2001 – New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani announces he wants to complete new stadium deals for the Mets and Yankees before he leaves office at the end of the month. Before the September 11th attacks, which dramatically changed the city’s financial stature, the mayor thought an arrangement in which the city, the state and the owners agreed to pay one-third of the cost of the new stadiums might complete the negotiations with the teams. A deal will be struck and the two new ballparks will both open in 2009.

2001 – Although Enron Corporation has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the corporation says it is current on its payments and plans to keep the company’s name on the Houston Astros’ new ballpark. The downtown stadium will be known as Enron Field as long as Enron continues to exist and makes regular payments on its 30-year, $100 million commitment, according to team officials.

Nicaragua wins the 2001 Central American Games; Ramon Padilla ends his long stint (15 years) with the national team with two homers in the 9-0 finale against Guatemala while Cairo Murillo wins tournament MVP with a shutout effort.

The Mets sign former Chiba Lotte Marines pitcher Satoru Komiyama to a one-year contract. Komiyama was a seven-time All-Star in Japan.