31.   Resolutions aside, January is a good time to slow down and ponder the future.

32.   Smith, who has returned to Dallas to ponder his future, is expected to make a decision later this week or early next week.

33.   Sometimes as they play they ponder their futures, talking as if they are exhorting God to give them an easy exit from Earth.

34.   Still, many people from Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island diverge from the north when they ponder the future.

35.   That leaves Johnson, married last fall to Dallas TV reporter Kerry Doyen, to ponder his future in the sport.

36.   The boys are still pondering the future, even as their graduation approaches.

37.   The company is still pondering their future.

38.   The Mets must privately concede there is something awry with Benitez in crucial moments, something that should cause them to ponder his future.

39.   The Stars also have to ponder the future of wingers Greg Adams and Benoit Hogue.

40.   There are moments, private and public, when Joe Torre ponders the future and wonders if he wants to manage the Yankees next season.