1.   An NBC analyst since giving up his stake in the Toronto Raptors, Thomas has been itching to get back in the league.

2.   But what has really upped the stakes, analysts said, is the contest to lure customers from analog to digital TV.

3.   Congress upped the stakes two years ago when it toughened the penalties for the crime.

4.   Early that month, Motorola Inc., the biggest foreign investor in the country, upped its stake.

5.   Five years later, he has upped the stakes.

6.   If Penn upped the stakes in Hollywood, Bob Fosse pushed the envelope.

7.   It can also mean giving up bigger stakes to venture capitalists.

8.   New corporate Emperor Reno drools with delight as he ups the stakes and sacrifices his players to the ratings gods.

9.   Now that really ups the stake beyond marketing.

10.   The deal was quickly endorsed by the Justice Department, which filed suit two years ago to force Northwest to give up the stake.