros got a consolation goal in the 75th, and it ended 4-1 to Granada.

It was the highlight of the season for Granada. They had already fired manager Paco Jémez early in the season. His successor, Lucas Alcaraz, was no better, as they won only 1 of their 15 remaining La Liga games, and were relegated. Alcaraz was fired on April 10, and former Arsenal Captain Tony Adams managed their last 7 games, all losses.

Granada were promoted back to La Liga in 2019. Jémez now manages U.D. Ibiza in Spain's 2nd division, Alcaraz manages Olympiakos Nicosia in Cyprus' 1st division, and Adams has never managed again.

(UPDATE: Granada were relegated again in 2022. Jémez now manages a team in Iran's 1st division. Oddly, Alcaraz succeeded Jémez as manager in Ibiza. As of the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, Adams, one of the greatest centrebacks of his generation, still has never managed since being fired by Granada in 2017.)

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February 17, 2017 was a Friday. Baseball and football were out of season. The NBA was in its All-Star Break. There were 3 games played in the NHL:

* The Colorado Avalanche beat the Carolina Hurricanes, 2-1 at the PNC Arena (now the Lenovo Center) in Raleigh. Mikko Rantanen scored the winning goal with 37 seconds left in overtime.

* The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 2-1 at the Nationwide Arena in in Columbus. Brandon Dubinsky scored the winning goal with 3:56 left in overtime.

* And the Florida Panthers beat the Anaheim Ducks, 4-1 at the Honda Center in Anaheim.