Events in Sports History in 2004

Hopman Cup

Jan 10 Hopman Cup Tennis, Perth: Lindsay Davenport & James Blake beat Slovakian pair Daniela Hantuchová & Karol Kučera 6-2, 6-3 for a 2-1 win, and 3rd American title

Jan 11 "4th and 26", trailing Green Bay Packers by 3 in NFC Divisional Playoff Game, Philadelphia Eagles face 4th and 26 on their final drive, Donovan McNabb hits Freddie Mitchell for 29 yards. Eagles tie the game and go on to win in overtime
Jan 11 Washington Capitals' German goaltender Olaf Kölzig records his 32nd NHL career shutout in a 1-0 win against the visiting Edmonton Oilers
Jan 13 Toronto's Tom Fitzgerald and Gary Roberts become first teammates in NHL history to play their 1,000th NHL game on the same night as the Maple Leafs beat the visiting Calgary Flames, 4-1
Jan 18 AFC Championship, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough: New England Patriots beat Indianapolis Colts, 24-14
Jan 18 NFC Championship, Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia: Carolina Panthers beat Philadelphia Eagles, 14-3
Jan 21 Minnesota Wild set an NHL record for 2 fastest goals, when Jim Dowd and Richard Park score just 3 seconds apart in the final 15 seconds of a 4-2 win over visiting Chicago Blackhawks

Henin wins All-Belgian Final

Jan 31 Australian Open Women's Tennis: In an all-Belgian final, Justine Henin beats Kim Clijsters 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 to win her only Australian title

Federer's First Australian Title

Feb 1 Australian Open Men's Tennis: Roger Federer wins his first Australian title; beats Marat Safin of Russia 7-6, 6-4, 6-2

Super Bowl XXXVIII

Feb 1 Super Bowl XXXVIII, Reliant Stadium, Houston, TX: New England Patriots beat Carolina Panthers, 32-29; MVP: Tom Brady, New England, QB

Jackson's Wardrobe Malfunction

Feb 1 Wardrobe malfunction: Janet Jackson's breast is exposed during the half-time show of Super Bowl XXXVIII, resulting in US broadcasters adopting a stronger adherence to FCC censorship guidelines.

54th NHL All-Star Game

Feb 8 54th NHL All-Star Game, Xcel Energy Centre, Saint Paul, Minnesota: East beats West, 6-4; MVP: Joe Sakic, Colorado Avalanche, C

Feb 8 NFL Pro Bowl, Aloha Stadium, Honolulu, Hawaii: NFC beats AFC, 55-52; MVP: Mark Bulger, St. Louis Rams, QB, HI
Feb 15 46th Daytona 500: Dale Earnhardt Jr. wins exactly 6 years to the day after his father Dale Earnhardt Sr. won his first and only Daytona 500 in 1998

NBA All-Star Game

Feb 15 53rd NBA All-Star Game, Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA: West beats East, 136-132; MVP: Shaquille O'Neal, LA Lakers, C

Feb 16 The Pittsburgh Penguins lose their 12th consecutive home game, a NHL record

Sports History

Feb 18 Greg Maddux signs with the Chicago Cubs, the team he began his career with

Sports History

Mar 2 Indianapolis Colts sign quarterback Peyton Manning to a 7-year, $98 million deal with a $34.5 million signing bonus; largest package to date in the NFL

Mar 2 Pittsburgh Penguins end their NHL record 14-game home losing streak when they tie the visiting New York Islanders, 3-3
Mar 2 Saint Joseph's Hawks finish their college basketball season with an 82-50 win over St. Bonaventure; Hawks undefeated with a perfect 27-0 record in A-10 East Conference
Mar 13 25th Big East Men's Basketball Tournament: Connecticut beats Pittsburgh, 61-58
Mar 14 45th SEC Men's Basketball Tournament: Kentucky beats Florida, 89-73
Mar 14 51st ACC Men's Basketball Tournament: Maryland beats #5 Duke, 95-87
Mar 27 France beats England, 24-21 at Stade de France, Saint Denis to complete a Grand Slam and win the Six Nations Rugby Championship; England earns the Triple Crown
Mar 28 Kraft Nabisco Championship Women's Golf, Mission Hills CC: Grace Park wins her only major title by 1 stroke, sinking a 6-foot birdie putt on the 72nd hole; fellow South Korean Aree Song is runner-up
Mar 28 PGA Players Championship, TPC at Sawgrass: 23-year old Australian Adam Scott holds on for his 2nd PGA Tour title, 1 stroke ahead of Irishman Pádraig Harrington
Mar 31 Australian swimmer Lisbeth Lenton breaks Inge de Bruijn's 4-year old 100m freestyle women's world record in 53.66s at the Australian Olympic trials in Sydney
Mar 31 With a 12-1 defeat of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in Tokyo, NY Yankees starter Kevin Brown becomes only the 2nd pitcher in MLB history to have beaten all 30 teams
Apr 3 157th Grand National: Graham Lee wins aboard Amberleigh House; trainer Ginger McCain's equal record 4th GN victory
Apr 5 66th NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Georgia Tech, 82-73; Huskies' forward Emeka Okafor named tournament Most Outstanding Player

Sports History

Apr 6 23rd NCAA Women's Basketball Championship: Connecticut beats Tennessee, 70-61; UConn's Diana Taurasi is named Most Outstanding Player for the 2nd straight year

US Masters Golf

Apr 11 68th US Masters Tournament, Augusta National GC: Phil Mickelson claims his first major title with a birdie on the final hole to win by 1 stroke over Ernie Els of South Africa

Cricket History

Apr 12 West Indian cricket batsman Brian Lara smashes highest individual score in a Test innings with 400 not out (773 mins; 582 balls; 43x4, 4x6) in drawn 4th Test against England at Antigua

Baseball Record

Apr 13 Barry Bonds hits his 661st career home run, passing his godfather Willie Mays on the MLB all-time list

Apr 18 Jason Koumas scores a last minute goal in a 1-0 win against Sunderland
Apr 19 108th Boston Marathon: Kenyan double; Timothy Cherigat takes men's title in 2:10:37; Catherine Ndereba wins her 3rd women's event in 2:24:27

Sports History

Apr 24 NFL Draft: Ole Miss quarterback Eli Manning first pick by San Diego Chargers

May 1 130th Kentucky Derby: Stewart Elliott wins aboard Smarty Jones. North American wagering records smashed ($142m on 12-race card)
May 1 Giants outfielder Barry Bonds sets MLB record for being intentionally walked 4 times in a 9-inning game during 6-3 defeat of Florida in SF

Laureus Awards

May 10 Laureus World Sports Awards, Cultural Centre of Belém, Lisbon, Portugal: Sportsman: Michael Schumacher; Sportswoman: Annika Sörenstam; Team: England Men's National Rugby Union team

May 15 129th Preakness: Stewart Elliott aboard Smarty Jones wins in 1:55.59
May 18 Arizona Diamondbacks' Randy Johnson becomes 16th pitcher to throw a perfect game (2-0 vs Atlanta)
May 19 NHL Western Conference Final: Calgary Flames beat San Jose Sharks, 4 games to 2

FA Cup Final

May 22 English FA Cup Final, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (71,350): Manchester United beats Millwall, 3-0; Ruud van Nistelrooy scores 2 and Cristiano Ronaldo 1 in Red Devils' 11th title win

May 22 NHL Eastern Conference Final: Tampa Bay Lightning beat Philadelphia Flyers, 4 games to 3
May 22 Super Rugby Final, Canberra: ACT Brumbies claim their 2nd title with a 47-38 win over Canterbury Crusaders; Brumbies wingers Mark Gerrard (3) and Joe Roff (2) combine for 5 tries
May 26 12th UEFA Champions League Final: Porto beats AS Monaco 3-0 at Gelsenkirchen

Indy 500

May 30 Indianapolis 500: Buddy Rice wins from pole for team owners Bobby Rahal and David Letterman in a rain shortened race (450 miles - 180 of 200 scheduled laps)

Senior PGA Championship

May 31 Senior PGA Championship, Valhalla GC: Hale Irwin wins his 4th title in the event by 1 stroke ahead of runner-up Jay Haas

Jun 5 136th Belmont: Edgar Prado aboard Birdstone wins in 2:27.50
Jun 5 French Open Women's Tennis: In an all-Russian final Anastasia Myskina wins her lone major title; beats Elena Dementieva 6-1, 6-2
Jun 6 French Open Men's Tennis: Gastón Gaudio of Argentina beats countryman Guillermo Coria 0-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, 8-6 for his lone major title
Jun 7 Stanley Cup Final, Amalie Arena, Tampa, FL: Tampa Bay Lightning beat Calgary Flames, 2-1 for 4-3 series win; Tampa Bay's 1st-ever appearance in final
Jun 12 WLAF World Bowl 12, Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen: Berlin Thunder beats Frankfurt Galaxy, 30-24

LPGA Championship

Jun 13 50th LPGA Championship Women's Golf, DuPont CC: Sweden's Annika Sörenstam goes back-to-back by 3 strokes ahead of runner-up Shi Hyun Ahn

Jun 15 NBA Finals: Detroit Pistons beat Los Angeles Lakers, 100-87 in Game 5 to complete one of the greatest upsets in NBA history; MVP: Chauncey Billups
Jun 20 US Open Men's Golf, Shinnecock Hills GC: Retief Goosen of South Africa wins his second Open title, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up and reigning Masters champion Phil Mickelson
Jun 24 NBA Draft: Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy power forward Dwight Howard first pick by Orlando Magic

Wimbledon Women's Tennis

Jul 3 Wimbledon Women's Tennis: Maria Sharapova becomes first Russian player to win Wimbledon beating defending champion Serena Williams 6-1, 6-4

Jul 4 UEFA European Championship Final, Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal: In a huge upset Greece beats host nation Portugal, 1-0

US Women's Golf Open

Jul 4 US Open Women's Golf, Orchards GC: Meg Mallon shoots final round 65 (−6) to win her second US title, 2 strokes ahead of runner-up Annika Sörenstam of Sweden

Jul 4 Wimbledon Men's Tennis: Roger Federer wins the second of 5 straight Wimbledon singles titles beating American Andy Roddick 4-6, 7-5, 7-6, 6-4
Jul 11 Canadian Open Women's Golf, Legends on the Niagara GC: Meg Mallon wins by 4 strokes from Beth Daniel
Jul 11 Senior Players Championship Men's Golf, TPC of Michigan: Englishman Mark James wins his lone career major title by 1 stroke from José Maria Cañizares of Spain
Jul 13 75th All Star Baseball Game: AL wins 9-4 at Minute Maid Park, Houston

ESPY Awards

Jul 18 12th ESPY Awards: Lance Armstrong, Diana Taurasi win

British Golf Open

Jul 18 British Open Men's Golf, Royal Troon: American Todd Hamilton wins his only major title, defeating 2002 champion Ernie Els of South Africa by a stroke in a 4-hole playoff

Jul 25 91st Tour de France: no winner (Lance Armstrong disqualified)

Senior Open Championship

Jul 25 British Senior Open Men's Golf, Royal Portrush: Pete Oakley wins by 1 stroke from fellow American Tom Kite and Eduardo Romero of Argentina

Jul 25 Copa América Final, Estadio Nacional, Lima: Brazil beats Argentina, 4-2 on penalties; 2-2 after extra time

Sports History

Jul 29 Marco van Basten is named the manager of the Netherlands national team

Aug 1 British Open Women's Golf, Sunningdale: England's Karen Stupples wins her lone major title, 5 shots ahead of runner-up Rachel Teske of Australia
Aug 1 US Senior Open Men's Golf, Bellerive GC: Peter Jacobson wins by 1 shot from 2-time champion Hale Irwin

Baseball Record

Aug 3 St. Louis 1st baseman Albert Pujols becomes first player in MLB history to hit at least 30 HRs in each of his first 4 seasons as Cardinals beat Montreal, 10-6

Aug 7 Cubs pitcher Greg Maddux enters the history books with his 300th career win in the Chicago's 8-4 triumph v San Francisco at SBC Park

Hall of Fame

Aug 8 John Elway is inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame

Aug 13 28th Olympic Games opens at Athens, Greece
Aug 14 The Australian women's 4 x 100m freestyle relay team of Alice Mills, Lisbeth Lenton, Petria Thomas & Jodie Henry smash the world record to take gold in 3:35.94 at the Athens Olympics
Aug 15 Bay of Plenty defeat Auckland 33-26 in Rugby Union to win NZ's Ranfurly shield for the first time in the shield's 102 year history and after 28 unsuccessful challenges

PGA Championship

Aug 15 PGA Championship Men's Golf, Whistling Straits GC: Vijay Singh of Fiji wins his 2nd PGA C'ship in a playoff with Chris DiMarco & Justin Leonard

Aug 15 South African 4 x 100m freestyle relay team of Roland Schoeman, Lyndon Ferns, Darian Townsend & Ryk Neethling smash the world record with 3:13.17 at the Athens Olympics
Aug 16 Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe wins the men's 200m freestyle in Olympic record 1:44.71, giving him the 200/400m freestyle double at the Athens Olympics
Aug 17 Yana Klochkova of Ukraine wins the 200m individual medley in 2:11.14 at the Athens Olympics to wrap up the 200/400m medley double
Aug 18 Dutch swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband wins the coveted 100m freestyle gold medal in 48.17 ahead of Roland Schoeman of South Africa at the Athens Olympics
Aug 18 Japanese swimmer Kosuke Kitajima wraps up the 100/200m breaststroke double at the Athens Olympics when he wins the 200m in 2:09.44, an Olympic record
Aug 18 Shot put event at the Athens Olympics held in Ancient Olympia, site of the ancient Olympic Games; first time women ever compete in venue; Yumileidi Cumbá of Cuba wins women's gold; American Adam Nelson men's gold
Aug 18 US women's 4 × 200m freestyle relay team of Natalie Coughlin, Carly Piper, Dana Vollmer & Kaitlin Sandeno smash long-standing world record set by GDR in 1987 to win gold at the Athens Olympics (7:53.42)

Olympic Games

Aug 19 American swimmer Aaron Peirsol wins the men's 200m backstroke in Olympic record 1:54.95, giving him the 100/200m backstroke double at the Athens Olympics

Olympic Games

Aug 19 American swimmer Michael Phelps wraps up the 200/400m individual medley double at the Athens Olympics when he wins the 200m (1:57.14 OR) ahead of teammate Ryan Lochte

Aug 19 Australian swimmer Jodie Henry records 53.84 to win the blue ribband 100m freestyle gold medal ahead of Dutch star Inge de Bruijn at the Athens Olympics
Aug 19 US gymnast Carly Patterson becomes the 2nd American woman to win the all-around gold medal, and 1st to win at a non-boycotted Olympic games, when she takes gold in Athens
Aug 20 American swimmer Michael Phelps wraps up the 100/200m butterfly double at the Athens Olympics when he wins the 100m (51.25 OR) ahead of teammate Ian Croker

Olympic Games

Aug 20 Ethiopian runners Kenenisa Bekele (27:05.10 OR) and Sileshi Sihine go 1-2 in the 10,000m at the Athens Olympics

Aug 21 American super-swimmer Michael Phelps wins his 6th gold medal of the Athens Olympics even though he doesn't swim the final of men's 4 x 100m medley relay; US wins in world record 3:30.68
Aug 21 Belarusian sprinter Yulia Nestsiarenka runs 10.93 to beat American Lauryn Williams and win the 100m gold medal at the Athens Olympics
Aug 21 Nicolás Massú & Fernando González win the men's doubles tennis at the Athens Olympics beating German pair Nicolas Kiefer & Rainer Schüttler in 5 sets; it's Chile's first Olympic gold medal
Aug 21 South Africa clinch their 2nd Tri Nations Rugby Series on points differential with a 23-19 win over Australia in Durban; Wallabies score 3 tries to 2, but Percy Montgomery lands 5 goals for Springboks
Aug 21 The archery competition concludes at the Athens Olympics with South Korea dominant with 3 of 4 gold medals; venue is the Panathenaic Stadium, in which the 1896 games were held
Aug 21 The Australian women's 4 x 100m medley relay team of Giaan Rooney, Leisel Jones, Petria Thomas & Jodie Henry smashes the world record to take gold in 3:57.32 at the Athens Olympics
Aug 22 After winning the doubles tennis gold medal at the Athens Olympics, Chile's Nicolás Massú wins the men's singles gold 6–3, 3–6, 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 over American Mardy Fish

Olympic Gold

Aug 22 American sprinter Justin Gatlin wins the coveted Olympic 100m gold medal in Athens in 9.85 ahead of Francis Obikwelu of Portugal & American Maurice Greene

Aug 22 Athens Olympic marathon is run on same route as 1896 Games, start at site of the Battle of Marathon to the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens: Mizuki Noguchi of Japan wins women's gold in 2:26:20
Aug 22 Justine Henin of Belgium wins the women's singles tennis gold medal at the Athens Olympics 6-3, 6-3 over Amélie Mauresmo of France
Aug 22 The rowing program at the Athens Olympics ends with the United States winning the men's eights, and Romania taking the gold in the women's eights
Aug 23 An American sweep in the 400m medals at the Athens Olympics; Jeremy Wariner gold in 44.00 ahead of Otis Harris and Derrick Brew
Aug 23 Outstanding British athlete Kelly Holmes wins 1st leg of her 800/1,500m double at the Athens Olympics taking the gold medal in 1:56.38
Aug 23 Winning pitcher Lisa Fernadez (4-0) leads the US to the softball gold medal at the Athens Olympics, beating Australia 5-1
Aug 24 Americans Kerri Walsh and Misty May team up to win the women's beach volleyball gold at the Athens Olympics beating Brazilian pair Shelda Bede & Adriana Behar 21–17, 21–11

Sports History

Aug 24 Future 8-time Olympic gold medal winner Usain Bolt of Jamaica finishes 5th in his 200m heat in 21.05, failing to qualify for the 2nd round at the Athens Olympics

Aug 24 Kenyan runners sweep the medals in the 3000m steeplechase at the Athens Olympics; Ezekiel Kemboi wins gold ahead of Brimin Kipruto and Paul Kipsiele Koech
Aug 24 Moroccan super star athlete Hicham El Guerrouj wins 1st leg of his 1,500/5,000m double at the Athens Olympics in 3:34.18
Aug 24 Roman Šebrle of the Czech Republic (8,893 points OR) edges American Bryan Clay (8,820) in the decathlon at the Athens Olympics
Aug 24 Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia vaults 4.91m to break her own pole vault world record and win the gold medal from teammate Svetlana Feofanova at the Athens Olympics
Aug 25 Cuba beats Australia 6-2 to win the baseball gold medal at the Athens Olympics; Japan takes bronze; US did not qualify
Aug 25 Emanuel Rego & Ricardo Santos win Brazil's first gold medal in men's beach volleyball with a 21–16, 21–15 victory over Spanish pair Javier Bosma & Pablo Herrera
Aug 25 Gal Fridman becomes Israel's first Olympic gold medallist when he wins the men's Mistral One Design windsurfing event at the Athens Games
Aug 25 Greek athlete Fani Chalkia comes out of retirement to compete in her home Olympics in Athens; wins 400m hurdles gold medal in 52.82
Aug 25 Olga Kuzenkova of Russia throws an Olympic record 75.02m to edge the field and win the women's hammer throw gold medal at the Athens Games
Aug 26 An American 1-2-3 in the 200m medals at the Athens Olympics; Shawn Crawford gold in 19.79 ahead of Bernard Williams & Justin Gatlin
Aug 26 Félix Sánchez wins the men's 400m hurdles 47.63 in Athens; the Dominican Republic's first ever Olympic gold medal
Aug 26 Germany wins its first ever Olympic women's field hockey gold medal with a 2-1 win against the Netherlands in Athens
Aug 26 Hamish Carter of New Zealand wins the men's gold medal ahead of teammate Bevan Docherty, whilst Kate Allen of Austria takes out the women's Triathlon at the Athens Olympics

Olympic Gold

Aug 26 Lindsay Tarpley and Abby Wambach score as the US beats Brazil 2-1, maintaining an undefeated record to win the women's football gold medal at the Athens Olympics

Aug 27 Australia wins its first ever Olympic men's field hockey gold medal with a 2-1 win a.e.t. against the Netherlands in Athens
Aug 27 China's first ever gold in Olympic Games men's track and field; Liu Xiang wins 110m hurdles in Athens, equalling Colin Jackson's 1993 world record time of 12.91 seconds
Aug 27 German kayaker Birgit Fischer wins gold in K-4 500m & silver in K-2 500m in Athens; first woman in any sport to win gold medals at 6 different Olympics, gold 24 years apart, and 1st person to win 2 or more medals in 5 different Games
Aug 27 In a huge upset in the men's basketball semi final at the Athens Olympics, Argentina beats a star-studded but unsettled US team 89-81; they go on to take gold and US bronze
Aug 27 Osleidys Menéndez of Cuba throws an Olympic record 71.53m to easily beat German Steffi Nerius for the women's javelin gold medal at the Athens Games
Aug 27 Timothy Mack vaults an Olympic record 5.95m to win the pole vault gold medal from fellow American Toby Stevenson (5.90m) at the Athens Olympics
Aug 28 A huge upset at the Athens Olympic Stadium in the men's 4×100m relay; Great Britain 38.07 edges the United States 38.08 to take the gold medal
Aug 28 British athlete Kelly Holmes wraps up the 800/1,500m double at the Athens Olympics taking out the 1.5k in 3:57.90
Aug 28 Carlos Tevez scores the winner as Argentina beats Paraguay 1-0, maintaining an undefeated record to win the men's football gold medal at the Athens Olympics
Aug 28 Led by San Antonio Spurs shooting guard Manu Ginóbili Argentina beats Italy 84-69 for the Olympic basketball gold medal in Athens; star-studded US team takes bronze
Aug 28 Moroccan super star athlete Hicham El Guerrouj wraps up the 1,500/5,000m double at the Athens Olympics taking the 5k gold in 13:14.39
Aug 28 The diving competition at the Athens Olympics concludes with the Chinese contingent dominant, winning 6 of the 8 gold medals
Aug 28 The US women's basketball team goes through the Athens Olympics undefeated to win its 5th Olympic gold medal, beating Australia 74-63 in the final
Aug 29 28th Olympic Games closes at Athens, Greece
Aug 29 Athens Olympic marathon is run on same route as 1896 Games, start at site of the Battle of Marathon to the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens: Stefano Baldini of Italy wins men's gold in 2:10:55
Aug 29 Brazil takes out the men's volleyball gold medal with a 3-1 victory over Italy at the Athens Olympics
Aug 29 Future undisputed world light heavyweight boxing champion Andre Ward of the US wins the light heavyweight gold medal at the Athens Olympics beating Magomed Aripgadjiev of Belarus on points
Aug 29 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher clinches his 5th straight F1 World Drivers Championship with a 2nd place in the Belgian F1 Grand Prix at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps
Aug 29 The Tradition Senior Men's Golf, Reserve Vineyards & GC: Craig Stadler wins his final major event by 1 stroke from Allen Doyle and Jerry Pate

Sports History

Sep 1 Sexual assault charge against LA Lakers star Kobe Bryant is dropped by the Eagle County District Attorney's offices in Colorado after the victim decides not to participate

Cricket History

Sep 7 Indian cricketer Rahul Dravid is named Player of the Year by the International Cricket Council

Sep 11 US Open Women's Tennis: In an all-Russian final Svetlana Kuznetsova wins her first Grand Slam title; beats Elena Dementieva 6-3, 7-5
Sep 12 Detroit Lions beat the Chicago Bears 20-16 at Soldier Field to snap their NFL-record 24-game road losing streak
Sep 12 US Open Men's Tennis: Roger Federer of Switzerland wins first US title; outclasses Australian Lleyton Hewitt 6-0, 7-6, 6-0
Sep 15 NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announces a lockout of the players union and cessation of operations by the NHL head office.
Sep 17 SF Giants outfielder Barry Bonds hits his 700th career MLB home run, off San Diego's Jake Peavy

Sports History

Sep 19 NFL Oakland Raider wide receiver Jerry Rice ends NFL streak of 274 consecutive games with a reception in a 13-10 victory over Buffalo Bills [1]

Sep 19 Ryder Cup Golf, Oakland Hills CC: Europe retains Cup wins 18½-9½; victory margin largest by a European team in history of the event
Sep 22 SF Giants outfielder Barry Bonds was intentionally walked 4 times in a 9-inning game (MLB record) for the second time (1 May 2004)
Sep 26 Canadian runner Ed Whitlock (73) becomes 1st person over 70 to complete a marathon in under 3 hours (2:54:48) at Toronto Marathon (Toronto, Ontario)

Baseball Record

Oct 1 Seattle Mariners Japanese outfielder Ichiro Suzuki gets his 258th hit of the season, breaking George Sisler's 84-year-old MLB single-season record; Ichiro ends season on 262

Baseball Record

Oct 2 Jeff Kent becomes all-time home run leader for MLB 2nd basemen when he hits 2 in Astros' 9-3 win v Rockies; 302 overall HR to break Ryne Sandberg's major league record established in 1997

Oct 2 Montreal Expos earn the last win in the franchise's MLB history, beating New York Mets, 6 - 3 at Shea Stadium; Brad Wilkerson hits the Expos' final home run in 9th inning, his 32nd of the year
Oct 3 New England Patriots win their 18th consecutive NFL game, beating Buffalo Bills, 31-17 at Ralph Wilson Stadium; Tom Brady 17-for-30 for 298 yards & 2 TDs
Oct 3 Seattle Mariners Japanese right fielder Ichiro Suzuki adds 2 more singles in a 3-0 defeat to Texas, to finish the season with a MLB record 262 hits

Scottie Pippen Retires

Oct 5 7-time All-Star and 6-time NBA Champion forward Scottie Pippen announces his retirement from the NBA and the Chicago Bulls

Oct 10 Having already clinched his record 7th F1 World Drivers Championship, German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher wins a record 13th race of the season with victory at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka

Sports History

Oct 16 17-year old Lionel Messi makes his league debut for FC Barcelona in a 1-0 win against cross-town rivals Espanyol at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, Barcelona

Oct 20 MLB American League Championship: Boston Red Sox come back from 0-3 to beat New York Yankees, 4 games to 3
Oct 21 MLB National League Championship: St. Louis Cardinals beat Houston Astros, 4 games to 3
Oct 23 16th College Football Holy War: Boston College beats Notre Dame 24-23 in South Bend
Oct 24 10 people including NASCAR driver Ricky Hendrick and 4 family members are killed in a plane crash near Martinsville Speedway in Virginia; plane owned by NASCAR team Hendrick Motorsports
Oct 24 German Ferrari driver Michael Schumacher finishes 8th at season-ending Brazilian F1 Grand Prix at Autódromo José Carlos Pace; his 5th straight World Drivers Championship, record 7th career world title; Ferrari's 6th straight Constructors title
Oct 24 Manchester United beats Arsenal, 2-0 at Old Trafford; ends Gunners' English Premier League record 49-game unbeaten streak
Oct 27 Baseball World Series: Boston beats St. Louis, 3-0 in Game 4 at Busch Stadium to sweep Cardinals and win Red Sox first title since 1918; MVP: Boston outfielder Manny Ramirez

Sports History

Oct 27 Pedro Martínez wins Game 3 of the World Series, helping the Red Sox secure their first championship in 86 years

Oct 30 Breeders' Cup Horse Racing, Lone Star Park; winners: Ghostzapper, Wilko, Ashado, Better Talk Now, Oujja Board, Sweet Catomine, Singletary, Speightstown
Nov 15 Maria Sharapova becomes the first Russian to win the tennis season-ending WTA Tour Championship; beats American Serena Williams 4–6, 6–2, 6–4 at the Staples Center, Los Angeles
Nov 20 69th Iron Bowl: Auburn beats Alabama 21-13 in Tuscaloosa
Nov 21 56th NASCAR Sprint Cup: Kurt Busch wins
Nov 21 CFL Grey Cup, Frank Clair Stadium, Ottawa: Toronto Argonauts defeat BC Lions, 27-19; first Grey Cup game played on next-generation FieldTurf surface
Nov 21 Roger Federer of Switzerland wins back-to-back season-ending Tennis Masters Cup titles with a 6–3, 6–2 victory over Australian Leyton Hewitt in the final in Houston, Texas
Nov 27 Marco Antonio Barrera beats Erik Morales by majority decision to win WBC super featherweight boxing title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas; final fight of legendary trilogy; The Ring's 'Fight of the Year'
Nov 27 New Zealand's All Blacks thump Six Nations Rugby Union Champions France 45-6 in Paris
Nov 28 Federation Cup Women's Tennis, Moscow, Russia: Anastasia Myskina & Vera Zvonareva beat French pair Marion Bartoli & Émilie Loit 7-6, 7-5 to clinch Russia's first title, 3-2
Dec 4 13th SEC Championship Game: #3 Auburn beats #15 Tennessee, 38-28
Dec 5 93rd Davis Cup: Spain beats USA in Seville (3-2)
Dec 11 70th Heisman Trophy Award: Matt Leinart, USC (QB)

Ballon d'Or

Dec 13 Ballon d'Or: Milan's Ukrainian striker Andriy Shevchenko is named best football player in Europe ahead of Deco (Porto/FC Barcelona) and Barcelona midfielder Ronaldinho