May 13, 2012: The Sergio Agüero Game

May 13, 2012: Arsenal FC hang on to win 3-2, away to Birmingham-area team West Bromwich Albion, and secure a UEFA Champions League place for the next season. I watched this game at the Blind Pig, in New York City's East Village, which was served as one of the homes of local Arsenal supporters from 2011 until it closed in 2019.

What happened 3 minutes after that final whistle was cheered at the Blind Pig almost as much. Because Arsenal fans hate Manchester United almost as much as we hate Tottenham Hotspur, and possibly more than we hate Chelsea FC.

United had just finished off Sunderland AFC, 1-0 at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, in the North-East of England. At the same time, their local rivals, Manchester City, which hadn't won the League since 1968, were playing West London team Queens Park Rangers, at home at the Etihad Stadium. If City could win, they would tie United with 89 points on the season, and, with a greater goal difference, they would win the title.

But, when United's game ended, City were losing, 2-1. United's players, and manager Alex Ferguson, thought they had won the Premier League title, and they were already celebrating on the pitch.

But Edin Džeko, City's Bosnian striker, scored in stoppage time, in the 92nd minute. The game was tied, but that wouldn't be enough. They had to win. In the 94th minute, Sergio "Kun" Agüero, City's Argentine striker, put the ball past QPR keeper Paddy Kenny.

City had won, 3-2. Agüero ripped his shirt off, and swung it around like a madman. The fans went wild, over what was, without question, the greatest moment in their club's history. In bars all over the world, people who weren't happy that City had spent so much of the Abu Dhabi royal family's money to win the title watched, and were still happy that United had been beaten, and could no longer claim supremacy over the League in general, or even their city in particular.

Agüero had scored the greatest goal in League play since Michael Thomas won the title for Arsenal in even tighter circumstances in 1989. Since that was before the changeover from the old Football League Division One in 1992, this remains the greatest goal in Premier League history.

Agüero went on to help Man City win 5 Premier League titles. In 2019, he helped them win the League, the FA Cup, and the League Cup, England's 1st-ever "Domestic Treble." He also helped Argentina reach the Final of the 2014 World Cup. By the time they won it in 2022, he was no longer a member of the national team. He was previously married to Giannina Maradona, daughter of fellow Argentine soccer legend Diego Maradona.

*

May 13, 2012 was a Sunday. In America, 2 games were played in Major League Soccer. The New York Red Bulls beat the Philadelphia Union, 3-2 at PPL Park (now Subaru Park) outside Philadelphia in Chester, Pennsylvania. And the San Jose Earthquakes and Los Angeles-based Chivas USA played to a 1-1 draw at Buck Shaw Stadium (now Stevens Stadium) outside San Jose in Santa Clara, California.

American-style football was out of season. These Major League Baseball games were played:

Two games were played in the NBA Playoffs. The Miami Heat beat the Indiana Pacers, 95-86 at the American Airlines Arena (now the Kaseya Center) in Miami. LeBron James scored 32 points. And the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 82-72 at the FedEx Forum in Memphis.

One game was played in the Stanley Cup Playoffs: The Los Angeles Kings beat the Phoenix Coyotes, 4-2 at the Jobing.com Arena (now the Desert Diamond Arena) in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona.

* The New York Yankees lost to the Seattle Mariners, 6-2 at Yankee Stadium. Kevin Millwood outpitched Andy Pettitte. Justin Smoak and Casper Wells hit home runs for the M's. Ichiro Suzuki went 1-for-5. Derek Jeter went 1-for-4. Alex Rodriguez went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The New York Mets lost to the Miami Marlins, 8-4 at Marlins Park (now LoanDepot Park) in Miami. The Mets led 4-2 in the bottom of the 9th inning, but relievers Frank Francisco and Manny Acosta melted down, until future Yankee Giancarlo Stanton hit a walkoff grand slam off the animatronic "Home Run Sculpture" in left-center field.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Cleveland Indians, 12-1 at Fenway Park in Boston 

* The Philadelphia Phillies beat the San Diego Padres, 3-2 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Jimmy Rollins hit a home run.

* The Tampa Bay Rays beat the Baltimore Orioles, 9-8 at Camden Yards in Baltimore.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Houston Astros, 3-2 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. Josh Harrison singled Clint Barnes home with the winning run in the bottom of the 12th.

* The Cincinnati Reds beat the Washington Senators, 9-6 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox, 9-1 at U.S. Cellular Field (now Rate Field) in Chicago.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-2 at Miller Park (now American Family Field) in Milwaukee.

* The Minnesota Twins beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-3 at Target Field in Minneapolis.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 7-4 at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

* The Texas Rangers beat the Anaheim Angels, 13-6 at Rangers Ballpark (now Choctaw Stadium) in the Dallas suburb of Arlington, Texas.

* The San Francisco Giants beat the Arizona Diamondbacks, 7-3 at Chase Field in Phoenix.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Colorado Rockies, 11-5 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And the Detroit Tigers beat the Oakland Athletics, 3-1 at the Oakland Coliseum (then known as the O.com Coliseum).

May 5, 1973: The Sunderland Cup

May 5, 1973: "The Magic of the FA Cup" rears its head, as one of the great "Cup shocks" occurs in the Final at Wembley Stadium in West London.

Sunderland Association Football Club, in the North-East of England, won the Football League in 1936, and the Football Association Cup in 1937. But, for much of their history, they have been in the League's 2nd division, and had been relegated to it in 1970. They finished 6th in the 1972-73 season, and showed little sign of getting promoted back to the 1st division.

In contrast, Leeds United, of Yorkshire, were one of the top teams of the era. They won the Football League Division One in 1969; they finished 2nd in 1965, '66, '70, '71 and '72; finished 3rd in this 1972-73 season; were the holders of the FA Cup, and lost the Final in 1965 and '70; won the League Cup in 1968; and won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, now known as the UEFA Europa League, in 1968 and '71.

In their run to successfully defend the FA Cup, Leeds beat Norwich City of Norfolk, Plymouth Argyle of Devon, West Bromwich Albion of the West Midlands, Derby County of the East Midlands in the Quarterfinal, and Wolverhampton Wanderers of the West Midlands in the Semifinal.

Sunderland's path to the Final included beating Notts County of Nottingham, Reading of Berkshire, Manchester City, Luton Town of Bedfordshire in the Quarterfinal, and Arsenal of North London in the Semifinal.

Leeds were known as the most aggressive team in England. But Sunderland weren't intimidated, tackling fiercely and defiantly with an unremitting determination from the kickoff. Leeds looked anxious, lacking their usual composure. The match itself was decided by two crucial moments that would be talked about for years to come.

After 32 minutes, Sunderland took the lead, when Vic Halom chested down a corner from Billy Hughes. Assisted by Dave Watson between two defenders, the deflected high ball was controlled by Ian Porterfield, who shot home from 12 yards. Leeds, shocked, battled back with predictable determination. Sunderland's goalkeeper, Jimmy Montgomery, defied Leeds with a string of fine saves, preserving his team's lead.

The turning point of the match came midway through the 2nd half. Montgomery dived to palm away a close range header from Trevor Cherry. It fell into the path of Peter Lorimer, who blasted goalward from 10 yards, but Montgomery managed to divert the ball on to the underside of the bar, and Dick Malone scrambled to get the ball clear. The save is considered one of the greatest of all time.

The North-East team survived more pressure from Leeds, and the 1-0 score held up, to secure a notable upset for "The Mackems." As a shipbuilding town, the slogan was, "We make them, and you take them" -- or, in their North-East accent, "We mackem an' you tackem."

At the final whistle, Sunderland manager Bob Stokoe -- who, ironically, spent most of his playing career with Sunderland's arch-rivals, Newcastle United -- could be seen running around the sideline. This presaged Jim Valvano of North Carolina State, 10 years later, running around the court of the NCAA Tournament Final, "looking for someone to hug"; and formed the basis of the statue of Stokoe that would be dedicated outside their new home, the Stadium of Light. (From 1898 until 1997, they played at Roker Park.) 

Although I found plenty of pictures of Stokoe, and of his statue,

I couldn't find any of his run.

Bobby Kerr, Sunderland's Captain, received the Cup from Katharine, Duchess of Kent, as a representative of the royal family. It remains the team's last major trophy. Sunderland won Division Two in 1976, and got promoted to Division One. But they finished in 20th and last place in 1977, and were relegated again. 

They were in the top flight again from 1980 to 1985, the 1990-91 season, 1996-97, 1999 to 2003, 2005-06, and 2007 to 2017. In 2002-03, they finished with 19 points, a record low for the top flight since a win was made 3 points instead of 2 in 1982. In 2005-06, they finished with 15 points, a new record low. That record was broken in 2007-08, when Derby County got only 11.

Only once since has a team from outside the 1st division won the FA Cup: West Ham United, of East London, defeating Arsenal in 1980. Bob Stokoe lived until 2004.

*

May 5, 1973 was a Saturday. Hockey goaltender Johan Hedberg was born.

The Kentucky Derby was run at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Secretariat won it, with a time of 1 minute, 59 and 2⁄5ths seconds, a new race record. He would go on to win the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes, also in record times, to win the Triple Crown. He still holds the records for the Derby and the Belmont.

American-style football was out of season. The NBA Finals were between Games 3 and 4, and the New York Knicks would beat the Los Angeles Lakers in 5 games. Game 4 of the American Basketball Association Finals was played at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum (still standing, now named the Corteva Coliseum) in Indianapolis, and the Indiana Pacers beat their arch-rivals, the Kentucky Colonels, 90-86. The Pacers would win the series in 7 games.

The Stanley Cup Finals were between Games 4 and 5. The Montreal Canadiens would beat the Chicago Black Hawks in 6 games. Game 4 of the World Hockey Association's 1st Finals was held at the Boston Garden. The New England Whalers beat the Winnipeg Jets, 4-2. The Whalers wrapped up the title the next day, 9-6, also at the Boston Garden.

And these Major League Baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Chicago White Sox, 4-0 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Eddie Fisher (not the singer) went 5 1/3rd innings, before being relieved by Terry Forster, and they completed an 8-hit shutout, to outpitch Fritz Peterson.

* The New York Mets lost to the Houston Astros, 9-2 at Shea Stadium. Don Wilson outpitched Jim McAndrew. César Cedeño and Johnny Edwards hit home runs for the 'Stros.

* The Montreal Expos beat the Cincinnati Reds, 8-6 at Jarry Park in Montreal. Pete Rose went 1-for-3 with 2 walks. Johnny Bench went 1-for-4 with an RBI.

* The Atlanta Braves beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 7-0 at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia. Carl Morton pitched a 7-hit shutout, beating Steve Carlton. This was not "Win Day" for Carlton and the Phillies. Rookie Mike Schmidt went 1-for-3. Hank Aaron hit his 681st career home run.

* The California Angels beat the Baltimore Orioles, 3-1 at Memorial Stadium in Baltimore. Brooks Robinson went 0-for-4. Frank Robinson, by this point with the Angels, went 0-for-3 with a walk.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Oakland Athletics, 6-5 at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. Reggie Jackson went 2-for-4 with a walk.

* The Detroit Tigers beat the Texas Rangers, 2-0 at Tiger Stadium in Detroit. Joe Coleman took a 5-hit shutout into the 8th inning, and it was saved by John Hiller, the 4th of 38 saves he had that season, a new major league record. Al Kaline hit a home run.

* The Kansas City Royals beat the Milwaukee Brewers, 9-7 at Milwaukee County Stadium.

* The Boston Red Sox beat the Minnesota Twins, 5-1 at Metropolitan Stadium in the Minneapolis suburb of Bloomington, Minnesota. Boston Red Sox went 2-for-4 with a walk. Harmon Killebrew went 1-for-4. So did Rod Carew, who also drew a walk.

* The San Diego Padres beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 6-5 at San Diego Stadium (later renamed Jack Murphy Stadium and Qualcomm Stadium). Willie Stargell went 0-for-4 with a walk.

* The Los Angeles Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 11-3 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.

* And the Chicago Cubs beat the San Francisco Giants, 7-4 at Candlestick Park in San Francisco.

April 30, 1927: Newcastle's Last League Title

This photo is colorized -- or "colourised" -- but it's real.

April 30, 1927: Newcastle United, under manager Frank Watt, defeat their North-East England arch-rivals, Sunderland, 1-0 at St. James Park, and clinch the Football League title.

It is the 4th title won by "The Toon" (that's "The Town" in Geordiespeak), "The Geordies" (a nickname for people from the Newcastle area, and from the North-East in general), or "The Magpies" (for their black and white stripes). They have never won another.

Among their players was halfback Tom Curry, who would later be the trainer for Manchester United, and was killed in the Munich Air Disaster of 1958; and the great Scottish forward Hughie Gallacher, whose life would end in a very different kind of tragedy the year before, driven to suicide by an easily avoidable scandal. As far as I can tell (a lot of these guys seemed to "disappear into history"), the last survivor was outside right Jimmy Boyd, who lived until 1991.

Newcastle won the League in 1905, 1907, 1909 and 1927. Infamously, they blew a big lead in 1996, and finished 2nd that season, and again in 1997. They won the FA Cup in 1910, 1924, 1932, 1951, 1952 and 1955; losing in the Final in 1905, 1906, 1908, 1911, 1974, 1998 and 1999. They lost the Final of the League Cup in 1976. In 1969, they won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, now known as the UEFA Europa League.

Since then, they have only won minor trophies: The 1973 Anglo-Italian Cup, the 1974 and 1975 Texaco Cup, and the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup. Why are these trophies considered "minor"? They already were at the time, but they have all been discontinued: The Texaco Cup after Newcastle's win in 1975, the Anglo-Italian Cup in 1996, and the Intertoto Cup in 2008.

UPDATE: Newcastle again lost the League Cup Final in 2023, but won it in 2025, their 1st major trophy since 1969.

*

April 30, 1927 was a Saturday. These baseball games were played:

* The New York Yankees lost to the Boston Red Sox, 3-2 at Fenway Park in Boston. Hal Wiltse outpitched Urban Shocker. Babe Ruth went 2-for-3 with a walk. Lou Gehrig went 0-for-4.

* The New York Giants beat the Boston Braves, 8-7 at the Polo Grounds. The Giants had a 6-1 lead after 4 innings, but blew it, trailing 7-6 going to the bottom of the 9th. Andy Reese led off with a single, Edd Roush walked, Rogers Hornsby singled Reese home, Bill Terry bunted the runners over, George Harper was intentionally walked, and Doc Farrell singled Roush home with the winning run.

* The Brooklyn Robins (as the Dodgers were known from 1914 to 1931, in honor of manager Wilbert Robinson) beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 2-1 at Ebbets Field. Jesse Petty outpitched Hal Carlson.

Harper went 3-for-4 with a home run and 4 RBIs, plus that walk. Hornsby went 1-for-3 with 2 walks and an RBI. Terry went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-4 at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh. The Cubs scored 2 in the 8th to tie the game, the Bucs 1 in the 8th to retake the lead, then the Cubs 2 more in the 9th to win it, on a home run by Lewis "Hack" Wilson.

* The Cleveland Indians beat the Detroit Tigers, 6-2 at Navin Field (later Briggs Stadium and Tiger Stadium) in Detroit. 

* The Chicago White Sox beat the St. Louis Browns, 2-0 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. Ted Blankenship pitched a 4-hit shutout. George Sisler went 1-for-3 with a walk.

* A doubleheader was split at Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The St. Louis Cardinals won the opener, 8-4. Jesse Haines outpitched Eppa Rixey. The Cincinnati Reds won the nightcap, 9-8. Frankie Frisch hit 2 home runs, but it wasn't enough.

* And the Philadelphia Athletics and the Washington Senators were rained out at Shibe Park in Philadelphia. The game was made up as part of a doubleheader on June 21. The Senators won the 1st game, 5-4. Hollis Thurston didn't finish the 5th inning, but, under the rules of the time, was credited as the winning pitcher. For the A's, Eddie Rommel didn't get an out in the 3rd inning. Jimmie Foxx only appeared as a pinch-hitter, and struck out. He did not appear in the 2nd game.

The A's won the 2nd game, 8-2. Rube Walberg went the distance, outpitching Walter Johnson. Despite it being his last season, Johnson also pitched a complete game, and went 1-for-2 with a walk and both Senator RBIs.

Over the 2 games, for the A's, Al Simmons went 3-for-9 with an RBI, Mickey Cochrane went 1-for-6 with a walk, former Brooklyn star Zack Wheat went 4-for-9 with 2 RBIs, and former Detroit star Ty Cobb did not appear in either game. For the Senators, player-manager Bucky Harris went 2-for-8, former Boston and Cleveland star Tris Speaker went 1-for-7 with 2 RBIs (on a sacrifice fly and a groundout), and Goose Goslin went 2-for-8.

March 31, 2007: Niall Quinn's Taxi Cabs

Quinn, suited up for the Republic of Ireland's game with Portugal,

Lisbon, October 7, 2000. The game ended in a 1-1 draw.

This was also the day Germany beat England

in the last event at the 1923 version of Wembley Stadium.

March 31, 2007: Fans of English soccer team Sunderland Association Football Club are stranded, about as far from home as you can get and still be in England. The team's owner gets them home on his own dime. Or, should I say, his own tuppence.

Niall John Quinn was born in 1966 in what is now administered as South Dublin, Ireland. He was a forward, and, with his height and skill, was thought of as the next chapter in the "Irish Connection," a successor to several players from Dublin, and also from Belfast, Northern Ireland, who had helped North London team Arsenal win the 1979 FA Cup. He played on Arsenal’s 1987 League Cup-winning team. But he wasn't ready, and when Alan Smith was brought in from Leicester City shortly thereafter, he became an afterthought, a reserve on their 1989 League Championship team.

In 1990, he was sold to Manchester City, where he became a star, and even performed admirably in an emergency stint as their goalkeeper. One of his new teammates was Steve McMahon, who had been on the other side when Arsenal beat Liverpool in the season finale that decided that 1989 League title. McMahon looked like a fool that night, signaling to his teammates that there would be just 1 minute of injury time, when there turned out to be 2, with Michael Thomas scoring the winning goal in said 92nd minute. But Quinn didn't play in that game. Nor were they national teammates: Despite his Irish heritage, McMahon was born and raised in England, and played 17 times for England, including in the 1990 World Cup.

Quinn has described Man City, then managed by former Everton star Peter Reid, as having a "happy-go-lucky atmosphere," into which McMahon never fit. On their 1992 preseason tour in Italy, they got into an altercation. Afterward, Quinn headed for a dance club, and was denied entry, due to the blood on his shirt. So he took it off, and was let in, wearing nothing but a pair of cutoff jeans and sneakers. A Man City fan who had followed the team to Italy saw Quinn, and he sang, to the tune of "The Stars and Stripes Forever":

Niall Quinn's disco pants are the best!

They go up from his arse to his chest!

They are better than Adam and the Ants!

Niall Quinn's disco pants!

Quinn woke up the next morning with a hangover, remembering nothing, and still wearing those cutoffs and those sneakers. He cleaned up, got dressed, and went down to the hotel restaurant, where his teammates were eating breakfast. So was the fan, who had booked the same hotel. Upon seeing Quinn, he belted out the song again. Suddenly, it all came back to him.

Quinn, who called it "the song that will follow me to the end of my career," admits that he no longer has those pants. However, they can't possibly fail to be better than Adam and the Ants. They sucked.

Quinn finished his playing career for Sunderland A.F.C., in the North-East of England, saying, "I learned my trade at Arsenal, became a footballer at Manchester City, but Sunderland got under my skin. I love Sunderland." The song followed him, and, in 1999, a Sunderland-based rock band named Love Supreme recorded a full-length song around the chant, and it reached Number 56 on the British music charts.

Quinn playing for Sunderland in 1999,

wearing regular shorts, not "disco pants."

Quinn retired after playing for the Republic of Ireland national team at the 2002 World Cup, having previously played in the 1990 edition (but not '94, despite Ireland's qualification for it). He played 92 games for them, scoring 21 goals, a national record, and still 2nd behind Robbie Keane with 68. He then went into management, eventually buying a part-ownership of the Sunderland team, known as the Black Cats for the black lions on their club crest, and being made its chairman.

They badly needed a new direction. In the 2002-03 season, they finished dead last in the Premier League. Out of 38 games, they only won 4 and drew 7, for a total of 19 points, and were relegated to the 2nd division of English football, then named "Division 1."

After 2 seasons, which included the renaming of that division as "The Championship," they gained promotion back to the Premier League for 2005-06. But it was a disaster: They won only 3, and drew 6, for 15 points, a new record for the fewest points in a top-flight season since a win was made 3 points in 1982. (That record has been broken by the 2007-08 Derby County team, which only had 11.)

On July 25, 2006, Sunderland owner Bob Murray, who couldn't afford to keep the team, sold the team to a consortium led by Quinn. That consortium spent enough money on good players to suggest they could win promotion back to the Premier League, and hired recently retired Manchester United captain Roy Keane, Quinn's former teammate on the ROI national team, as manager. They got off to a great start in the 2006-07 season.

Outside Sunderland's home, the Stadium of Light

On March 31, 2007, Sunderland, then in English football's 2nd division, were playing away at Cardiff City, along with Swansea City one of two teams from Wales in the 92-team English Football League. Sunderland won, 1-0, at Ninian Park, with substitute Ross Wallace scoring in the 72nd minute.

For a reason that I haven't been able to determine, the Sunderland players and fans weren't going to fly home out of Cardiff's airport. They had to go 50 miles to the east, getting across the Severn Bridge, over the River Severn, which separated Wales from the West Country of England, to the airport in Bristol, still 300 miles from Sunderland in the North-East.

The players flew out of Bristol to Sunderland, no problem. But Quinn decided to fly back with the fans on an airline called EasyJet. Recognized by some of them, after they'd already had the chance to have a few drinks that night, they started singing "Niall Quinn's Disco Pants." At the top of their lungs.

A few of the other passengers complained, and the pilot had 80 people thrown off the plane. An EasyJet employee told them they could have seats on the first plane out the next morning, at no extra charge -- but the airline wouldn't give them a place to spend the night. They were really in a bind.

Quinn pulled out the club checkbook -- since it's Britain, I should say "chequebook" -- and hired taxis. He paid £8,000, about $15,000 at the time (about $21,000 in 2022 money), to take them up Britain's M5 Motorway, from Bristol in the South-West to Sunderland in the North-East. Again, that's about 300 miles. To put that in perspective, it's roughly the distance from New York to Portland, Maine. Or from New York to Fredericksburg, Virginia.

In 2007, £8,000 would have been chump change for a big club like Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester United (or, now, Manchester City). But for Sunderland, a team trying to get back into the Premier League, it was a pretty penny.

People from Sunderland are called "Mackems," a holdover from the city's past as a shipyard: "We make them, and you take them" becomes, in their accent, "We mack 'em an' you tack 'em." The Mackems have never forgotten Quinn's act of generosity, and one of them adapted the "Disco Pants" song, including taking a pot-shot at Freddy Shepherd, then owner of their arch-rivals, Newcastle United F.C., a.k.a. the Magpies or Mags for their black and white shirts:

Niall Quinn’s taxi cabs are the best!

So go shove it up your arse, EasyJet!

Fat Freddy wouldn’t do it for the Mags!

Niall Quinn’s taxi cabs!

When Shepherd sold NUFC to Mike Ashley, "Fat Freddy" was replaced with "Fat Ashley."

That win in Cardiff turned out to be the 14th game in a 17-game unbeaten run for the Black Cats, as they finished 1st in the Championship, earning promotion to the Premier League, where they stayed for the next 10 seasons.

Quinn sold his stake in the team in 2011, although he has remained a fan of theirs. He has returned to color commentary on soccer games -- or, should I say, "colour commentary on football matches."

Sunderland developed a reputation as a team that played dirty, especially against Arsenal, the North London team I support. I don't like Sunderland, but, using the U.K. vernacular, Niall Quinn is a top man.

*

March 31, 2007 was a Saturday. Elsewhere in British soccer, Liverpool beat Arsenal, 4-1 at Anfield in Liverpool. Peter Crouch scored 3 goals.

Baseball was in Spring Training. American-style football was out of season. There were 4 games played in the NBA:

* The New York Knicks lost to the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, 103-94 in overtime at the Ford Center in Oklahoma City. This was the 2nd and last season of the Hornets' temporary part-time relocation to Oklahoma City, necessarily contractually even though the New Orleans arena now known as the Smoothie King Center had been fully restored. That season, the Hornets played 6 games in New Orleans, and their remaining 35 "home games" at the Ford Center, which is now named the Paycom Center.

* The New Jersey Nets beat the Philadelphia 76ers, 86-82 at the Continental Airlines Arena in the Meadowlands.

* The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Chicago Bulls, 112-108 in overtime at the United Center in Chicago. LeBron James scored 39 points.

* And the Los Angeles Clippers beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 99-86 at the Rose Garden (now the Moda Center) in Portland.

And there were 10 games in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 6-4 at the Wachovia Center (now the Xfinity Mobile Arena) in Philadelphia.

* The New York Islanders lost to the Ottawa Senators, 5-2 at the Nassau Coliseum.

* The Montreal Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres, 4-3 at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

* The Atlanta Thrashers beat the Boston Bruins, 3-2 at the TD Banknorth Garden (now the TD Garden) in Boston.

* The Tampa Bay Lightning beat the Washington Capitals, 5-2 at the St. Pete Times Forum (now the Benchmark International Arena) in Tampa.

* The Dallas Stars beat the Nashville Predators, 4-2 at the Gaylord International Center (now the Bridgestone Arena) in Nashville.

* The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-4 at the Air Canada Centre (now the Scotiabank Arena) in Toronto.

* The Anaheim Ducks beat the St. Louis Blues, 3-2 at the Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Andy McDonald scored the winning goal, only 25 seconds into overtime.

* The Colorado Avalanche beat the Minnesota Wild, 2-1 at the Pepsi Center (now the Ball Arena) in Denver.

* And the Calgary Flames beat the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2 at General Motors Place (now the Rogers Arena) in Vancouver.

February 11, 2012: The Curse of Aaron Ramsey

February 11, 2012: Arsenal beat Sunderland, 2-1 at the Stadium of Light in Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, in the North-East of England. Thierry Henry, in his brief loan return to Arsenal, scored the winning goal in stoppage time. It was his 228th and last goal for the team, a record.

The earlier Arsenal goal was scored by Aaron Ramsey. Seven hours later, Whitney Houston died, and this led to jokes about "The Curse of Aaron Ramsey." (I have a separate entry for Whitney's death.)

This bizarre series of events began on October 16, 2009, when he scored his 1st goal for the Wales national team. Just hours later, Spanish journalist Andrés Montes died. Most people in the English-speaking world, not familiar with Montes, didn't notice. But a pattern did emerge, with some caveats:

* May 1, 2011: Ramsey scored the only goal in Arsenal's 1-0 win over Manchester United. Within hours, SEAL Team Six killed Osama bin Laden, who was famously hard to find, let alone kill.

* October 2, 2011: Ramsey scored the only Arsenal goal in a 2-1 loss to North London arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur. Three days later, computer pioneer Steve Jobs died. Jobs was known to have terminal cancer, and 3 days is a bit of a stretch, so I'm not sure this one can be counted.

* October 19, 2011: Ramsey scored the only goal in Arsenal's 1-0 Champions League win over Olympique de Marseille. The next day, former Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was killed. Like bin Laden, he was famously hard to find and kill, but having been deposed earlier in the year made it somewhat easier.

* February 11, 2012: The Ramsey-Houston combination. Arsenal fans began to joke about who was going to be next. Queen Elizabeth II? Zimbabwean dictator Robert Mugabe? A few angry, ungrateful Arsenal fans suggested the manager, Arsène Wenger.

* November 30, 2013: After nearly 2 years of no such occurrences, which led to many people forgetting about it, and which should have put an end to it, Ramsey scored against his former team, his hometown team, Cardiff City, in a 3-0 Arsenal win in Cardiff. Later that day, actor Paul Walker was killed in a car crash. The "curse" story was revived.

* May 17, 2014: Ramsey scored in extra time to win the FA Cup Final, giving Arsenal a 2-1 win over Hull City. The next day, singer Jerry Vale died. He was 83 years old, but was not known to be sick, so, you make the call.

* August 10, 2014: Ramsey scored in Arsenal's 3-0 Community Shield win over Manchester City. The next day, Robin Williams died. This certainly shouldn't be counted, as it was a suicide, and Williams could no longer take the strain of an illness that was making his life miserable.

* January 9, 2016: After nearly a year and a half of no occurrences, Ramsey scored in Arsenal's 3-1 FA Cup 3rd Round win over Sunderland. The next day, David Bowie died. The legendary rocker was known to have terminal cancer, so this one shouldn't be counted, either. However, in Arsenal's very next game:

* January 13, 2016: Ramsey scored in Arsenal's 3-3 draw with Liverpool. The next day, actor Alan Rickman died. He was just short of turning 70, and was not widely known to be ill. But it was revealed that he had been battling cancer for years, and had also recently had a stroke. So this is another that shouldn't be counted.

* March 5, 2016: Ramsey scored in a 2-2 draw with Tottenham. The next day, former First Lady Nancy Reagan died. This one absolutely should not be counted, since she was 94 years old.

* May 27, 2017: Once again, Ramsey scored the winning goal in the FA Cup Final, which Arsenal won, in this case 2-1 over Chelsea. Two days later, former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega died. But he was 86 and already sick.

So, 12 instances, over a period of 8 years. And most of them were hardly a surprise. Perhaps it's time to put this myth to rest.

*

February 11, 2012 was a Saturday. Baseball and football were out of season. There were 8 games played in the NBA that day:

* The New York Knicks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves, 100-98 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

* The New Jersey Nets lost to the San Antonio Spurs, 103-89 at the Prudential Center in Newark.

* The Los Angeles Clippers beat the Charlotte Bobcats, 111-86 at the Time Warner Cable Arena (now the Spectrum Center) in Charlotte.

* The Dallas Mavericks beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 97-94 in double overtime at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

* The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 99-84 the Quicken Loans Arena (now the Rocket Arena) in Cleveland.

* The Denver Nuggets beat the Indiana Pacers, 113-109 at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse (now the Gainbridge Fieldhouse) in Indianapolis.

* The Orlando Magic beat the Milwaukee Bucks, 99-94 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

* And the Phoenix Suns beat the Sacramento Kings, 98-84 at the Power Balance Pavilion (now the Sleep Train Arena) in Sacramento.

And there were 12 games played in the NHL:

* The New York Rangers beat the Philadelphia Flyers, 5-2 at the Wells Fargo Center (now the Xfinity Mobile Arena) in Philadelphia.

* The New York Islanders beat the Los Angeles Kings, 2-1 at the Nassau Coliseum. Mark Streit scored the winning goal, 1:36 into overtime.

* The New Jersey Devils lost to the Florida Panthers, 3-1 at the Prudential Center in Newark. 

* In the opener of the weekly Saturday night CBC broadcast Hockey Night In Canada, the NHL's original rivalry was held at the Air Canada Centre (now the Scotiabank Arena) in Toronto, and the Montreal Canadiens beat the Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-0.

* The Boston Bruins beat the Nashville Predators, 4-3 in a shootout at the TD Garden in Boston.

* The Edmonton Oilers beat the Ottawa Senators, 4-3 at Scotiabank Place (now the Canadian Tire Centre) in Ottawa.

* The Tampa Bay Lightning beat Buffalo Sabres, 2-1 at the First Niagara Center (now the KeyBank Center) in Buffalo.

* The Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Winnipeg Jets, 8-5 at the Consol Energy Center (now the PPG Paints Arena) in Pittsburgh.

* The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the Minnesota Wild, 3-1 at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.

* The St. Louis Blues beat the Colorado Avalanche, 3-2 at the Scottrade Center (now the Enterprise Center) in St. Louis. Carlo Colaiacovo scored the winning goal with 1:42 left in overtime.

* The Phoenix Coyotes beat the Chicago Blackhawks, 3-0 at the Jobing.com Arena (now the Desert Diamond Arena) in the Phoenix suburb of Glendale, Arizona.

* In the nightcap of Hockey Night In Canada, the Calgary Flames beat the Vancouver Canucks, 3-2 in a shootout at the Saddledome in Calgary.

* And the Detroit Red Wings, the Dallas Stars, the Washington Capitals, the Carolina Hurricanes, the San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks were not scheduled.