1.   Another work stoppage will Martha Stewart-ize baseball, making it an easy target to include with a suddenly sordid cabal of icons circling the drain.

2.   After months of circling the drain, Webvan closed its headquarters in Oakland, Calif.

3.   But he did seem to put yet-another twist on an Anaheim season that continues to circle the drain.

4.   Does that mean the friendship is circling the drain?

5.   Neglect your studies, your GPA starts circling the drain.

6.   Saturday morning, UCLA and its coach were circling the drain.

7.   Such species, using the parlance of emergency-room doctors, are circling the drain.