2003 NCAA Women's Water Polo Championship, Qualification
Since there has only ever been one single national championship for women's water polo, all NCAA women's water polo programs (whether from Division I, Division II, or Division III) were eligible. A total of 4 teams were invited to contest this championship.


2003 NECBL All-Star Game
The 2003 New England Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game was the 11th exhibition game between all-stars from the NECBL's Northern and the Southern Divisions. The National All-Stars shut out the Southern All-Stars 6-0. Josh DiScipio of the Concord Quarry Dogs was named the game's MVP.


2003 NECBL season
The 2003 NECBL season marked the tenth season of the existence of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. The league expanded to thirteen teams with the addition of the Vermont Mountaineers of Montpelier, Vermont. The franchise was the league's first in the New England state of Vermont. This marked the fulfillment of the league's goal of having a franchise in each of the six New England states: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont.


2003 NECBL season
In the quarterfinal playoff rounds, Newport defeated Danbury 2-1, Torrington defeated Middletown 2-0, Sanford defeated North Adams 2-0, and Keene defeated Concord 2-0. In the semifinals, Keene defeated Sanford 2-0 and Torrington defeated Newport 2-0. In the championship round, Keene defeated Torrington 2-0 in game one and 7-1 in game two, capturing the NECBL title 2-0.


2003 NFL Draft
The 2003 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League (NFL) teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft was held April 26–27, 2003 at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and before the regular season.


2003 NFL Draft
The draft was broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2 beginning at noon on Saturday, April 26 and beginning at 11:00 am on Sunday, April 27. The draft consisted of seven rounds, with teams selecting in the reverse order of the finish the previous season. There were 32 compensatory picks distributed among 15 teams, with five teams each receiving four additional selections. In addition, the Houston Texans, who started play as an expansion franchise the previous season, were granted a supplemental selection in the middle of each of the draft's final five rounds, plus the final selection in the final two rounds.


2003 NFL Draft
There was little drama when the draft began with the Cincinnati Bengals selecting Carson Palmer, as Palmer had agreed to contract terms with the Bengals the previous day. He became the first Heisman Trophy winner selected first overall in the draft since Vinny Testaverde in 1987. The event ended nearly 30 hours later with Ryan Hoag being chosen by the Oakland Raiders with the final pick and thus gaining the distinction of "Mr. Irrelevant".


2003 NFL Draft
The draft took an odd turn with the Minnesota Vikings' pick in the first round. The Vikings were apparently attempting to consummate a trade when their fifteen-minute time allowance elapsed. The Jaguars who selected next were quick to pounce, turning in their card to select QB Byron Leftwich immediately after the Vikings' time elapsed. The Panthers also took advantage of the gaffe, selecting OT Jordan Gross before the Vikings recovered and selected DT Kevin Williams. Nevertheless, the mistake may have worked in the Vikings' favor as Williams went on to be a mainstay in their team, missing only four games in his first 10 seasons in the NFL and making six Pro Bowls.


2003 NFL Draft
The colleges with the most players selected in the draft were Florida, Miami and Tennessee which each had eight players chosen. Meanwhile, Penn State and Miami each had four players selected in the first round. Eleven defensive linemen were selected in round one, eclipsing the previous record of nine, set in 2001. Ten underclassmen were taken in the first round, including three of the first four overall selections. The first round lasted nearly five hours. The Buffalo Bills selection of Miami's Willis McGahee as the first running back off the board was notable because he was recovering from a career-threatening injury he suffered in the Fiesta Bowl which it was believed could have caused him to miss the upcoming season.


2003 NFL Draft
This draft is notable for its excellent undrafted players, including longtime Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and longtime San Diego Chargers tight end Antonio Gates.


2003 NFL Draft
As of 2021, the 2003 draft is the most recent draft with no remaining active players.


2003 NFL Draft
The 262 players chosen in the draft were in the following positions:


2003 NFL Draft, Trades
In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.


2003 NFL Draft, Supplemental draft selections
For each player selected in the Supplemental Draft, the team forfeited its pick in that round in the draft of the following season.


2003 NFL Europe season
The 2003 NFL Europe season was the 11th season in 13 years of the American Football league that started out as the World League of American Football. Three NFL Europe teams had new homes for 2003, Berlin Thunder at Berlin's Olympic Stadium, the F.C. Barcelona Dragons at Mini Estadi, and the Rhein Fire, at Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen.


2003 NFL Europe season, World Bowl XI
World Bowl XI took place on Saturday, June 14, 2003 at Hampden Park in Glasgow, Scotland. Frankfurt Galaxy defeated Rhein Fire, 35-16.


2003 NFL season
The 2003 NFL season was the 84th regular season of the National Football League (NFL).


2003 NFL season
Regular-season play was held from September 4, 2003, to December 28, 2003. Due to damage caused by the Cedar Fire, Qualcomm Stadium was used as an emergency shelter, and thus the Miami Dolphins–San Diego Chargers regular-season match on October 27 was instead played at Sun Devil Stadium, the home field of the Arizona Cardinals. This was the first season in NFL History where every team won at least 4 games.


2003 NFL season
The playoffs began on January 3, 2004. The NFL title was won by the New England Patriots when they defeated the Carolina Panthers, 32–29, in Super Bowl XXXVIII at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, on February 1.


2003 NFL season
This was the last season until the 2016 NFL season where neither of the previous Super Bowl participants made the playoffs.


2003 NFL season, Draft
The 2003 NFL Draft was held from April 26 to 27, 2003 at New York City's Theater at Madison Square Garden. With the first pick, the Cincinnati Bengals selected quarterback Carson Palmer from the University of Southern California.


2003 NFL season, Referee changes
Dick Hantak and Bob McElwee retired in the 2003 off-season. Hantak joined the league as a back judge in 1978, and was assigned Super Bowl XVII in that position. He was promoted to referee in 1986, working Super Bowl XXVII. McElwee joined the NFL in 1976 as a line judge, and became a referee in 1980. He was the referee for three Super Bowls: XXII, XXVIII, and XXXIV. Walt Anderson and Pete Morelli were promoted to referee to replace Hantak and McElwee.


2003 NFL season, Playoffs
Within each conference, the four division winners and the two wild card teams (the top two non-division winners with the best overall regular season records) qualified for the playoffs. The four division winners are seeded 1 through 4 based on their overall won-lost-tied record, and the wild card teams are seeded 5 and 6. The NFL does not use a fixed bracket playoff system, and there are no restrictions regarding teams from the same division matching up in any round.


2003 NFL season, Playoffs
In the first round, dubbed the wild-card playoffs or wild-card weekend, the third-seeded division winner hosts the sixth seed wild card, and the fourth seed hosts the fifth. The 1 and 2 seeds from each conference then receive a bye in the first round. In the second round, the divisional playoffs, the number 1 seed hosts the worst surviving seed from the first round (seed 4, 5, or 6), while the number 2 seed will play the other team (seed 3, 4, or 5).


2003 NFL season, Playoffs
The two surviving teams from each conference's divisional playoff games then meet in the respective AFC and NFC Conference Championship games, hosted by the higher seed. Although the Super Bowl, the fourth and final round of the playoffs, is played at a neutral site, the designated home team is based on an annual rotation by conference.


2003 NFL season, Milestones
The following teams and players set all-time NFL records during the season:


2003 NFL season, Stadium changes
In addition new turf was installed for the following teams:


2003 NHK Trophy
The 2003 NHK Trophy was the final event of six in the 2003–04 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. It was held at the Asahikawa Taisetsu Ice Arena in Asahikawa on November 27–30. Medals were awarded in the disciplines of men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dancing. Skaters earned points toward qualifying for the 2003–04 Grand Prix Final. The compulsory dance was the Yankee Polka.


2003 NHL Entry Draft
The 2003 NHL Entry Draft was the 41st NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee on June 21 and 22, 2003.


2003 NHL Entry Draft
Goaltender Marc-André Fleury was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins. This was only the third time a goalie was selected first overall in the draft, after Michel Plasse in the 1968 draft and Rick DiPietro in the 2000 draft. Eric Staal was selected second, by the Carolina Hurricanes, and Nathan Horton was the third selection, by the Florida Panthers.


2003 NHL Entry Draft
Many analysts rate this draft as having one of the most talented groups of players, some say even better than the 1979 NHL Draft. Every first-round pick went on to play in a regular season NHL game. Among those, two played only a handful of games: Hugh Jessiman (2 games) and Shawn Belle (20). All other first round picks had much more substantial NHL careers: the third-fewest games was Marc-Antoine Pouliot with 192. Fleury, Staal, Horton, Nikolay Zherdev, and Patrice Bergeron all became NHL regulars immediately after they were drafted.


2003 NHL Entry Draft
Milan Michalek was expected to do the same, and was selected for the San Jose Sharks' NHL roster after training camp, but suffered a serious knee injury that ruled him out for the season. All of the top ten selections played at least nine games in the NHL in the 2005–06 season. Calgary Flames' first round selection Dion Phaneuf scored 20 goals in his rookie campaign, becoming the third defenseman to do so, after Brian Leetch and Barry Beck.


2003 NHL Entry Draft
Mike Richards and Jeff Carter (Flyers), Zach Parise (Devils), Ryan Getzlaf (Ducks), and Eric Staal (Hurricanes) all led their teams in scoring in the 2007–08 regular season, and Dustin Brown (Kings) went on to break the record for most Stanley Cups won by an American team captain (two, in 2012 and 2014).


2003 NHL Entry Draft
Later rounds of the draft also featured more players than usual that went on to have substantial NHL careers. These included Shea Weber (49th overall pick), Corey Crawford (52nd), David Backes (62nd), Jimmy Howard (64th), Clarke MacArthur (74th), Jan Hejda (106th), Paul Bissonnette (121st), Kyle Quincey (132nd), Lee Stempniak (148th), Nigel Dawes (149th), Marc Methot (168th), Nate Thompson (183rd), Drew Miller (186th), Joe Pavelski (205th), Kyle Brodziak (214th), Tobias Enstrom (239th), Dustin Byfuglien (245th), Shane O'Brien (250th), Matt Moulson (263rd), Jaroslav Halak (271st), David Jones (288th), and Brian Elliott (291st).


2003 NHL Entry Draft, Draft day trades
The following trades were made on the day of the draft:


2003 NLL season
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by WOSlinkerBot (talk | contribs) at 21:14, 20 June 2020 (remove un-needed options from tables). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


2003 NLL season
The 2003 National Lacrosse League season is the 17th season in the NLL that began on December 27, 2002, and concluded with the championship game on May 3, 2003.


2003 NLL season
In 2003, the NLL became the first major men's sports league in North America to feature a woman playing in a regular-season game. Ginny Capicchioni, a stand-out goaltender at Sacred Heart University, was signed by the New Jersey Storm as their third-string goaltender. She dressed for three games, though only played in one. Capicchioni collected one loose ball and made six saves while allowing 7 goals in 11 minutes of play.


2003 NLL season, Team movement
2003 saw the Montreal Express suspend operations, and also saw the Washington Power move to Colorado, where even they were unprepared for the warm welcome they received in Denver. The franchise had drawn small crowds in Washington as well as in Pittsburgh and Baltimore before that, but averaged more than 16,000 fans per game in 2003, second in the league only to Toronto.


2003 NLL season, Final standings, Regular season
x: Clinched playoff berth; c: Clinched playoff berth by crossing over to another division; y: Clinched division; z: Clinched best regular season record; GP: Games PlayedW: Wins; L: Losses; GB: Games back; PCT: Win percentage; Home: Record at Home; Road: Record on the Road; GF: Goals scored; GA: Goals allowedDifferential: Difference between goals scored and allowed; GF/GP: Average number of goals scored per game; GA/GP: Average number of goals allowed per game


2003 NLL season, Awards, Weekly awards
The NLL gives out awards weekly for the best overall player, best offensive player, best defensive player, and best rookie.


2003 NLL season, Awards, Monthly awards
Awards are also given out monthly for the best overall player and best rookie.


2003 NLL season, Statistics leaders
Bold numbers indicate new single-season records. Italics indicate tied single-season records.


2003 NRL Grand Final
The 2003 NRL Grand Final was the conclusive and premiership-deciding match of the 2003 NRL season. In what was a contest of Sydney's east versus west, defending premiers the Sydney Roosters played against minor premiers the Penrith Panthers. The first grand final since 1996 to feature two Sydney-based teams was played on the night of Sunday, 5 October at Stadium Australia in the inner western suburb of Sydney Olympic Park. Domestically, live free-to-air television coverage was provided by Nine's Wide World of Sports. The match was also broadcast live in the United States by Fox Soccer.


2003 NRL Grand Final, Background
The 2003 NRL season was the 96th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the sixth run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen teams (14 from Australia and 1 from New Zealand) competed for the Telstra Premiership, with the top eight teams entering a play-off finals series to determine the grand finalists.


2003 NRL Grand Final, Background, Penrith Panthers
The 2003 Penrith Panthers season was the 37th in the club's history. Coached by John Lang and captained by Craig Gower, they finished the regular season in 1st place.


2003 NRL Grand Final, Background, Sydney Roosters
The 2003 Sydney Roosters season was the 96th in the club's history. Coached by Ricky Stuart and captained by Brad Fittler, they finished the regular season in 2nd place.


2003 NRL Grand Final, Match details
The Roosters were seen as favourites. Of all the Panthers players, only Luke Priddis had grand final experience, having defeated the Roosters with the Broncos in the 2000 NRL season's decider. It was Scott Sattler's last game with Penrith, having signed with the Wests Tigers for the following season.


2003 NRL Grand Final, Match details
81,166 spectators turned out at Telstra Stadium for the game. Pre -match entertainment featured performances by Meat Loaf, the Hoodoo Gurus and American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson. Troy Cassar-Daley then sang the Australian national anthem just before Bill Harrigan, refereeing his 7th consecutive grand final and 10th overall, blew time-on and the Roosters kicked off.


2003 NRL Grand Final, Match details, First half
Rain started falling only a few minutes into the match and continued throughout. After thirty minutes of play, the Roosters' defence was the first to give when Penrith hooker Luke Priddis, still within his team's side of the field, ran from dummy half and into open space, finally passing to winger Luke Rooney coming through in support to cross untouched on the left for the opening try. Ryan Girdler kicked the conversion so the Panthers were leading 6–0. No more points were scored for the rest of the half so this remained the score at the break.


2003 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
In the eighth minute, and after repeat sets of six had brought the Roosters close to Penrith's try-line, forward Jason Cayless crossed it beneath the uprights, but the ball was held up by the defence. On the very next play, the ball went through the hands out to Shannon Hegarty to score on the left hand side of the field. Craig Fitzgibbon's conversion, which bounced through off an upright, evened the scores at 6–6.


2003 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
Eight minutes later Sydney winger Todd Byrne received the ball on his own forty-metre line and ran into open space along the left edge of the field. Panthers lock forward Scott Sattler was chasing and twenty metres from the try-line tackled Byrne, pulling him out of the field in what would become one of the most famous plays in grand final history.


2003 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
In the sixty-sixth minute the Panthers had made their way up to within five metres of the Roosters' try line where Luke Priddis again ran from dummy half and scored, stretching out of the tackle to touch down beside the uprights. Preston Campbell kicked the extra two points so Penrith were now leading 12–6. In the seventy-third minute, Panthers halfback Craig Gower attempted a field goal but it was charged down. Penrith re-gathered the ball and continued towards the Roosters line and four tackles later had reached perfect field-goal kicking position.


2003 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
Priddis, at dummy half again, instead decided to dummy and run left, throwing a long cut-out pass to Rooney on the wing to score untouched in the corner. Campbell converted the try and the Panthers lead 18–6 with six minutes left to play, but no further points ensued so this remained the score at full-time.


2003 NRL Grand Final, Match details, Second half
Luke Priddis was awarded the Clive Churchill Medal as man-of-the-match before the Prime Minister of Australia John Howard presented Panthers captain Craig Gower with the premiership trophy. At the Penrith Leagues club approximately 10,000 people celebrated the victory with the Panthers. The grand final attracted a bigger audience in Melbourne than the AFL grand final did in Sydney the previous weekend.


2003 NRL Grand Final, Aftermath
Four members of Penrith's premiership winning team subsequently went on to play in other premiership teams – Paul Whatuira was part of the Wests Tigers team that triumphed just two years later in 2005, Joe Galuvao and Shane Rodney won a second premiership together as part of the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles team that won in 2011, and Luke Lewis was part of the Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks team that won their first premiership in 2016, winning the Clive Churchill Medal as the best-on-ground.


2003 NRL Grand Final, World Club Challenge
Having won the premiership, the Penrith Panthers were to travel to England the following February to play the winners of the upcoming 2003 Super League Grand Final in the World Club Challenge.


2003 NRL season
The 2003 NRL premiership was the 96th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and the sixth run by the National Rugby League. Fifteen teams competed, with the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles returning in place of their failed joint-venture club, the Northern Eagles. Ultimately, the Penrith Panthers defeated reigning champions, the Sydney Roosters in the 2003 NRL grand final, claiming their first premiership since 1991.


2003 NRL season, Season summary
Season 2003 brought in the new "golden point" extra time rule, where after 80 minutes, if the game was drawn, then 10 minutes of extra time was played until one team scored the winning point(s). The salary cap for the 2003 season was A$3.25 million per club for their 25 highest-paid players.


2003 NRL season, Season summary
The first round of the Premiership improved on the previous year's in terms of attendance and television ratings. The major story this season was the resurgence of the Penrith Panthers, who defied the critics and naysayers to win their second premiership in their illustrious history since joining the competition in 1967. Coached by John Lang and captained by Craig Gower, the Panthers were the surprise minor premiers, dominating the competition despite consistent disparagement from many sources, and would continue their outstanding form in the finals, beating the Broncos, Warriors and finally the Roosters in the grand final.


2003 NRL season, Season summary
The Dally M Medal ceremony was cancelled by the NRL after negotiations with the players' union, the Rugby League Professionals Association, stalled. All votes for the award were destroyed. It was later revealed that with one round of the regular season to play, Craig Gower was leading both Brad Fittler and Clinton Schifcofske by one point in the overall points tally. However, with the ceremony officially cancelled more than a week out from the awards, no points were allocated in the final round of the season.


2003 NRL season, Season summary
At the end of the season, Chris Anderson would lose his job at Cronulla-Sutherland, while Peter Sharp was dismissed as the Sea Eagles coach. Trainer and former Manly star, Des Hasler would replace Sharp as head coach in 2004.


2003 NRL season, Season summary
Also at the end of the season, a squad of players from the NRL premiership went on the 2003 Kangaroo tour.


2003 NRL season, Season summary
A major flaw of the fixture was that the previous season's Grand Finalists, the New Zealand Warriors and Sydney Roosters, did not meet until the penultimate round of the regular season.


2003 NRL season, Season summary, Teams
The lineup of fifteen teams for the 2003 premiership remained unchanged from the previous season, except that the Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles rejoined the competition since their merger with North Sydney Bears in 1999, taking the place of the failed Northern Eagles. This ended North Sydney's representation in the League.


2003 NRL season, Season summary, Advertising
In 2003 the NRL sacked their advertising agency of the previous two years, Saatchi & Saatchi Sydney, and took the unusual step of coming up with their own in-house creative concept. Former Cronulla-Sutherland Sharks player and then current Parramatta Eels assistant coach Alan Wilson hit upon the idea of using the Hoodoo Gurus' 1987 hit "What's My Scene?" with reworked lyrics as "That's My Team".


2003 NRL season, Season summary, Advertising
"and another thing, I'm discovering lately, I'm a bit crazy, for my rugby league team "


2003 NRL season, Season summary, Advertising
Wilson is a friend of Hoodoo Gurus singer Dave Faulkner and made the necessary arrangements which included re-uniting the band to re-record the track. Faulkner is a long-time supporter of the Sharks and the original film clip of "What's My Scene?" had included shots of band members in Wests and Cronulla-Sutherland jumpers.


2003 NRL season, Season summary, Advertising
The ad focuses on the grass roots supporters at all levels of the game and in its finished version includes shots of fans from the Cessnock Goannas, a proud Bulldogs supporter and a Penrith teenager with a broken leg signed by her heroes. These images are included with the usual fare of pre-season team training images, big-hits, clever passes and post-try celebrations.


2003 NRL season, Season summary, Advertising
To produce the ad the League returned to the agency who created and produced the Tina Turner campaigns from 1989 to 1995 - Hertz Walpole Advertising by now renamed MJW Hakuhodo.


2003 Nadimarg massacre
2003 Nadimarg massacre was killing of 24 Hindu Kashmiri Pandits in the village of Nadimarg in Pulwama District of Jammu and Kashmir by Lashkar-e-Taiba militants on 23 March 2003.


2003 Nadimarg massacre, Background
In 1990, 300,000 to 600,000 Kashmiri Hindus left Kashmir after being selectively targeted by the Islamic militants.


2003 Nadimarg massacre, The attack
The armed militants came dressed in counterfeit military uniforms. The attack took place between 11 pm and midnight. Victims included 11 men, 11 women, and two small boys who were lined up and shot and killed by the gunmen. The victims ranged from a 65-year-old man to a 2-year-old boy. On night of 23 March 2003 the terrorists entered at Nadimarg village near Shopian in Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir and dragged the Hindus out from their homes, lined them and shot them from automatic weapons. At least 24 Hindus including 11 women and 2 children were killed. The policemen posted there fled the scene. The killers allegedly disfigured the bodies of the victims, looted their houses and took away the ornaments from bodies of the dead women.


2003 Nadimarg massacre, The aftermath
Three Lashkar-e-Taiba militants suspected to be responsible for this massacre were gunned down by Mumbai police on 29 March. Another Lashkar-e-Taiba Militant suspected of participating in the massacre was arrested in April 2003. Christina Rocca then US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia argued for the need for US to remain "actively and effectively engaged", pointing out to this massacre.


2003 Nadimarg massacre, The aftermath
In an editorial in Pakistan's Dawn, Kunwar Idris criticised the massacre and said "Pundits are children of no lesser god that two hundred thousand of them should be driven out of their homes and the remaining few should be left to die a gruesome death." Chris Patten European Commissioner for External Relations and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan also condemned the massacre. India accused Pakistan of being involved in this massacre and said that it would deal with Pakistan with strength and resolve. The police issued an arrest warrant in the Nadimarg massacre case, naming Zai Mustafa, alias Abdullah of Rawalkote, Pakistan. Intercepts by the intelligence agencies point out that there was a possible involvement of the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Jaish-e-Mohammed groups which have been operating the Shupian area.


2003 Nadimarg massacre, The aftermath
Then chief minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed promised increased police protection however terror stricken few remaining Hindus decided to leave the area.


2003 Nadimarg massacre, The aftermath
The US Ambassador to India Robert D. Blackwill condemned the massacre of 24 Kashmiri Pandits in Jammu and Kashmir and said Washington "look forward to the terrorists being brought to justice swiftly".


2003 Nadimarg massacre, The aftermath
The US Secretary of State Powell and British foreign minister Straw issued a joint statement of 27 March 2003 and condemned the Nadimarg massacre, urged respect for the Line of Control, called on Pakistan to end infiltration across it and urged Pakistan to do its utmost to discourage acts of violence by militants in J&K.


2003 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election
Elections to the Nagaland Legislative Assembly were held in February 2003 to elect members of the 60 constituencies in Nagaland, India. The Democratic Alliance of Nagaland, which was formed of the Naga People's Front, the Bharatiya Janata Party, Janata Dal (United) and the Samata Party, won a majority of seats and Neiphiu Rio was appointed as the Chief Minister of Nagaland. The number of constituencies was set as 60 by the recommendation of the Delimitation Commission of India.


2003 Nagaland Legislative Assembly election, Background
After the previous elections in 1998, Neiphiu Rio, was made the Home minister in S C Jamir's cabinet, but he resigned from the Congress in September 2002, accusing the chief minister of blocking a negotiated settlement on the Naga issue. After his resignation, Rio joined the Naga People's Front which partnered with other Naga regionalist parties and the state branch of the Bharatiya Janata Party under his leadership, to form the Democratic Alliance of Nagaland.


2003 Nanumea by-election
A by-election was held in the Nanumea constituency in Tuvalu on 5 May 2003. It was triggered by the annulment in February of incumbent MP Sio Patiale's election in the July 2002 general election. Patiale was found by the country's High Court of Tuvalu to have "lodged his nomination papers after the legal deadline", and thus not to have stood lawfully as a candidate in the general election.


2003 Nanumea by-election
On the same day the 2003 Niutao by-election  was also held, following the death of the Speaker of Parliament, Saloa Tauia in February. There are no political parties in Tuvalu, but Patiale and Tauia were both members of prime minister Saufatu Sopoanga's extremely narrow parliamentary majority. In the 2002 general election, Sopoanga had obtained the support of just 8 MPs (himself included) out of 15. His government thus needed to win both by-elections in order to retain its majority.


2003 Nanumea by-election
Nanumea is a two-seat constituency, and in the 2002 general election it had returned Sio Patiale and Maatia Toafa with 24.8% and 23% of the vote respectively, ahead of five other candidates. For the by-election, of course, only one seat would be provided for, Toafa retaining the other. There were three candidates: Patale, Lagitupu Tuilimu who had held the seat from 1998 2002, and newcomer Lopati Tefoa.


2003 Nanumea by-election
Patiale won comprehensively, obtaining an absolute majority of the vote. This was not immediately enough to save the Sopoanga government, however: Taavau Teii, the winner of the Niutao by-election, was initially uncommitted, then sided with the opposition, providing it with a parliamentary majority. The opposition asked that parliament be recalled, so that a motion of no confidence in the government could be tabled. Sopoanga delayed recalling parliament until September, then appointed opposition MP Faimalaga Luka as governor-general, depriving the opposition of its crucial one-seat majority and triggering the 2003 Nukufetau by-election.


2003 Nanumea by-election
The winner of the October by-election, Elisala Pita, joined the government's benches, enabling it to survive a while longer. The Sopoanga government was eventually brought down by an eight-to-six motion of no confidence in August 2004, and Patiale announced his own resignation due to ill-health in April 2005, precipitating yet another by-election in his constituency.


2003 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election
The 2003 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election occurred in Nigeria on April 19, 2003. The PDP nominee Abdullahi Adamu won the election, defeating Aliyu Doma of the All Nigeria Peoples Party.


2003 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election
Abdullahi Adamu emerged PDP candidate. He picked Labaran Maku as his running mate. Aliyu Doma was the ANPP candidate with Chris Abashi as his running mate.


2003 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election, Electoral system
The Governor of Nasarawa State is elected using the plurality voting system.


2003 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election, Primary election, PDP primary
The PDP primary election was won by Abdullahi Adamu. He picked Labaran Maku as his running mate.


2003 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election, Primary election, ANPP primary
The ANPP primary election was won by Aliyu Doma. He picked Chris Abashi as his running mate.


2003 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election, Results
A total number of 8 candidates registered with the Independent National Electoral Commission to contest in the election.


2003 Nasarawa State gubernatorial election, Results
The total number of registered voters in the state was 852,626. Total number of votes cast was 741,590, while number of valid votes was 726,127. Rejected votes were 15,463.


2003 Nasiriyah bombing
The 2003 Nasiriyah bombing was a suicide attack on the Italian Carabinieri MSU headquarters in Nasiriyah, Iraq, south of Baghdad on 12 November 2003. The attack resulted in the deaths of 18 Italian servicemembers, mostly members of the MSU Carabinieri, an Italian civilian, and 9 Iraqi civilians and was the worst Italian military disaster since the Second World War. The attack, labeled a "terrorist act" by Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, was among a string of many  attacks on non-American military international targets in Iraq that occurred shortly after the end of major combat operations, including the Jordanian and Turkish embassies, International Red Cross, and UN facilities.


2003 Nasiriyah bombing, Prelude
Before the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, the future Carabinieri and Portuguese Guarda Nacional Republicana headquarters was the Nasiriyah Chamber of Commerce, a three-story structure near the Euphrates River. The first U.S. forces to occupy the building were Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, who were later relieved by reservists from the 2nd Battalion 25th Marines.


2003 Nasiriyah bombing, Prelude
Italy took part in the Iraq War, as part of the Multi-National Force – Iraq, from 15 July 2003 until 1 December 2006, in and around Nasiriyah (see Operation Ancient Babylon). On July 19, 2003 the Marines in Nasiriyah were replaced by members of the Carabinieri and Italian army. Italian forces in Iraq were under British command and those in Nasiriyah were some of about 3,000 total Italian servicemembers in the country, including 400 Carabinieri forces of the Multinational Specialized Unit.


2003 Nasiriyah bombing, Attack
The attack began shortly before 11:00 a.m. when a large tanker truck sped towards the entrance of the base. Iraqi troops fired at the truck in a futile attempt to stop the vehicle and at least one of the attackers fired a rifle back. Witnesses said a decoy car had preceded the truck. The tanker slammed into the gate of the building and exploded in a massive fireball. Nearby houses sustained structural damage and a car carrying five Iraqi women was incinerated, killing those inside. The blast was so powerful that buildings across the Euphrates river suffered shattered windows. The three-story building serving as an Italian headquarters was destroyed with the front of the building collapsing. 18 Italian troops, including 12 Carabinieri policemen were killed in the blast along with an Italian civilian. A further 20 Italians and 80 Iraqis were wounded.


2003 Nasiriyah bombing, Aftermath
The attack was the worst incident involving Italian soldiers since Operation Restore Hope in Somalia and the highest loss of Italian soldiers since World War II. The attack thus shocked Italy and plunged it into a three-day mourning period. The soldiers were given a state funeral. Despite the large loss, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi reaffirmed his commitment to the mission in Iraq and President George W. Bush said in a statement at the White House, "Today in Iraq, a member of NATO, Italy, lost some proud sons in the service of freedom and peace."


2003 Nasiriyah bombing, Aftermath
Italian Defence Minister Antonio Martino pinned blame on Saddam Hussein loyalists saying, "evidence on the ground and intelligence reports lead us to believe that today's attack was planned and carried out by remnants loyal to Saddam... united with Arab extremists."


2003 NatWest Series
The 2003 NatWest Series was a One Day International cricket tri-series sponsored by the National Westminster Bank that took place in England between 26 June and 12 July 2003. The series involved the national teams of England, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Ten matches were played in total, with each team playing one another thrice during the group stage. The teams which finished in the top two positions following the group stages qualified for the final, which England won by defeating South Africa at Lord's on 12 July by 7 wickets. Preceding the series, England played Zimbabwe in a two Test series, while following the series, South Africa played England in a Test and One Day International series.


2003 NatWest Series, Fixtures, Final
In what was South Africa's first One Day International appearance at Lord's, England won the toss and elected to field. For many of the South African batsman this was their first time playing on the sloping Lord's pitch, which at the start of their innings had a little moisture in and displayed even bounce. South Africa lost their captain Graeme Smith with the score on 10, dismissed by James Anderson, and soon lost Herschelle Gibbs for 9 with the score on 30.


2003 NatWest Series, Fixtures, Final
Debutant Morné van Wyk made a quickfire 17 before he was bowled by James Anderson, in what was described as the "ball of the match". Jacques Kallis came into the match with a series average of 164.50, but was dismissed for a 12 ball duck by Darren Gough, who was England's most economical bowler, with his opening spell of 7 overs conceding just 9 runs. Wickets continued to fall at regular intervals during the South African innings, with Andrew Flintoff, Ashley Giles and Gough each chipping in with two wickets, while Richard Johnson took one.


2003 NatWest Series, Fixtures, Final
James Anderson was the only England bowler to bowl his full complement of 10 overs, finishing with figures of 3/50. Jacques Rudolph top-scored in South Africa's innings with 19. South Africa were eventually dismissed for 107, with their innings lasting just 32.1 overs. This score was at the time the lowest One Day International in the 34 matches played there and remains so to this day. England's response started poorly, with Makhaya Ntini dismissing Marcus Trescothick for a nine ball duck with the score on 1.


2003 NatWest Series, Fixtures, Final
However, South Africa could not capitalise on this, with Michael Vaughan and Vikram Solanki adding 87 for the second wicket, before Vaughan was dismissed for 30 by André Nel and Solanki was dismissed by Andrew Hall one run later for 50, however by then the damage had been done. Anthony McGrath and Flintoff proceeded to lead England home to a 7 wicket victory. Following the match Flintoff was declared Man of the Series.


2003 National Assembly for Wales election
Secretary of State for WalesRt Hon Simon Hart MP (C)


2003 National Assembly for Wales election
The 2003 National Assembly for Wales election was the second general election to the National Assembly for Wales. It was held on 1 May 2003. The election was characterised by a resurgence for the Labour Party, whilst Plaid Cymru saw a reduction in support and the number of Assembly Members they returned. Having won thirty seats, one short of a majority, Labour chose to govern in minority without a coalition partner.


2003 National Assembly for Wales election
This election also saw the returning of John Marek as an independent member of the Assembly. Of the 60 members elected, 30 were male and 30 were female.


2003 National Assembly for Wales election
It was held on the same day as the 2003 Scottish Parliament election and 2003 United Kingdom local elections.


2003 National Basketball Development League draft
The 2003 NBDL Draft was the third annual draft by the National Basketball Development League. It was held on November 6, 2003.


2003 National Camogie League
The 2003 National Camogie League, the second most important elite level inter-county competition in the women's team field sport of camogie was won by Cork, who defeated Tipperary in the final, played at Páirc Uí Rinn.


2003 National Camogie League, Arrangements
Tipperary defeated Antrim and Dublin, and had a walkover from Derry and defeated Kilkenny to reach the final. Cork had a tougher draw, but defeated Galway, Wexford, Limerick and Kilkenny.


2003 National Camogie League, The Final
The teams were level on six occasions during the final. Cork’s superior fitness won the final with a late quartet of points. Fiona O'Driscoll contributed a personal total of 2-5. Tipperary did not have a single wide during the hour. Cork had five, four of them in the first half. Tipperary reversed the result in the All-Ireland final, the third time they had done so in a four-year period.


2003 National Camogie League, Division 2
The Junior National League, known since 2006 as Division Two, was won by Galway who defeated Armagh in the final.


2003 National Football League (Ireland)
The 2003 National Football League, known for sponsorship reasons as the Allianz National Football League, was the 72nd staging of the National Football League (NFL), an annual Gaelic football tournament for the Gaelic Athletic Association county teams of Ireland. Tyrone beat Laois in the final.


2003 National Football League (Ireland), Format, League structure
The top 16 teams were drawn into Divisions 1A and 1B. The other 16 teams were drawn into Divisions 2A and 2B. Each team played all the other teams in its section once: either home or away. Teams earned 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw.


2003 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Finals, promotions and relegations
The top two teams in Divisions 1A and 1B progressed to the Division 1 semi-finals while the bottom two teams in Divisions 1A and 1B were relegated. The top two teams in Divisions 2A and 2B progressed to the Division 2 semi-finals and were promoted to Division 1A and 1B, respectively.


2003 National Football League (Ireland), Format, Tie-breaker
If two or more teams are level on points, points difference was used to rank the teams.


2003 National Football League (Ireland), Division 1, Division 1A Table
Compete in Division 1 semi-finals  Automatic relegation to Division 2A


2003 National Football League (Ireland), Division 1, Division 1B Table
Compete in Division 1 semi-finals  Automatic relegation to Division 2B


2003 National Football League (Ireland), Division 2, Division 2A Table
Compete in Division 2 semi-finals and automatic promotion to Division 1A


2003 National Football League (Ireland), Division 2, Division 2B Table
Compete in Division 2 semi-finals and automatic promotion to Division 1B


2003 National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 2003 National Hockey League All-Star Game took place on February 2, 2003 at Office Depot Center in Sunrise, the home of the Florida Panthers. It was the first All-Star Game since the 1997 All-Star Game to use the Eastern Conference–Western Conference format.


2003 National Hockey League All-Star Game, All-Star weekend, NHL YoungStars Game
The All-Star festivities began on February 1 with the YoungStars Game, pitting the best rookies on League rosters against each other. Months ago, it was decided that the assistant coaches of the team with the best points percentages in their respective conferences through the games of Wednesday, January 8, were selected as coaches for the Eastern Conference and Western Conference YoungStars, respectively. The YoungStars players were selected by the NHL's Hockey Operations Department, in consultation with League general managers.


2003 National Hockey League All-Star Game, All-Star weekend, NHL YoungStars Game
The game's format changed from the previous season as it will be played using five skaters and one goaltender per team. The duration of the game will consist of three 20-minute periods, running time with three-minute stops after goals with a 20-minute break between periods. If the score is tied after three periods, a sudden-death shootout will determine the winner.


2003 National Hockey League All-Star Game, All-Star weekend, NHL YoungStars Game
The Washington Capitals' Brian Sutherby won the Most Valuable Player for the Eastern Conference YoungStars by scoring two goals and an assist as the East cruised to an easy 8–3 victory. Hometown favourite Stephen Weiss also scored a goal and an assist for the East to thrill the Panthers fans in attendance.


2003 National Hockey League All-Star Game, All-Star weekend, Super Skills Competition
A traditional event followed the YoungStars game, with the NHL Skills Competition. The Western Conference won the competition 15–9, made memorable by hard-shooting defenseman Al MacInnis of the St. Louis Blues winning his seventh Hardest Shot event, and Colorado Avalanche's Patrick Roy allowed only a single goal through both of the Goaltending Competitions.


2003 National Hockey League All-Star Game, The game
On Sunday, February 2, the actual All-Star Game began. The Eastern Conference was forced to name five injury replacements to their roster, as Ed Belfour, Brian Leetch, Mario Lemieux, Saku Koivu and Mats Sundin were all out with injury. The Atlanta Thrashers' Dany Heatley opened the scoring for the Eastern Conference by scoring past Colorado Avalanche's Patrick Roy just five and a half minutes into the first period.


2003 National Hockey League All-Star Game, The game
Colorado's Peter Forsberg and Dallas Stars' Mike Modano scored the next two goals to give the Western Conference a 2–1 lead. However, Heatley would score his second consecutive goal on Roy, tapping in a rebound of a shot by Washington Capitals' Jaromir Jagr to tie the score at 2, a bit more than halfway through the first period. Five minutes later, Minnesota Wild's Marian Gaborik scored by banging in Los Angeles Kings' Mathieu Schneider's rebound past Tampa Bay Lightning's Nikolai Khabibulin to restore the Western lead at 3–2, which remained at the end of the first period. Goaltenders Roy and Khabibulin would then be replaced by Chicago Blackhawks' Jocelyn Thibault and New Jersey Devils' Martin Brodeur for the West and the East, respectively.


2003 National Hockey League All-Star Game, The game
The change of goaltenders made little difference for Heatley, as he finished his hat trick with a wrist shot past Thibault to tie the game at 3. For the third consecutive time, the West replied when Vancouver Canucks' Ed Jovanovski caught a deflection off the skate of Washington Capitals' Sergei Gonchar. Heatley then scored his fourth goal of the game by converting a pass from hometown hero Florida Panthers' Olli Jokinen and shooting it over Thibault's glove. Heatley's four goals in an All-Star game tied the previous records of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Vincent Damphousse and Mike Gartner and became the first player in All-Star history to score four goals with no one else scoring in between them.


2003 National Hockey League All-Star Game, The game
No more goals were scored in the second period, and Ottawa Senators' Patrick Lalime came in to play goal for the Eastern Conference, while Dallas Stars' Marty Turco came in for the West. St. Louis Blues' Al MacInnis scored past Lalime's glove to give the West a 5–4 lead, a minute and a half into the third period.


2003 National Hockey League All-Star Game, The game
Jokinen tied the game by taking a pass from Jaromir Jagr and skating in on a partial breakaway and putting a hard wrist shot past Turco to tie the game at 5. With ten minutes left in regulation, neither team were able to score on the two goaltender. The third period ended in a 5–5 tie and the winner of the 53rd NHL All-Star Game would have to be decided in overtime for the first time since 1988.


2003 National Hockey League All-Star Game, The game
Patrick Lalime and Marty Turco remained in goal for the overtime, and preserved a scoreless extra period. For the first time in history, an NHL All-Star Game would be settled in a shootout. The Vancouver Canucks' Markus Naslund, Dallas Stars' Bill Guerin and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim's Paul Kariya would score against Lalime for the Western Conference. On the other side, Turco only let in one goal in the shootout, which was scored by Dany Heatley. (Heatley's shootout goal did not count towards his regulation total of four, leaving him tied for the record.) The Western Conference won the game with a 6–5 shootout victory. Heatley, with a total of five points, was named All-Star MVP.


2003 National Hockey League All-Star Game, The game, Uniforms
The NHL carried over the uniform design from the previous All-Star Game. Since the uniforms introduced the year before used the colors of the conference logos, the Western Conference used the same blue jersey worn by the 2002 North American team. However, due to the contrast issues from the 2002 game, the burgundy jersey worn by the World team was replaced with a white version worn by the Eastern Conference team. Both uniforms continued to feature black as the primary trim color, with silver and white accents.


2003 National Hockey League All-Star Game, The game, Uniforms
The player names and numbers on the back of the Western team's uniforms were rendered in black, however, leaving the uniforms completely devoid of the conference's burgundy color. Both teams continued to wear flag patches representing each player's homeland on the left shoulder. This would be the last use of national flags on the All-Star uniforms to date.


2003 National Hurling League
The 2003 National Hurling League was the 72nd seasons of the National Hurling League.


2003 National Hurling League, Division 1
Kilkenny came into the season as defending champions of the 2002 season. Laois entered Division 1 as the promoted team.


2003 National Hurling League, Division 1
On 5 May 2003, Kilkenny won the title following a 5–14 to 5–13 win over Tipperary in the final. It was their second league title in succession and their 11th National League title overall.


2003 National Hurling League, Division 1
Derry, who lost all of their group stage matches, were relegated from Division 1 after losing all of their matches in the relegation group. Antrim won Division 2 and secured promotion to the top tier.


2003 National Hurling League, Division 1
Tipperary's Eoin Kelly was the Division 1 top scorer with 6-56.


2003 National Indoor Football League season
The 2003 National Indoor Football League season was the third season of the National Indoor Football League (NIFL). The league champions were the Ohio Valley Greyhounds, who wrapped up a perfect season by defeating the Utah Warriors in Indoor Bowl III and becoming the first team in league history to win back-to-back titles.


2003 National Invitation Tournament
The 2003 National Invitation Tournament was the 2003 edition of the annual NCAA college basketball competition. St. John's tournament victory was later vacated due to use of an ineligible player. Marcus Hatten's tournament Most Valuable Player award was also vacated. This would be the last NIT in which a third-place game would be played until 2021.


2003 National Invitation Tournament, Selected teams
Below is a list of the 40 teams selected for the tournament.


2003 National Invitation Tournament, Bracket
Below are the four first round brackets, along with the four-team championship bracket.


2003 National Invitation Tournament, Bracket, Semifinals & Finals
St. John's later vacated the title due to an ineligible player.


2003 National League Championship Series
The 2003 National League Championship Series (NLCS) was a Major League Baseball playoff series played from October 7 to 15 to determine the champion of the National League, between the Central Division champion Chicago Cubs and the wild-card qualifying Florida Marlins. The Cubs, by virtue of being a division winner, had the home field advantage. The Marlins came back from a three games to one deficit and won the series in seven games, advancing to the World Series against the New York Yankees, whom they defeated in six games.


2003 National League Championship Series, Background
The two teams were victorious in the NL Division Series (NLDS), with the Cubs defeating the East Division champion Atlanta Braves three games to two, and the Marlins defeating the West Division champion San Francisco Giants three games to one.


2003 National League Championship Series, Background
The series is most remembered for events that unfolded in the top of the eighth inning of Game 6. Not having won a championship since 1908, the Cubs had just taken two out of the three games in Miami, with the final two games at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The Cubs also had their best two pitchers, Mark Prior and Kerry Wood, slated to start the final two games.


2003 National League Championship Series, Background
With the Cubs leading 3–0 and just five outs away from their first World Series appearance since 1945, Steve Bartman, a fan, reached for the foul ball hit by Luis Castillo off Prior, preventing Cubs outfielder Moisés Alou from catching it. Castillo proceeded to walk and Prior and the Cubs never recovered from the incident. Aided by Castillo's walk and later an error by Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez on a potential double-play grounder, the Marlins went on to score eight runs in the inning and won the game 8–3.


2003 National League Championship Series, Background
There were some odd events leading up to the disastrous 8th inning that many Cubs fans call bad omens of The Curse of the Billy Goat, which most notably include Bernie Mac altering "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" from "root for the Cubbies" to "root for the champs." The Marlins went on to win Game 7 and then to defeat the New York Yankees in the World Series.


2003 National League Championship Series, Background
Chicago manager Dusty Baker, who won the NL pennant in 2002 with the San Francisco Giants, fell short in his bid to become the first manager ever to take two different teams to the World Series in consecutive years.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
The Cubs struck first in Game 1 with a four-run first inning off of Josh Beckett. Kenny Lofton drew a leadoff walk before scoring on Mark Grudzielanek's triple. One out later, Moisés Alou's home run made it 3−0. Aramis Ramírez then tripled before scoring on Alex Gonzalez's two-out double. The Marlins battered starter Carlos Zambrano with five runs in the third. Juan Pierre tripled with one out, then Luis Castillo walked before Iván Rodríguez's home run made it 4−3 Cubs. After Derrek Lee struck out, home runs by Miguel Cabrera and Juan Encarnación put the Marlins up 5−4.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 1
They made it 6−4 in the sixth on Jeff Conine's sacrifice fly with runners on second and third, but the Cubs tied it in the bottom of the inning on Gonzalez's home run after Randall Simon doubled with two outs. The Marlins loaded the bases in the ninth off of Joe Borowski on a double, walk and Grudzielanek's error before Rodriguez's single scored two, but the Cubs tied it in the bottom of the inning on Sammy Sosa's two-run home run off of Ugueth Urbina, forcing extra innings. Mike Lowell's leadoff home run in the 11th put the Marlins up 9−8 and Braden Looper retired the Cubs in order in the bottom half to give Florida a 1−0 series lead.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
In Game 2, the Cubs loaded the bases in the first on a hit and two walks off of Brad Penny when Randall Simon brought home two with a single to left. Next inning, Paul Bako hit a leadoff single, moved to score on a groundout, and scored on Kenny Lofton's single. One out later, Sammy Sosa homered to make it 5−0; his home run ball landed on top of a camera house in center field, some 495 feet (151 m) from home plate.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Next inning, Aramis Ramírez hit a leadoff home run and after Simon doubled, Penny was relieved by Nate Bump, who got Alex Gonzalez to hit into a force out, but then allowed an RBI double to Bako. One out later, Lofton's RBI single made it 8−0 Cubs. In the fifth, Rick Helling allowed a leadoff double to Simon, then Gonzalez homered an out later to make it 10−0. Bako then walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, then to third on Lofton's single before scoring on Mark Grudzielanek's double.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 2
Mark Prior pitched five shutout innings before allowing lead off home runs to Derrek Lee and Miguel Cabrera in the sixth. Gonzalez hit his second home run of the game in the bottom of the inning. The Marlins scored one run in the eighth on a bases-loaded double play from Juan Encarnación off of Dave Veres as the Cubs' 12−3 blowout win tied the series heading to Florida.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Friday, October 10, 2003 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Another back-and-forth affair, similar to Game 1, pitted Florida's Mark Redman against Chicago's ace Kerry Wood at Pro Player Stadium.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
The Cubs jumped on top in the first inning, as they had done in the previous two games. Sammy Sosa drove in Kenny Lofton with a single. The Cubs plated another run in the second, when a single and a pair of walks were followed by a sacrifice fly by Wood. The Marlins got a run back in their half of the second when Alex Gonzalez doubled in Miguel Cabrera with two outs.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Other than the Marlins leaving the bases loaded in the fifth, Wood rolled through the middle innings. Redman, too, held strong until he was pinch-hit for in the seventh.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
In the bottom of the 7th, the Marlins finally broke through. Gonzalez led off with a single, followed by a Mike Lowell walk. They were both sacrificed to second and third, and then Gonzalez scored the tying run on an RBI groundout by Luis Castillo. With two outs and Lowell at third, Iván Rodríguez singled through the right side to give Florida the lead and knocked Wood from the game, but the next inning, Randall Simon followed up a Tom Goodwin triple with a home run into the right-field stands off reliever Chad Fox. The Cubs had retaken the lead 4–3.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
The Marlins tied the game at 4–4 in the bottom of the eighth against Kyle Farnsworth when Todd Hollandsworth grounded a hit through the left side of the infield to score Cabrera. Florida, however, stranded the bases loaded in the ninth and the game went into extra innings.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
In the top of the 11th, Lofton singled with one out. Then the sparingly used Doug Glanville turned out to be the hero when he smoked a triple into the left-center field gap to drive in Lofton with the go-ahead run. Mike Remlinger retired the Marlins in the bottom half of the 11th to secure the 5–4 victory.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 3
Down 2 games to 1, the defeat was a blow to the Marlins, who squandered several chances with runners in scoring position.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Saturday, October 11, 2003 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Aramis Ramírez hit a first inning grand-slam, the first in Cubs postseason history, after Dontrelle Willis allowed three walks. They added to their lead in the third when Ramírez hit a single to right with two on. After a walk loaded the bases, Willis was relieved by Rick Helling, who allowed an RBI single to Alex Gonzalez. Next inning, Kenny Lofton drew a leadoff walk, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on Moisés Alou's two-out single. Matt Clement pitched four shutout innings before allowing singles to Miguel Cabrera and Jeff Conine in the fifth.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 4
Alex Gonzalez's ground out and Todd Hollandsworth's single scored a run each. Ramírez hit his second home run of the game off of Nate Bump in the seventh. The Marlins scored their last run in the eighth when Lenny Harris drew a leadoff walk and scored on Iván Rodríguez's double off of Kyle Farnsworth. The Cubs cruised to an 8–3 victory, putting them just one victory away from their first World Series in nearly 60 years. This 2003 victory turned out to be the last playoff game won by the Cubs for 12 years, a span of 9 consecutive losses until finally winning the National League Wild Card Game in 2015, as well as their last win in the NLCS until 2016.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
Sunday, October 12, 2003 at Pro Player Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 5
With the Marlins facing elimination, Josh Beckett kept them alive by dominating the Cubs, holding them to just two hits and one walk as part of his standout 2003 postseason. The game was scoreless until the fifth inning when Mike Lowell hit a two-run homer off of Carlos Zambrano. Iván Rodríguez and Jeff Conine homered in the seventh and eighth innings off of Dave Veres and Mike Remlinger, respectively. Even with the loss, the Cubs looked strong going back home with their two aces, Mark Prior for Game 6 and Kerry Wood, if necessary, to start Game 7.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
In Game 6, the Cubs struck first when Kenny Lofton singled to lead off the first off of Carl Pavano and scored on Sammy Sosa's one-out double. In the sixth, after two leadoff single and a double play put Sosa at third off of Pavano, reliever Dontrelle Willis's ball four wild pitch to Eric Karros allowed Sosa to score. Next inning, Paul Bako hit a leadoff single and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. After a strikeout, Willis was relieved by Chad Fox, who allowed an RBI single to Mark Grudzielanek.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
With thousands of fans on the street outside sold-out Wrigley Field, poised to celebrate, the Cubs held a 3–0 lead going into the top of the eighth inning of Game 6. After Mike Mordecai hit a high pop fly to left field, the team was a mere five outs away from their first World Series since 1945.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Mark Prior had retired the last eight hitters and had allowed only three hits up to that point. Center fielder Juan Pierre then hit a double off Prior.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
On the eighth pitch of his at bat, Luis Castillo hit a high foul ball toward the left field wall. Cubs left fielder Moisés Alou (a former Marlin) headed toward the stands to catch the ball for the potential second out. As Alou reached for the ball, Cubs fan Steve Bartman, along with others near the area, did the same. The ball bounced off Bartman's hands and into the stands.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Though the Cubs pleaded for a call of fan interference, left field umpire Mike Everitt ruled that the ball had left the field of play and was therefore up for grabs. Alou, who was visibly angry at Bartman's catch, initially acknowledged that he would not have made the catch, but he later denied making such a statement and said if he had, it was only to make Bartman feel better.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
As a result, Castillo remained an active batter at home plate. On the next pitch, Prior walked Castillo with a wild pitch that got away from catcher Paul Bako, also allowing Pierre to advance to third base.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Next, Iván Rodríguez hit an 0–2 pitch hard into left field, singling and scoring Pierre. Miguel Cabrera then hit a ground ball toward Cubs shortstop Alex Gonzalez that could have ended the inning on a double play. Gonzalez, who led all NL shortstops in fielding percentage, closed his glove too early and the ball landed in the dirt, allowing Cabrera to reach safely, loading the bases. On the next pitch, Derrek Lee (a future Cubs All-Star) drilled a double into left field, scoring Castillo and Rodríguez to tie the score at 3–3.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Prior was taken out of the game and replaced by Kyle Farnsworth, who intentionally walked Mike Lowell to load the bases. Jeff Conine then hit a sacrifice fly to right field for the second out of the inning, allowing Cabrera to score from third and the other runners to each advance one base. This gave the Marlins their first lead of the night. Farnsworth intentionally walked Todd Hollandsworth (another future Cub) to once again load the bases.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
The Marlins now having batted around the order, Mordecai, making up for his earlier out, hit a base-clearing double to left-center field, scoring Lee, Lowell and Hollandsworth and making it a 7–3 Marlins lead.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 6
Farnsworth was taken out of the game and replaced by Mike Remlinger, who gave up a single to Pierre to score Mordecai from second base. Castillo popped to shallow right field for the final out of an 8-run inning. The comeback victory by the Marlins forced a Game 7.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 7
In Game 7, Juan Pierre tripled to lead off the first, then Iván Rodríguez walked with one out before Miguel Cabrera's home run made it 3–0 Marlins against Cubs ace Kerry Wood, who had not lost at Wrigley Field in nearly six weeks. The Cubs responded by tying the score 3–3 in the second inning off of Mark Redman, which featured a two-run home run by Wood after Damian Miller hit into an RBI groundout with runners on second and third.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 7
Moisés Alou's two-run homer after a hit-by-pitch the following inning put Chicago up 5–3, but the lead would not last. In the fifth, Florida capitalized on a pair of walks and scored three runs on Rodriguez's double, Cabrera's groundout and Derrek Lee's single to go on top 6–5, a lead they would not relinquish. They added a run in the sixth on Luis Castillo's single with two on off of Kyle Farnsworth and two more in the seventh on Alex Gonzalez's double with two on off of Dave Veres to expand their lead to 9–5.


2003 National League Championship Series, Game summaries, Game 7
Cubs pinch-hitter Troy O'Leary hit a home run in the seventh off of Josh Beckett, making the score 9–6. After the Cubs were retired in order in the eighth, Florida closer Ugueth Urbina hit Aramis Ramírez with a pitch to lead off the ninth inning, but proceeded to retire the following three batters, giving the Marlins their second National League pennant in their 11-year existence, while leaving the Cubs once again empty-handed.


2003 National League Championship Series, Aftermath
At one point, it seemed likely that there could be a Curse of the Bambino vs. Curse of the Billy Goat World Series or a re-match of the 1932 World Series (most notably remembered for Babe Ruth calling his shot). Instead, the least likeliest and storied team of all the LCS teams wound up winning the World Series, as the Marlins would shock the world again (just as they did in 1997), defeating the heavily favored Yankees in six games.


2003 National League Championship Series, Aftermath, Steve Bartman & the 2004 Cubs
The Cubs implosion in Game 6 only added to the Curse of the Billy Goat lore. Steve Bartman was immediately labeled the reason for their implosion, as the team had a complete meltdown after Bartman reached out to catch a flyball in foul territory, disrupting Moises Alou's potential catch. In the moments following the play, Cubs' fans shouted insults and threw debris at Bartman. For his safety, security was forced to escort him from the ballpark.


2003 National League Championship Series, Aftermath, Steve Bartman & the 2004 Cubs
Bartman's name, as well as personal information about him, appeared on Major League Baseball's online message boards minutes after the game ended. As many as six police cars gathered outside his home to protect Bartman and his family following the incident. Afterwards, then-Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich suggested that Bartman join a witness protection program, while then-Florida Governor Jeb Bush offered Bartman asylum. In the years after the incident, Bartman would live in virtual anonymity. He declined interviews, sponsorships, and request for public appearances.


2003 National League Championship Series, Aftermath, Steve Bartman & the 2004 Cubs
After the Cubs ended their 108-year drought and won the World Series in 2016, Steve Bartman's name once again came into focus as he received a championship ring from Cubs owner Tom Ricketts and the Ricketts family as a special gift on July 31, 2017. In his statement to the press, Bartman was relieved and hopeful that the saga of the 2003 foul ball incident surrounding himself and his family would finally be over.


2003 National League Championship Series, Aftermath, Steve Bartman & the 2004 Cubs
Even in a competitive division such that of the National League Central, the Cubs figured to be back in the hunt for another shot at the pennant in 2004. In free agency, the Cubs hired experienced manager Dusty Baker, who was just fresh off a World Series appearance for the San Francisco Giants. The team also brought back future Hall of Fame pitcher Greg Maddux (he previously pitched for the team from 1986-1992). Many thought his addition, to go along with young starting pitchers Mark Prior, Kerry Wood, and Carlos Zambrano, would resemble the Maddux-led Braves' rotations in the 1990s.


2003 National League Championship Series, Aftermath, Steve Bartman & the 2004 Cubs
However, Prior and Wood both took steps backwards, as they would continue to be hampered by injury. In the division, the St. Louis Cardinals raced off to the division lead and eventual title, finishing with an MLB's best 105 wins. The Cubs faltered down the stretch and were eventually overtaken in the division and the wild card standings by a surging Houston Astros team in late September. Despite having a better record than the 2003 team, the 2004 Cubs were considered one of the most disappointing team’s in franchise history.


2003 National League Championship Series, Aftermath, Steve Bartman & the 2004 Cubs
Kerry Wood and Mark Prior never truly regained their form from 2003. Prior would pitch his last game in MLB in 2006, while Wood made the move to the bullpen in 2008, where he would become the Cubs closer. Wood retired in 2012 at the age of 35. Prior eventually found his calling as a pitching coach for the Dodgers since 2018, serving as a bullpen coach his first season and full staff pitching coach since 2019.


2003 National League Championship Series, Aftermath, Steve Bartman & the 2004 Cubs
The Cubs were upset again by the Marlins during the 2020 Wild Card Series, losing the series in a two game sweep.


2003 National League Division Series
The 2003 National League Division Series (NLDS), the first round of the 2003 National League playoffs, began on Tuesday, September 30, and ended on Sunday, October 5, with the champions of the three NL divisions—along with a "wild card" team—participating in two best-of-five series. The teams were:


2003 National League Division Series
The Cubs and Marlins met in the NL Championship Series, with the Marlins winning in seven games. They went on to win the 2003 World Series, defeating the American League champion New York Yankees in six games.


2003 National League Division Series, Atlanta vs. Chicago, Game 1
In Game 1, Kerry Wood of Chicago faced Russ Ortiz of Atlanta. Both pitchers were on their game and in the bottom of the third inning the Braves struck first when Marcus Giles's home run put them up 1–0. The score remained that way until the top of the sixth, when the Cubs loaded the bases with three consecutive leadoff singles. However, Ortiz got the next two outs, with the last being an RBI groundout by Paul Bako. Wood doubled in two runs, then scored on Kenny Lofton's single to make it 4–1 Cubs.


2003 National League Division Series, Atlanta vs. Chicago, Game 1
The Braves loaded the bases in the eighth off Wood on a strike-three wild pitch and two walks, but scored only one run on Chipper Jones's forceout off Mike Remlinger. Kyle Farnsworth stranded the bases loaded while Joe Borowski pitched a scoreless ninth to give the Cubs a series lead. Combined, the Cubs bullpen allowed only one hit, a ninth-inning single by Vinny Castilla. This was the Cubs' first road postseason victory since Game 3 of the 1945 World Series.


2003 National League Division Series, Atlanta vs. Chicago, Game 2
In Game 2, Carlos Zambrano of the Cubs faced Mike Hampton of the Braves. Hampton ran into trouble in the first when two leadoff walks put two men on for Sammy Sosa, who doubled in the first run of the game, then Moisés Alou brought in a run on a fielder's choice. After Aramis Ramírez singled to load the bases, Hampton recovered to strikeout six consecutive batters. Hampton struck out Eric Karros, Ramón Martínez and Damian Miller to end the first. He then struck out Carlos Zambrano, Kenny Lofton and Mark Grudzielanek in the second.


2003 National League Division Series, Atlanta vs. Chicago, Game 2
Sosa led off the third with a  single to end the streak. Hampton's six consecutive strikeouts set a Division Series record and tied an overall postseason record held by three other pitchers: Todd Worrell in 1985, Moe Drabowski in 1966 and Hod Eller in 1919. The Braves cut the lead in half when Chipper Jones forced Mark DeRosa out at second, allowing Rafael Furcal to score in the bottom half of the first. Then Andruw Jones's RBI single tied the game in the fourth.


2003 National League Division Series, Atlanta vs. Chicago, Game 2
In the bottom of the sixth, Marcus Giles would give the Braves the lead with an RBI single to left field. A sacrifice fly by Tom Goodwin off John Smoltz tied the game in the eighth. However, Mark DeRosa's clutch two-out, two-run double off Dave Veres in the bottom half put the Braves ahead 5–3 and Smoltz finished it with a perfect ninth.


2003 National League Division Series, Atlanta vs. Chicago, Game 3
In Game 3, Greg Maddux faced Mark Prior. In the bottom of the first, the Cubs put two runs on the board thanks to Randall Simon's two-run single, but neither team could score off Maddux or Prior again until the eighth inning. A sacrifice fly by Marcus Giles cut the lead in half after Mark DeRosa doubled and moved to third on a ground out, but Aramis Ramírez gave Prior insurance with an RBI double after a one-out single in the bottom of the eighth off Kevin Gryboski. Prior pitched a complete-game, two-hit masterpiece. Game 3 was Maddux's final game with the Braves after 11 seasons, as he returned to the Cubs as a free agent in 2004.


2003 National League Division Series, Atlanta vs. Chicago, Game 4
In Game 4, Russ Ortiz faced Matt Clement, hoping to end the series. Both pitchers held off the opposition until the Cubs broke through in the bottom of the third. Moisés Alou would double in Sammy Sosa, who walked with two outs, to give the Cubs a 1–0 lead. However, Darren Bragg's forceout allowed Julio Franco to score to tie the game in the top of the fourth. Then Chipper Jones's two-run home run gave the Braves a 3–1 lead in the fifth.


2003 National League Division Series, Atlanta vs. Chicago, Game 4
After a two-out walk and single, Vinny Castilla added another run with an RBI single to make it 4–1 Braves. Eric Karros's home run in the sixth cut their lead to 4–2, but Chipper Jones's second two-run home run off Mark Guthrie made it 6–2 Braves in the eighth.


2003 National League Division Series, Atlanta vs. Chicago, Game 4
Karros's second home run of the game in the bottom of the inning off Will Cunnane made it 6–3 Braves, then back-to-back leadoff doubles by Randall Simon and Damian Miller off John Smoltz in the ninth made it 6–4, but Smoltz retired the next three hitters with the final out being a long fly ball to center field off the bat of Sosa to end the game and send the series back to Atlanta.


2003 National League Division Series, Atlanta vs. Chicago, Game 5
In Game 5, Kerry Wood this time faced Mike Hampton. Hampton once again gave up early runs when the Cubs took a 1–0 lead in the first with a Moisés Alou RBI single. Then Alex S. Gonzalez's leadoff home run next inning gave the Cubs a 2–0 lead. Aramis Ramírez's two-run home run silenced the crowd in the sixth and made it 4–0 Chicago.


2003 National League Division Series, Atlanta vs. Chicago, Game 5
An RBI forceout by Gary Sheffield gave the Braves their only run of the night in the sixth, but the Cubs would add a run in the ninth off Will Cunnane thanks to an errant throw to first by Vinny Castilla on a ground ball by Eric Karros, who scored on Tom Goodwin's double, to take a commanding 5–1 lead. Joe Borowski sent down the Braves 1–2–3 in the ninth and the Cubs' win in Game 5 gave the Cubs their first postseason series win since the 1908 World Series.


2003 National League Division Series, San Francisco vs. Florida
The Florida Marlins completed their second winning season in franchise history. The San Francisco Giants were the defending NL Champions and making their second straight postseason appearance.


2003 National League Division Series, San Francisco vs. Florida, Game 1
In Game 1, Josh Beckett faced Jason Schmidt and a classic pitcher's duel began. The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the fourth. Two walks to lead off spelled doom for Beckett, as an error by Miguel Cabrera on Edgardo Alfonzo's single allowed a run to score to make it 1–0 Giants. Both pitchers kept the game close and Beckett allowed only two hits (a Ray Durham single to lead off the first). Schmidt allowed only three hits for a complete game win. Alfonzo brought in the game's other run on an RBI double in the eighth off Chad Fox after Barry Bonds was intentionally walked with two outs.


2003 National League Division Series, San Francisco vs. Florida, Game 2
In Game 2, Brad Penny faced Sidney Ponson. The game would feature six pitching changes for each team as both starters would last less than half the game. An RBI groundout in the top of the first by Derrek Lee after two leadoff singles and a wild pitch gave the Marlins their first lead in the series, but Barry Bonds tied the game with a two-out double after a leadoff single in the bottom half.


2003 National League Division Series, San Francisco vs. Florida, Game 2
The game then quieted until the bottom of the fourth when Edgardo Alfonzo doubled in two runs after a single and walk and then scored on Marquis Grissom's groundout. The Giants now had a 4–1 lead, but in the top of the fifth, after singles by Jeff Conine and Todd Hollandsworth, RBI singles by Iván Rodríguez and Juan Pierre as well as Luis Castillo's groundout tied the game. The Giants would recapture the lead with an RBI hit by J. T. Snow off Rick Helling in the bottom of the fifth.


2003 National League Division Series, San Francisco vs. Florida, Game 2
However, Juan Encarnación's home run with one out off Joe Nathan tied the game in the sixth. The Marlins then loaded the bases on three singles before Pierre's go-ahead two-run double off Jason Christiansen made it 7–5 Marlins. Next inning, the Marlins loaded the bases on a single, Snow's error, and walk before Jeff Conine's groundout made it 8–5 Marlins. In the ninth, center fielder Marquis Grissom's error on Lee's fly ball with two on allowed another run to score off Jim Brower. The Marlins' 9–5 tied the series heading to Florida.


2003 National League Division Series, San Francisco vs. Florida, Game 3
In Game 3, Kirk Rueter faced Mark Redman. Eventual NLCS MVP Iván Rodríguez got the scoring started with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first. The game quieted down with Redman and Rueter dueling until the sixth. The Giants tied the game on a bases-loaded forceout by José Cruz followed by a pinch-hit RBI single by Pedro Feliz. The game  moved to extra innings and the Giants took the lead in the eleventh thanks to an error by Álex González, allowing a run to score on Edgardo Alfonzo's single off Braden Looper.


2003 National League Division Series, San Francisco vs. Florida, Game 3
The Marlins would strike back in the bottom half off Tim Worrell: an error by Cruz, San Francisco's Gold Glove right fielder, and a walk put two men on with nobody out. A sacrifice bunt moved the runners over, and the Giants would counter by intentionally walking Juan Pierre to load the bases and set up a force out. It would work initially as Worrell was able to field Luis Castillo's grounder and get the out at the plate, but Rodríguez would hit a two-strike single to right field, scoring both González and Pierre to win the game.


2003 National League Division Series, San Francisco vs. Florida, Game 4
In Game 4, Jerome Williams faced Dontrelle Willis. In the top of the second, a sacrifice fly by Yorvit Torrealba put the Giants out in front 1–0. However, Rich Aurilia's error on Jeff Conine's ground ball allowed Miguel Cabrera, who doubled to lead off, to score to tie the game in the bottom half. After Luis Castillo walked, a double by Iván Rodríguez gave the Marlins the lead in the third. Then Derrek Lee singled home Rodriguez to make it 3–1. That marked the end of the day for Williams.


2003 National League Division Series, San Francisco vs. Florida, Game 4
In the fourth, the Marlins took a commanding 5–1 lead on Cabrera's bases-loaded two-run single, but Willis ran into trouble in the top of the sixth. After two leadoff singles, Rich Aurilia's RBI double made it 5–2 Marlins. Then Barry Bonds's sacrifice fly made it 5–3. Edgardo Alfonzo doubled in a run to make it a one-run game. Willis was finished as well and Brad Penny came on in relief. He got the second out, but relinquished the lead when J. T. Snow singled home Alfonzo to tie the game.


2003 National League Division Series, San Francisco vs. Florida, Game 4
Both bullpens would keep the game quiet until the bottom of the eighth. Félix Rodríguez came on in relief for the Giants and after two quick outs, allowed a base hit and hit a batter to put two men on for Cabrera, who singled in two runs aided an error by the Giants. They now had a 7–5 lead going into the ninth. With Ugueth Urbina coming on to close, the Giants put together a quick rally. A leadoff double and a base hit by Snow made it 7–6. Then Urbina got the next two outs.


2003 National League Division Series, San Francisco vs. Florida, Game 4
But Urbina hit a batter to put Snow in scoring position. Then, Snow tried to score on a single to left. Jeff Conine's throw was on target, and Rodriguez tagged Snow at the plate as Snow barreled into him. Rodriguez fell backwards and, as he rose, showed that he held on to the ball, preserving the Marlins win. The Marlins won the series three games to one. For the first time in postseason history, a series ended with the potential tying run thrown out at the plate, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.


2003 National People's Congress
The 1st Session of the 10th National People's Congress was held from March 5 to March 18 in Beijing, China, in conjunction with the 2003 session of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.


2003 National People's Congress
The 2953 delegates of the Congress elected the following state leaders:


2003 National People's Congress
The delegates also approved the following nominations by the new Premier:


2003 National Pro Fastpitch season
The 2003 National Pro Fastpitch season was the final year before the Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL) relaunched with league play in 2004. In November 2002, WPSL announced that it was taking a new name, National Pro Fastpitch, and that it would spend 2003 as a year of touring before resuming competitive play. From 1997 to 2002, the league operated under the names Women's Pro Fastpitch (WPF) and Women's Pro Softball League (WPSL).


2003 National Pro Fastpitch season
The All-Star tour lineup visited 17 cities and partnered with a dozen Major League Baseball Clubs (Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Chicago White Sox, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers, Florida Marlins, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, and San Francisco Giants) for exhibition fastpitch games against local fastpitch teams, clinics and promotions.


2003 National Pro Fastpitch season
After the tour, NPF held tryout camps, and their franchises conducted drafts to stock their rosters for the 2004 season.


2003 National Pro Fastpitch season, Roster
The roster of the 2003 NPF All-Star softball team is listed below:


2003 National Soccer League Grand Final
The 2003 National Soccer League Grand Final was held on 1 June 2003 between Perth Glory and Olympic Sharks at Subiaco Oval. Perth Glory had gained home-ground advantage as they topped the Championship Playoff, with Olympic Sharks finishing second. Perth won the match 2–0, with goals from Jamie Harnwell and Damian Mori sealing their first National Soccer League championship. Simon Colosimo won the Joe Marston Medal.


2003 National Society of Film Critics Awards
The 38th National Society of Film Critics Awards, given on 3 January 2004, honored the best in film for 2003.


2003 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Director
1. Clint Eastwood – Mystic River2. Peter Jackson – The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King3. Sofia Coppola – Lost in Translation


2003 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Actor
1. Bill Murray – Lost in Translation2. Sean Penn – Mystic River3. Paul Giamatti – American Splendor


2003 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Actress
1. Charlize Theron – Monster2. Hope Davis – American Splendor and The Secret Lives of Dentists3. Naomi Watts – 21 Grams


2003 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Supporting Actor
1. Peter Sarsgaard – Shattered Glass2. Tim Robbins – Mystic River3. Alec Baldwin – The Cooler


2003 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Supporting Actress
1. Patricia Clarkson – Pieces of April and The Station Agent2. Maria Bello – The Cooler3. Shohreh Aghdashloo – House of Sand and Fog


2003 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Screenplay
1. Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini – American Splendor2. Brian Helgeland – Mystic River3. Craig Lucas – The Secret Lives of Dentists


2003 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Cinematography
1. Russell Boyd – Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World2. Lance Acord – Lost in Translation3. Harris Savides – Elephant


2003 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Foreign Language Film
1. The Man Without a Past (Mies vailla menneisyyttä)2. The Triplets of Belleville (Les triplettes de Belleville)3. Unknown Pleasures (Rèn xiāo yáo)


2003 National Society of Film Critics Awards, Winners, Best Non-Fiction Film
1. To Be and to Have (Être et avoir)2. The Fog of War3. Spellbound


2003 Nationwide Tour
The 2003 Nationwide Tour season ran from February 27 to November 2. The season consisted of 30 official money golf tournaments, four of which were played outside the United States. The top 20 players on the year-end money list earned their PGA Tour card for 2004.


2003 Nationwide Tour, Schedule
The number in parentheses after winners' names show the player's total number of wins on the Nationwide Tour including that event. No one accumulates many wins on the Nationwide Tour because success at this level soon leads to promotion to the PGA Tour.


2003 Nationwide Tour graduates
This is a list of players who graduated from the Nationwide Tour in 2003. The top 20 players on the Nationwide Tour's money list in 2003 earned their PGA Tour card for 2004.


2003 Nationwide Tour graduates
*PGA Tour rookie for 2004. #Carter received a battlefield promotion to the PGA Tour in 2003 by winning three tournaments on the Nationwide Tour in 2003. On the PGA Tour in 2003 he played eight tournaments, making two cuts with a best finish of T12.


2003 Nationwide Tour graduates
T = TiedGreen background indicates the player retained his PGA Tour card for 2005 (won or finished inside the top 125). Yellow background indicates the player did not retain his PGA Tour card for 2005, but retained conditional status (finished between 126–150). Red background indicates the player did not retain his PGA Tour card for 2005 (finished outside the top 150).


2003 Nauruan parliamentary election
The 2003 Nauruan parliamentary election took place on 3 May 2003 in Nauru to elect members of the Parliament of Nauru. The election took place with Nauru having economic difficulties and a large budget deficit. This was the main issue in the election, which followed a period where a number of presidents had been elected for short periods of time. However the election resulted in deadlock for several weeks afterwards, with parliament divided between three candidates for president. It was only at the end of May that Ludwig Scotty was elected as the new president of Nauru and was able to form a new government.


2003 Nauruan parliamentary election, Background
Under the constitution of Nauru the 18 members of parliament are elected at least every 3 years from 8 constituencies. Voters rank the candidates with the top 2 candidates being elected from 7 constituencies and 4 being elected from the 8th constituency. The President of Nauru is elected by the members of parliament from among themselves and can be removed by a majority vote in parliament.


2003 Nauruan parliamentary election, Background
Following the last election in 2000 Bernard Dowiyogo was elected president after the then president René Harris resigned. However Dowiyogo was defeated in a motion of non-confidence in April 2001 and Harris became president again. Harris served until 2003, but with the budget deficit increasing to almost half of Nauru's gross domestic product by 2002 and many government workers having not been paid in months, he was ousted after an extended deadlock in parliament in January 2003. Dowiyogo became president once more and served until his death in the United States in March 2003. Derog Gioura then became acting president until elections could be held in May.


2003 Nauruan parliamentary election, Campaign
Major issues in the election included corruption and the mismanagement of the finances of Nauru, combined with declining incomes from the mining of phosphate. This had led the Asian Development Bank to state that Nauru's economy was in big trouble, with many public sector workers receiving their first pay in months on the day before the election. Another issue in the election was the detention centres set up in Nauru for people seeking asylum in Australia.


2003 Nauruan parliamentary election, Campaign
During the campaign for the election in which just under 4,500 people were eligible voters, the education minister Anthony Audoa called on Australia and New Zealand to run the election, as he claimed that his country would be unable to conduct a free and fair election. However President Gioura said Audoa had no authority to make that call and said that Nauru did not need any help in running the election. Audoa had had responsibility for the Nauru Phosphate Royalties Trust removed by President Gioura and the two men had fallen out as a result.


2003 Nauruan parliamentary election, Election results
The results saw 6 new members of parliament elected, with the remaining 12 retaining their seats. 15 of those elected were not members of any party, while the Nauru First party had the other 3 members. Among the new members were 2 of the Nauru First party and the Commonwealth Games gold medallist Marcus Stephen. While 5 sitting members lost seats including the education minister Anthony Audoa; the president Derog Gioura and the former presidents Kinza Clodumar and Rene Harris were re-elected.


2003 Nauruan parliamentary election, Presidential election
Following the election Parliament met to elect a new president but was unable to reach agreement. Godfrey Thoma was initially elected speaker but resigned the following day as the speaker initially did not get a vote in the presidential election. With parliament evenly split between supporters of former president Kinza Clodumar, Nauru First member David Adeang and Ludwig Scotty, nobody was then willing to be elected speaker. The deadlock continued for several weeks with calls for new elections to break the stalemate.


2003 Nauruan parliamentary election, Presidential election
However towards the end of May the impasse was broken when 2 of the 3 factions reached agreement. As a result, Nauru First member Fabian Ribauw was elected speaker and in return Ludwig Scotty was able to get enough support to become president. Scotty was elected president by 10 votes to 7 for Kinza Clodumar.


2003 Navarrese regional election
The 2003 Navarrese regional election was held on Sunday, 25 May 2003, to elect the 6th Parliament of the Chartered Community of Navarre. All 50 seats in the Parliament were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.


2003 Navarrese regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The Parliament of Navarre was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the Chartered Community of Navarre, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Reintegration and Enhancement of the Foral Regime of Navarre Law, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Foral Deputation. Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in Navarre and in full enjoyment of their political rights.


2003 Navarrese regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The 50 members of the Parliament of Navarre were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of 3 percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied regionally. Parties not reaching the threshold were not taken into consideration for seat distribution.


2003 Navarrese regional election, Overview, Electoral system
The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of at least 1 percent of the electors registered in Navarre. Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election being called.


2003 Navarrese regional election, Overview, Election date
The term of the Parliament of Navarre expired four years after the date of its previous election. Elections to the Parliament were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The previous election was held on 13 June 1999, setting the election date for the Parliament on Sunday, 25 May 2003.


2003 Navarrese regional election, Overview, Election date
After legal amendments in 2001, the President of the Foral Deputation was granted the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament of Navarre and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no nationwide election was due and some time requirements were met: namely, that dissolution did not occur either during the first legislative session or within the legislature's last year ahead of its scheduled expiry, nor before one year had elapsed since a previous dissolution under this procedure.


2003 Navarrese regional election, Overview, Election date
In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a thirty-day period from the first ballot, the Parliament was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called. Any snap election held as a result of these circumstances would not alter the period to the next ordinary election, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms.


2003 Navarrese regional election, Opinion polls
The table below lists voting intention estimates in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font. 26 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Navarre.


2003 Navarrese regional election, Aftermath
After legal amendments in 2001, investiture processes to elect the President of Navarre required for an absolute majority—more than half the votes cast—to be obtained in the first ballot. If unsuccessful, a new ballot would be held 24 hours later requiring only of a simple majority—more affirmative than negative votes—to succeed. If such majorities were not achieved, successive candidate proposals would be processed under the same procedure. In the event of the investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a thirty-day period from the first ballot, the Parliament would be automatically dissolved and a snap election called.


2003 Navy Midshipmen football team
The 2003 Navy Midshipmen football team represented the United States Naval Academy (USNA) as an independent during the 2003 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was led by second-year head coach Paul Johnson.


2003 Nebelhorn Trophy
The 2003 Nebelhorn Trophy took place between September 3 and 6, 2003 at the Bundesleistungszentrum Oberstdorf. It is an international senior-level figure skating competition organized by the Deutsche Eislauf-Union and held annually in Oberstdorf, Germany. The competition is named after the Nebelhorn, a nearby mountain. This was the first international competition to use the ISU Judging System.


2003 Nebelhorn Trophy
It was one of the first international senior competitions of the season. Skaters were entered by their respective national federations, rather than receiving individual invitations as in the Grand Prix of Figure Skating, and competed in four disciplines: men's singles, ladies' singles, pair skating, and ice dance. The Fritz-Geiger-Memorial Trophy was presented to the country with the highest placements across all disciplines.