71.   Offering a more senior position allowed American Express to attract top CFO candidates with considerable experience, a company spokesman said.

72.   One state refused to hire the top candidate for director of an agency for the blind because he was blind.

73.   One top candidate for ambassador to France has withdrawn, said to be tired of waiting for the call from the White House.

74.   Ovitz also is a good friend of Stringer, who would be a top candidate to run a combined entity.

75.   Otherwise, the top two candidates face a runoff next month.

76.   Over at South Carolina, Lou Holtz has emerged as the top candidate, thanks to his tight relationship with athletic director Mike McGee.

77.   Party rules stipulate a runoff between the top two candidates if no one triumphs in the first vote.

78.   Pollsters and Democratic strategists believe that any of the three top candidates -- Koppell, Ms. Burstein and Hynes -- are capable of winning.

79.   Pote earned his third save of the season by getting Rodriguez, a top MVP candidate, to ground out to second to end the game.

80.   Quinn and Fernando Clavijo are among the top candidates from the US national team program.