31.   Because so many top players dislike playing on grass, the list of men with realistic title hopes is always shorter at Wimbledon than at the other major tournaments.

32.   FC Kaiserslautern, Schalke and Bayern Munich all need wins to protect their title hopes.

33.   Hermann Maier broke a dramatic slump and beat Swiss rival Michael Von Gruenigen to win a World Cup giant slalom Tuesday and keep his title hopes alive.

34.   His title hopes remain shrouded in doubt.

35.   It was disappointing, and it raised doubts, even though it turned out not to squash any title hopes.

36.   Liverpool moved up one place to third in the table after the win, reviving its title hopes.

37.   Luc Alphand collected another World Cup crystal globe despite skiing poorly for the second straight day and seeing his overall title hopes take another hit.

38.   Meanwhile, coaches of AS Roma, Lazio and Fiorentina, who started the season with title hopes, have retreated to more realistic targets.

39.   Nebraska took the loss of its national title hopes hard.

40.   Newcastle has now won only one of its last five league games with its title hopes looking weaker every week.