1.  An insurmountable lead, as it would turn out.

2.  As coach, he would hold an unlit cigar until he felt the Celtics had an insurmountable lead.

3.  A defense that almost blew the game against the Redskins and handed the Cowboys an insurmountable lead?

4.  Against Trinidad, De La Hoya had seemed to build an insurmountable lead through the first eight rounds before he began to tire.

5.  But Intel may still have an insurmountable lead over the competition.

6.  By the time they freed the plastic and regained control, Team New Zealand had built an insurmountable lead.

7.  Harpootlian, who says he has not endorsed either candidate, argued that Gore holds an insurmountable lead.

8.  In Carnoustie, Scotland, an unknown Frenchman named Jean Van de Velde blew a seemingly insurmountable lead to lose the British Open.

9.  In the Northeast, the White House believes Clinton holds nearly insurmountable leads everywhere but New Hampshire and New Jersey, with the latter targeted for the fall campaign.

10.  It found that Sen. John McCain has a virtually insurmountable lead over Democratic challenger Ed Ranger.