11.   With first base open, Yankees manager Joe Torre could have opted to give A-Rod a free pass and had Nelson work on Edgar Martinez instead.

12.   Aebischer opted to give family, friends and fans back home a chance to admire the Cup in person.

13.   But he could also opt to give someone a shot at hammering together a new political majority.

14.   Coach Mark Gottfried said Wallace could have practiced Tuesday, but coaches opted to give him a day to rest.

15.   Coach Jerry Sloan opted to give first-round draft pick DeShawn Stevenson his first start of the season.

16.   However, the Commonwealth opted to give Abacha the chance to stick to his pledge to hold elections.

17.   Mansyur said the ITF opted to give the country another opportunity to host the event after its successful organization last year.