| 2003 |
It took both the Florida Marlins and New York Yankees to come from behind in game 7 of their respective League Championship
Series in order for me to attend my first World Series. I attended games 1, 2 and 6 of that fall classic. This was taken by Dan
Ginsberg on Friday, October 24th at Yankee Stadium, the day before the Marlins' World Series clincher in game 6.
Series in order for me to attend my first World Series. I attended games 1, 2 and 6 of that fall classic. This was taken by Dan
Ginsberg on Friday, October 24th at Yankee Stadium, the day before the Marlins' World Series clincher in game 6.
| Top 5 sporting events from 2003 |
5. April 3rd, 2003 -- St. John's 70, Georgetown 67: A rivalry was renewed in the post-season NIT final at Madison
Square Garden -- perhaps the best college basketball rivalry of the 1980's. These two big east rivals went toe-to-toe the
entire game; neither team led by more than six points the entire way, and Georgetown's Tony Bethel hit two free throws
with 1:27 left in the game to tie the score at 67-apiece. Then, with 4.1 seconds left and GU trailing by one, Gerald Riley
missed a shot, setting up Elijah Ingram's two foul shots for St. John's to account for the final margin. Tony Bethel's
three-point attempt at the buzzer to tie the score had a lot of rim action, but didn't fall in. Mike Sweetney had a game-high
25 points for Georgetown; St. John's Marcus Hatten scored 22. After the game the fans rushed the Madison Square
Garden court, lifted Hatten up on their shoulders, and mobbed St. John's head coach Mike Jarvis. It was a mob scene
security had trouble controlling. Of course, Jarvis would be fired in the middle of the next season. Lost in this moment is
the fact that Georgetown had to win three road games against teams from major conferences in order to get to the NIT
semifinals at MSG. St. John's, on the other hand, defeated three teams on its home floor of Alumni Hall in Queens to
advance to its other home floor of MSG.
4. June 11th, 2003 -- Houston Astros 8, New York Yankees 0: How did Roy Oswalt, Pete Munro, Kirk Saarloos,
Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner all make history on this one night? These Houston pitchers combined for a
six-pitcher no hitter, the first in Major League Baseball history and the first no-hitter of any kind I have attended. Oswalt,
the starter, left the game after one inning when he aggravated a right groin injury. That started the group effort, which held
the Yanks at bay despite allowing five base runners in the first three innings. You knew this might've been the Astros night
when Dotel, the eighth inning pitcher, struck out four batters in the frame. Finally, in the 9th, Wagner struck out the first two
batters, then induced Hideki Matsui to ground to first for the final out. No hitters are not unusual for Houston; it was its
10th in history, though the first combined. What is unusual is a no-hitter against the Yankees; that hadn't happened since
Hoyt Wilhelm of Baltimore turned the trick in 1958.
3. October 25th, 2003 -- Florida Marlins 2, New York Yankees 0: The first World Series I ever watched on TV was
the 1981 LA Dodgers victory over the Yankees. The Dodgers clinched it in six games at Yankee Stadium, and it was a
painful sports moment I lived with until the Yanks would finally win the big one in '96. Well, this time I was in person when
the Marlins clinched the World Series in six games at Yankee Stadium. Sure, this was not the Yankee hitting team from
years past; this team wasn't as patient at the plate, and had undergone a lot of turnover in recent years. But it wouldn't have
mattered. Nobody was scoring against Marlins starter Josh Beckett on this night. He was phenomenal -- on just three
days rest, no less. He struck out nine batters, walked just two and surrendered just five hits in going the distance. And not
to be forgotten was the Marlins first run, which was scored when Luis Castillo singled to right field and Alex Gonzalez
avoided Yankee catcher Jorge Posada's tag at home plate with a nifty slide.
2. June 9th, 2003 -- New Jersey Devils 3, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 0: The New Jersey Devils take full advantage
of playing game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals at home as they defeat the Mighty Ducks to win the NHL championship. I
wasn't even asked to work this game until the night before, but I was in to this series from the start, mainly since I witnessed
the Devils letting the Stanley Cup slip away two years earlier. The Devils and Martin Brodeur posted their third shutout of
the series; Brodeur stopped all 24 shots he faced in this contest. The scoring came courtesy of Jeff Friesen, who tallied
twice, and Mike Rupp, who broke the scoreless tie in the second period. The home team won every game of this series.
The site of the Devils shaking their gloves off and letting go of their sticks in the final seconds was one to see, and was
certainly a look of a team relieved to escape this series with the championship.
1. October 16th, 2003 -- NY Yankees 6, Boston Red Sox 5 (11): When a game that is expected to be a classic
actually lives up to its billing, you can't beat it. This was the seventh and deciding game of the American League
Championship Series involving baseball's biggest rivalry and two first ballot hall-of-fame starting pitchers -- Pedro Martinez
of the Red Sox and former Boston pitcher Roger Clemens. Pedro was masterful in this game, holding the Yankees to just
two runs over seven innings while Clemens was hit hard by Boston leading to an early exit, possibly his last career
appearance. But the ghosts of playoff past would hurt Boston, which led 5-2 heading in to the bottom of the eighth. With
two runners on base and and one run already in, Jorge Posada's bloop double between three fielders tied the score at
five-apiece, knocking Pedro out of the game. The Yankees handed the ball to Mariano Rivera in the 9th, and the Yanks
closer went an unprecented three innings to hold Boston in check. Finally, on the first pitch of the bottom of the 11th,
Aaron Boone hit a solo home run off of Tim Wakefield to give the Yanks the win. What was even more thrilling is the
Yankees victory sent me to my first ever World Series and it was only minutes after this game was over when I was making
preparations for the job that lay ahead. Talk about a transition.
Square Garden -- perhaps the best college basketball rivalry of the 1980's. These two big east rivals went toe-to-toe the
entire game; neither team led by more than six points the entire way, and Georgetown's Tony Bethel hit two free throws
with 1:27 left in the game to tie the score at 67-apiece. Then, with 4.1 seconds left and GU trailing by one, Gerald Riley
missed a shot, setting up Elijah Ingram's two foul shots for St. John's to account for the final margin. Tony Bethel's
three-point attempt at the buzzer to tie the score had a lot of rim action, but didn't fall in. Mike Sweetney had a game-high
25 points for Georgetown; St. John's Marcus Hatten scored 22. After the game the fans rushed the Madison Square
Garden court, lifted Hatten up on their shoulders, and mobbed St. John's head coach Mike Jarvis. It was a mob scene
security had trouble controlling. Of course, Jarvis would be fired in the middle of the next season. Lost in this moment is
the fact that Georgetown had to win three road games against teams from major conferences in order to get to the NIT
semifinals at MSG. St. John's, on the other hand, defeated three teams on its home floor of Alumni Hall in Queens to
advance to its other home floor of MSG.
4. June 11th, 2003 -- Houston Astros 8, New York Yankees 0: How did Roy Oswalt, Pete Munro, Kirk Saarloos,
Brad Lidge, Octavio Dotel and Billy Wagner all make history on this one night? These Houston pitchers combined for a
six-pitcher no hitter, the first in Major League Baseball history and the first no-hitter of any kind I have attended. Oswalt,
the starter, left the game after one inning when he aggravated a right groin injury. That started the group effort, which held
the Yanks at bay despite allowing five base runners in the first three innings. You knew this might've been the Astros night
when Dotel, the eighth inning pitcher, struck out four batters in the frame. Finally, in the 9th, Wagner struck out the first two
batters, then induced Hideki Matsui to ground to first for the final out. No hitters are not unusual for Houston; it was its
10th in history, though the first combined. What is unusual is a no-hitter against the Yankees; that hadn't happened since
Hoyt Wilhelm of Baltimore turned the trick in 1958.
3. October 25th, 2003 -- Florida Marlins 2, New York Yankees 0: The first World Series I ever watched on TV was
the 1981 LA Dodgers victory over the Yankees. The Dodgers clinched it in six games at Yankee Stadium, and it was a
painful sports moment I lived with until the Yanks would finally win the big one in '96. Well, this time I was in person when
the Marlins clinched the World Series in six games at Yankee Stadium. Sure, this was not the Yankee hitting team from
years past; this team wasn't as patient at the plate, and had undergone a lot of turnover in recent years. But it wouldn't have
mattered. Nobody was scoring against Marlins starter Josh Beckett on this night. He was phenomenal -- on just three
days rest, no less. He struck out nine batters, walked just two and surrendered just five hits in going the distance. And not
to be forgotten was the Marlins first run, which was scored when Luis Castillo singled to right field and Alex Gonzalez
avoided Yankee catcher Jorge Posada's tag at home plate with a nifty slide.
2. June 9th, 2003 -- New Jersey Devils 3, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim 0: The New Jersey Devils take full advantage
of playing game seven of the Stanley Cup Finals at home as they defeat the Mighty Ducks to win the NHL championship. I
wasn't even asked to work this game until the night before, but I was in to this series from the start, mainly since I witnessed
the Devils letting the Stanley Cup slip away two years earlier. The Devils and Martin Brodeur posted their third shutout of
the series; Brodeur stopped all 24 shots he faced in this contest. The scoring came courtesy of Jeff Friesen, who tallied
twice, and Mike Rupp, who broke the scoreless tie in the second period. The home team won every game of this series.
The site of the Devils shaking their gloves off and letting go of their sticks in the final seconds was one to see, and was
certainly a look of a team relieved to escape this series with the championship.
1. October 16th, 2003 -- NY Yankees 6, Boston Red Sox 5 (11): When a game that is expected to be a classic
actually lives up to its billing, you can't beat it. This was the seventh and deciding game of the American League
Championship Series involving baseball's biggest rivalry and two first ballot hall-of-fame starting pitchers -- Pedro Martinez
of the Red Sox and former Boston pitcher Roger Clemens. Pedro was masterful in this game, holding the Yankees to just
two runs over seven innings while Clemens was hit hard by Boston leading to an early exit, possibly his last career
appearance. But the ghosts of playoff past would hurt Boston, which led 5-2 heading in to the bottom of the eighth. With
two runners on base and and one run already in, Jorge Posada's bloop double between three fielders tied the score at
five-apiece, knocking Pedro out of the game. The Yankees handed the ball to Mariano Rivera in the 9th, and the Yanks
closer went an unprecented three innings to hold Boston in check. Finally, on the first pitch of the bottom of the 11th,
Aaron Boone hit a solo home run off of Tim Wakefield to give the Yanks the win. What was even more thrilling is the
Yankees victory sent me to my first ever World Series and it was only minutes after this game was over when I was making
preparations for the job that lay ahead. Talk about a transition.
| Honorable mentions |
| Strange facts from 2003 |
1. June 24th is the first time I saw the Florida Marlins win a night game on the road. The Marlins had been 0-15 prior to
that victory over the Mets. That streak includes one first game of a twi-night doubleheader.
2. The Rutgers victory over Syracuse on November 29th represents the first time I've ever seen Syracuse lose a football
game. The Orangemen won the first eight games I had seen them play in.
3. November 30th of this year is the first time I've seen the Toronto Maple Leafs play since February 15th, 1990.
4. The February 19th Rutgers - UConn basketball game was the first time I've ever seen UConn play a game that wasn't in
the Big East Tournament. Prior to this game, I had seen UConn six times in the BE tournament.
that victory over the Mets. That streak includes one first game of a twi-night doubleheader.
2. The Rutgers victory over Syracuse on November 29th represents the first time I've ever seen Syracuse lose a football
game. The Orangemen won the first eight games I had seen them play in.
3. November 30th of this year is the first time I've seen the Toronto Maple Leafs play since February 15th, 1990.
4. The February 19th Rutgers - UConn basketball game was the first time I've ever seen UConn play a game that wasn't in
the Big East Tournament. Prior to this game, I had seen UConn six times in the BE tournament.
| Date Visiting Team Home Team Sport 1/1/03 Florida Panthers 2 NJ Devils 1 NHL 1/3/03 Indiana Pacers 96 NY Knicks 98 NBA 1/4/03 Providence Friars 81 Siena Saints 89 CBB 1/5/03 Portland Blazers 92 NY Knicks 89 NBA 1/8/03 Carolina Hurricanes 1 NY Rangers 5 NHL 1/12/03 Seton Hall Pirates 64 Notre Dame 74 CBB 1/14/03 Rutgers 57 Notre Dame 68 CBB 1/18/03 Miami Hurricanes 53 Seton Hall 76 CBB 1/18/03 Villanova Wildcats 110 Rutgers 89 CBB 1/20/03 Rutgers 66 Georgetown 76 CBB 1/24/03 Dallas Mavericks 101 NY Knicks 90 NBA 1/26/03 Rutgers 75 WVU 86 CBB 1/28/03 Atlanta Hawks 98 NY Knicks 103 NBA 1/30/03 Colorado Avalanche 4 NY Rangers 3 OT NHL 2/2/03 Miami Hurricanes 74 St. John’s 77* CBB 2/4/03 LA Clippers 92 NY Knicks 105 NBA 2/6/03 LA Lakers 114 NY Knicks 109 NBA 2/7/03 Atlanta Thrashers 4 NJ Devils 2 NHL 2/9/03 Minnesota Wild 2 NJ Devils 3 NHL 2/12/03 Golden State 113 NY Knicks 107 NBA 2/14/03 Pittsburgh Penguins 0 NY Rangers 1 NHL 2/15/03 Providence Friars 69 St. John’s 59 CBB 2/15/03 Pittsburgh Penguins 4 NJ Devils 1 NHL 2/18/03 Miami Heat 79 NJ Nets 84 NBA 2/19/03 Rutgers 70 Connecticut 87& CBB 2/22/03 Rutgers 65 Pittsburgh 86 CBB 2/25/03 Seton Hall Pirates 62 Rutgers 52 CBB 2/26/03 New York Knicks 76 NJ Nets 105 NBA 2/27/03 Boston Bruins 1 NY Rangers 4 NHL 2/28/03 Orlando Magic 110 NY Knicks 118 2OT NBA 3/1/03 Notre Dame 82 Rutgers 95 CBB 3/2/03 Duke Blue Devils 71 St. John’s 72* CBB 3/4/03 Cleveland Cavaliers 80 NY Knicks 89 NBA 3/6/03 Rutgers 59 St. John’s 75* CBB 3/9/03 Rutgers 74 Syracuse 83 CBB 3/10/03 Florida Panthers 2 NY Rangers 1 NHL 3/11/03 Atlanta Thrashers 3 NJ Devils 2 NHL 3/12/03 St. John’s Red Storm 83 Notre Dame 80 + CBB 3/12/03 West Virginia 50 Providence 73 + CBB 3/12/03 Georgetown Hoyas 46 Villanova Wildcats 41 + CBB 3/12/03 Miami Hurricanes 52 Seton Hall 67 + CBB 3/13/03 St. John’s Red Storm 75 BC 82 OT + CBB 3/13/03 Providence Friars 59 Pittsburgh Panthers 67 + CBB 3/13/03 Georgetown Hoyas 69 Syracuse Orangemen 74 + CBB 3/13/03 Seton Hall Pirates 70 Connecticut 83 + CBB 3/16/03 Milwaukee Bucks 111 NY Knicks 120 NBA 3/19/03 Boston University 57 St. John’s 62 NIT CBB 3/21/03 Pittsburgh Penguins 1 NJ Devils 3 NHL 3/24/03 Virginia Cavaliers 63 St. John’s 73 NIT CBB 3/26/03 New York Knicks 95 NJ Nets 101 NBA 3/31/03 Houston Rockets 86 NJ Nets 110 NBA 4/1/03 Minnesota 74 Georgetown 88*NIT CBB 4/1/03 Texas Tech 63 St. John’s 64*NIT CBB 4/3/03 Minnesota 61 Texas Tech 71*NIT CBB 4/3/03 Georgetown 67 St. John’s 70*NIT CBB 4/4/03 Miami Heat 83 NJ Nets 99 NBA 4/8/03 Minnesota Twins 3 NY Yankees 7 MLB 4/9/03 Minnesota Twins 1 NY Yankees 2 MLB 4/10/03 Minnesota Twins 0 NY Yankees 2 MLB 4/12/03 Tampa Bay D-Rays 4 NY Yankees 5 MLB 4/13/03 Tampa Bay D-Rays 2 NY Yankees 1 MLB 4/14/03 New Orleans 87 NJ Nets 74 NBA 4/15/03 Indiana Pacers 109 NY Knicks 93 NBA 4/17/03 Boston Bruins 0 NJ Devils 3# NHL 4/18/03 Florida Marlins 3 NY Mets 6 MLB 4/19/03 Florida Marlins 6 NY Mets 5 MLB 4/20/03 Florida Marlins 4 NY Mets 7 MLB 4/22/03 Houston Astros 6 NY Mets 2 MLB 4/23/03 Houston Astros 2 NY Mets 4 MLB 4/24/03 Houston Astros 4 NY Mets 7 MLB 5/2/03 Oakland Athletics 3 NY Yankees 5 MLB 5/3/03 Oakland Athletics 5 NY Yankees 3(10) MLB 5/4/03 Oakland Athletics 5 NY Yankees 2 MLB 5/7/03 Los Angeles 2 NY Mets 1 MLB 5/13/03 Anaheim Angels 10 NY Yankees 3 MLB 5/14/03 Anaheim Angels 5 NY Yankees 3 MLB 5/15/03 Anaheim Angels 4 NY Yankees 10 MLB 5/16/03 Texas Rangers 8 NY Yankees 5 MLB 5/17/03 Texas Rangers 5 NY Yankees 2 MLB 5/18/03 Texas Rangers 5 NY Yankees 1 MLB 5/20/03 Philadelphia Phillies 11 NY Mets 7 MLB 5/21/03 Philadelphia Phillies 4 NY Mets 5 MLB 5/22/03 Philadelphia Phillies 3 NY Mets 6 MLB 5/26/03 Boston Red Sox 8 NY Yankees 4 MLB 5/27/03 Boston Red Sox 3 NY Yankees 11 MLB 5/28/03 Boston Red Sox 5 NY Yankees 6 MLB 6/1/03 Washington Mystics 50 NY Liberty 70 WNBA 6/8/03 San Antonio Spurs 84 NJ Nets 79 % NBA 6/9/03 Anaheim Ducks 0 NJ Devils 3 @ NHL 6/10/03 Houston Astros 3 NY Yankees 5 MLB 6/11/03 Houston Astros 8 NY Yankees 0 MLB 6/12/03 Houston Astros 5 NY Yankees 6 MLB 6/14/03 Los Angeles Sparks 67 NY Liberty 60 WNBA 6/17/03 Tampa Bay D-Rays 11 NY Yankees 2 MLB 6/17/03 Tampa Bay D-Rays 2 NY Yankees 10 MLB 6/18/03 Tampa Bay D-Rays 0 NY Yankees 1(12) MLB 6/22/03 Charlotte Sting 57 NY Liberty 69 WNBA 6/24/03 Florida Marlins 8 NY Mets 4 MLB 6/25/03 Florida Marlins 3 NY Mets 6 MLB 6/26/03 Florida Marlins 6 NY Mets 1 MLB 6/27/03 Detroit Shock 75 NY Liberty 69 WNBA 7/10/03 Philadelphia Phillies 7 NY Mets 2 MLB 7/11/03 Philadelphia Phillies 10 NY Mets 3 MLB 7/12/03 Philadelphia Phillies 4 NY Mets 2 (11) MLB 7/13/03 Philadelphia Phillies 3 NY Mets 4 MLB 7/18/03 Charlotte Sting 48 NY Liberty 56 WNBA 8/1/03 Detroit Shock 62 NY Liberty 60 WNBA 8/3/03 Cleveland Rockers 48 NY Liberty 60 WNBA 8/5/03 Texas Rangers 2 NY Yankees 6 MLB 8/6/03 Texas Rangers 5 NY Yankees 4 MLB 8/7/03 Texas Rangers 5 NY Yankees 7 MLB 8/10/03 Cincinnati Bengals 13 NY Jets 28! NFL 8/15/03 Carolina Panthers 20 NY Giants 10! NFL 8/16/03 New Orleans Saints 22 NY Jets 17! NFL 8/22/03 Indiana Fever 64 NY Liberty 51 WNBA 8/23/03 New York Jets 15 NY Giants 14! NFL 8/27/03 Chicago White Sox 11 NY Yankees 2 MLB 8/28/03 Chicago White Sox 5 NY Yankees 7 MLB 8/30/03 Buffalo Bulls 10 Rutgers 24 CFB 8/31/03 Philadelphia Phillies 4 NY Mets 1 MLB 9/6/03 Rutgers 28 Michigan State 44 CFB 9/7/03 Boston Red Sox 1 NY Yankees 3 MLB 9/8/03 Florida Marlins 5 NY Mets 0 MLB 9/10/03 Florida Marlins 7 NY Mets 3 MLB 9/12/03 Tampa Bay D-Rays 4 NY Yankees 10 MLB 9/13/03 Rutgers 36 Army 21 CFB 9/14/03 Tampa Bay D-Rays 5 NY Yankees 2 MLB 9/15/03 Dallas Cowboys 35 NY Giants 32 (OT) NFL 9/24/03 Pittsburgh Pirates 3 NY Mets 5 MLB 9/25/03 Pittsburgh Pirates 3 NY Mets 1 MLB 9/26/03 Baltimore Orioles 2 NY Yankees 11 MLB 9/26/03 Baltimore Orioles 3 NY Yankees 2 (10) MLB 9/27/03 Navy Midshipmen 27 Rutgers 48 CFB 9/28/03 Boston Bruins 1 NY Rangers 4! NHL 9/30/03 Minnesota Twins 3 NY Yankees 1 # MLB 10/2/03 Minnesota Twins 1 NY Yankees 4 # MLB 10/4/03 Virginia Tech Hokies 48 Rutgers 22 CFB 10/5/03 Miami Dolphins 23 NY Giants 10 NFL 10/8/03 Boston Red Sox 5 NY Yankees 2$ MLB 10/9/03 Boston Red Sox 2 NY Yankees 6$ MLB 10/11/03 Rutgers 19 West Virginia 34 CFB 10/12/03 Buffalo Bills 3 NY Jets 30 NFL 10/15/03 Boston Red Sox 9 NY Yankees 6$ MLB 10/16/03 Boston Red Sox 5 NY Yankees 6(11)$ MLB 10/18/03 Pittsburgh Panthers 42 Rutgers 32 CFB 10/18/03 Florida Marlins 3 NY Yankees 2 ? MLB 10/19/03 Florida Marlins 1 NY Yankees 6 ? MLB 10/20/03 Florida Panthers 1 NY Rangers 3 NHL 10/22/03 Florida Panthers 2 NJ Devils 1 NHL 10/23/03 Utah Jazz 77 NY Knicks 60! NBA 10/25/03 Rutgers 30 Temple Owls 14 CFB 10/25/03 Florida Marlins 2 NY Yankees 0 ? MLB 10/28/03 Anaheim Mighty Ducks 3 NY Rangers 1 NHL 10/29/03 Orlando Magic 85 NY Knicks 83 (OT) NBA 10/30/03 Carolina Hurricanes 1 NY Rangers 4 NHL 11/1/03 Anaheim Mighty Ducks 1 NY Islanders 4 NHL 11/2/03 Colorado Avalanche 3 NY Rangers 2 (OT) NHL 11/6/03 Dallas Stars 1 NY Islanders 4 NHL 11/7/03 Sacramento Kings 111 NY Knicks 114 NBA 11/8/03 Rutgers 31 Connecticut 38 CFB 11/9/03 Atlanta Falcons 27 NY Giants 7 NFL 11/10/03 Edmonton Oilers 5 NY Rangers 4 NHL 11/12/03 Pittsburgh Penguins 2 NY Rangers 6 NHL 11/13/03 Florida Panthers 1 NJ Devils 3 NBA 11/14/03 Pittsburgh Panthers 71 Alabama Crimson Tide 62* CBB 11/14/03 Gonzaga Bulldogs 66 St. Joseph's Hawks 73* CBB 11/15/03 Boston College Eagles 35 Rutgers Scarlet Knights 25 CFB 11/17/03 Boston Celtics 86 NY Knicks 89 NBA 11/19/03 Los Angeles Lakers 104 NY Knicks 83 NBA 11/22/03 Rutgers 10 Miami Hurricanes 34 CFB 11/23/03 Ottawa Senators 2 NY Rangers 6 NHL 11/28/03 Utah Utes 44 Connecticut 76* CBB 11/28/03 Texas Tech 65 Georgia Tech 85* CBB 11/29/03 Syracuse Orangemen 7 Rutgers 24 CFB 11/30/03 Atlanta Falcons 24 NY Giants 7= NFL 11/30/03 Toronto Maple Leafs 4 NY Rangers 2 NHL 12/1/03 Detroit Pistons 79 New York Knicks 78(OT) NBA 12/4/03 Washington Capitals 0 New Jersey Devils 3 NHL 12/6/03 Phoenix Suns 88 New Jersey Nets 99 NBA 12/7/03 Washington Redskins 20 New York Giants 7 NFL 12/9/03 Illlinois Fighting Illini 51 Providence 70* CBB 12/9/03 Arizona Wildcats 91 Texas 83* CBB 12/10/03 Rutgers 60 Penn State 47 CBB 12/13/03 Princeton Tigers 49 Rutgers 51 CBB 12/14/03 Pittsburgh Steelers 0 NY Jets 6 = NFL 12/14/03 Washington Wizards 87 NY Knicks 89 NBA 12/16/03 Golden State Warriors 104 NY Knicks 86 NBA 12/17/03 Utah Jazz 74 New Jersey Nets 87 NBA 12/19/03 Washington Wizards 87 New Jersey Nets 97 NBA 12/20/03 Texas Longhorns 61 Duke Blue Devils 89* CBB 12/20/03 Richmond Spiders 62 Manhattan Jaspers 70* CBB 12/20/03 Atlanta Hawks 92 New York Knicks 103 NBA 12/22/03 Boston Bruins 2 New York Rangers 4 NHL 12/23/03 Minnesota 98 New York Knicks 92 NBA 12/27/03 Miss. Valley State 63 UTEP 84 CBB 12/27/03 Northwestern 75 Rutgers 80 / CBB 12/28/03 Miss. Valley State 49 Northwestern 47 / CBB 12/28/03 Rutgers 68 UTEP 94 CBB 12/30/03 Miami Heat 73 New York Knicks 102 NBA 12/31/03 Golden State Warriors 70 New Jersey Nets 88 NBA ! Exhibition game * Game played at Madison Square Garden & Game played at the Hartford Civic Center NIT National Invitation Tournament # First round playoff game % NBA Finals @ Stanley Cup Finals + Big East Tournament at Madison Square Garden $ American League Championship Series ? Major League Baseball World Series / Game played in El Paso, Texas = Left game before it concluded Back to sports page |
1. September 15th, 2003 -- Dallas Cowboys 35, NY Giants 32 (OT): One kickoff out of bounds turned the season
around for two teams. The Giants had rallied from 15 points down in the fourth quarter to take a three-point lead with 11
seconds left on Matt Bryant's field goal. But Bryant's ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, giving Dallas the ball on the
Giants 40 with no time ticking off the clock. After Quincy Carter found a diving Antonio Bryant for a 26-yard pass play,
Billy Cundiff tied the game with a 52-yard field goal, the longest of his career. Cundiff then won it on a 25-yard FG with
5:56 to play, his NFL record tying 7th field goal of the game.
2. October 15th, 2003 -- Boston Red Sox 9, New York Yankees 6: The Yankees hold a 6-4 lead in the seventh inning
of game 6 of the ALCS, but can't hold it. Nomar Garciaparra provided the turning point when he tripled, then scored on
the play on Hideki Matsui's throwing error. The Sox would ride this momentum all the way to the eighth inning of the
seventh game of the series, when the Yanks would come back and win it in the 11th.
3. November 8th, 2003 -- UConn 38, Rutgers 31: A very painful loss for the Rutgers football team in a see-saw affair.
With the game tied at 31-apiece in the final minutes, a UConn punt is mishandled by Tres Moses, and the Huskies recover
deep in Rutgers territory setting up the winning score. RU would build a 17-7 lead in the contest, then would have to rally
to tie the game at 31-apiece as the two teams combined for three touchdowns in the last five minutes of the game.
4. March 2nd, 2003 -- St. John's 72, Duke 71: St. John's scores the last 12 points of the game to turn its season around.
With five seconds left and the game tied, Marcus Hatten stole the ball, then would be fouled at the buzzer. He would make
the ensuing free throw for the victory that propelled St. John's to nine wins in its last 10 games en route to the NIT
championship.
5. April 1st, 2003 -- St. John's 64, Texas Tech 63: Marcus Hatten's steal and layup with 16 seconds left capped a rally
from 10 points down late in the second half as St. John's won this NIT semifinal contest.
6. October 29th, 2003 -- Orlando Magic 85, New York Knicks 83 (OT): On opening night, the Knicks blow a 73-63
lead with 3:43 left. Orlando scores the next 15 points of the game -- 10 in regulation and five in OT, en route to the
victory. Orlando, which lost seven of its eight pre-season games, would go on to lose its next 19 regular season contests.
7. February 28th, 2003 -- NY Knicks 118, Orlando Magic 110 (2OT): Timewise, this is the longest NBA game I've ever
attended. That's because halftime was extended for Patrick Ewing night. Then the game itself goes in to double overtime in
a game the Knicks really needed to win in order to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
8. March 9th, 2003 -- Syracuse 83, Rutgers 74: This game at the Syracuse Carrier Dome was attended by the largest
on-campus NCAA basketball crowd in history -- 33,071. The Scarlet Knights, despite being eliminated from Big East
Tournament participation and any form of post-season play, played valiantly in their final game of the year -- leading most of
the way. However, Carmelo Anthony, in his final collegiate game at the Carrier Dome, would finish with 30 points to lead
the Syracuse comeback. The Orangemen would go on to win the NCAA championship.
around for two teams. The Giants had rallied from 15 points down in the fourth quarter to take a three-point lead with 11
seconds left on Matt Bryant's field goal. But Bryant's ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, giving Dallas the ball on the
Giants 40 with no time ticking off the clock. After Quincy Carter found a diving Antonio Bryant for a 26-yard pass play,
Billy Cundiff tied the game with a 52-yard field goal, the longest of his career. Cundiff then won it on a 25-yard FG with
5:56 to play, his NFL record tying 7th field goal of the game.
2. October 15th, 2003 -- Boston Red Sox 9, New York Yankees 6: The Yankees hold a 6-4 lead in the seventh inning
of game 6 of the ALCS, but can't hold it. Nomar Garciaparra provided the turning point when he tripled, then scored on
the play on Hideki Matsui's throwing error. The Sox would ride this momentum all the way to the eighth inning of the
seventh game of the series, when the Yanks would come back and win it in the 11th.
3. November 8th, 2003 -- UConn 38, Rutgers 31: A very painful loss for the Rutgers football team in a see-saw affair.
With the game tied at 31-apiece in the final minutes, a UConn punt is mishandled by Tres Moses, and the Huskies recover
deep in Rutgers territory setting up the winning score. RU would build a 17-7 lead in the contest, then would have to rally
to tie the game at 31-apiece as the two teams combined for three touchdowns in the last five minutes of the game.
4. March 2nd, 2003 -- St. John's 72, Duke 71: St. John's scores the last 12 points of the game to turn its season around.
With five seconds left and the game tied, Marcus Hatten stole the ball, then would be fouled at the buzzer. He would make
the ensuing free throw for the victory that propelled St. John's to nine wins in its last 10 games en route to the NIT
championship.
5. April 1st, 2003 -- St. John's 64, Texas Tech 63: Marcus Hatten's steal and layup with 16 seconds left capped a rally
from 10 points down late in the second half as St. John's won this NIT semifinal contest.
6. October 29th, 2003 -- Orlando Magic 85, New York Knicks 83 (OT): On opening night, the Knicks blow a 73-63
lead with 3:43 left. Orlando scores the next 15 points of the game -- 10 in regulation and five in OT, en route to the
victory. Orlando, which lost seven of its eight pre-season games, would go on to lose its next 19 regular season contests.
7. February 28th, 2003 -- NY Knicks 118, Orlando Magic 110 (2OT): Timewise, this is the longest NBA game I've ever
attended. That's because halftime was extended for Patrick Ewing night. Then the game itself goes in to double overtime in
a game the Knicks really needed to win in order to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
8. March 9th, 2003 -- Syracuse 83, Rutgers 74: This game at the Syracuse Carrier Dome was attended by the largest
on-campus NCAA basketball crowd in history -- 33,071. The Scarlet Knights, despite being eliminated from Big East
Tournament participation and any form of post-season play, played valiantly in their final game of the year -- leading most of
the way. However, Carmelo Anthony, in his final collegiate game at the Carrier Dome, would finish with 30 points to lead
the Syracuse comeback. The Orangemen would go on to win the NCAA championship.