1.   And Monday night, Ripken was again in the lineup, playing All-Star shortstop for a pennant contender.

2.   Beware, NL pennant contenders.

3.   But neither the Texas Rangers, the Baltimore Orioles nor the Cleveland Indians were pennant contenders when their stadium building plans began.

4.   But it remains uncertain when the infusion of new talent will start to mold into a pennant contender.

5.   He is turning pitching into an elevated game of catch and the Boston Red Sox into pennant contenders.

6.   It may have been forgotten, but there is a pennant contender in town this weekend.

7.   John Moores, a Texas software millionaire, is buying the Padres a couple of years too late to salvage a prospective pennant contender for San Diego.

8.   September marks the time of the baseball season when the difference between pennant contenders and pretenders can come down to whether the best players can play their best.

9.   Strong pennant contenders are typically strong up the middle with their defense.

10.   The Dodgers have no dominant pitcher to match the best of the other pennant contenders.