21.  But of the eight closest votes in Heisman history, only once was it given to the same player who won the Maxwell.

22.  But the same players will be playing the game, some of them just making more money.

23.  But the same player he was in his youth?

24.  But the same players are there, presumably doing the same things.

25.  But, as the bench coach Don Zimmer acknowledged, Knoblauch was not the same player who haunted the Yankees in the past.

26.  Essentially, however, the same players are involved.

27.  Even if they do, he may not be the same player he was last year because of the ankle he injured while playing for the Cincinnati Reds.

28.  Few thought he could ever be the same player.

29.  For the first time, the same two players led the voting in their leagues in consecutive years.

30.  For the most part, the same players were doing many of the same things, but the game was mired in the scorched earth of post-strike.