1.   Rarely does a year start by offering so many opportunities for governments to make ruinous mistakes.

2.   Analysts also said a new high-end Maytag product, the Gemini oven, got off to a disappointing start this year.

3.   A-Rod and Nomar both got off to slow starts this year.

4.   Bond funds already are off to a bad start this year.

5.   A second straight loss to his younger rival would have given Cigar a record of five wins from eight starts this year.

6.   After winning seven races in his first full Busch campaign last year, Earnhardt Jr. got off to an inauspicious start this year.

7.   But after a strong start this year, Jones has been struggling, and on Monday night at Shea Stadium he had a second straight dismal outing.

8.   But he fell out of favor after a slow start this year.

9.   But strawberries have gotten off to a tense start this year after a hepatitis A scare.

10.   Cherokee Run won for the third time in nine starts this year.