The narrow margin was particularly surprising in Nassau, where Republicans enjoy a 3-to-2 edge in voter registration and have one of the nation's most vaunted political machines.

If they believe the Braves are vulnerable, perhaps because the game's most vaunted pitching staff has developed creaks and cracks, they need only to look within to see similar shortcomings of their own.

The competitive new world of health care has led some of the most vaunted not-for-profit institutions to break the law, too.

Is there anything left to be said about Chagall (1887-1985), one of the 20th century's most vaunted artmeisters, whose fame if not talent approaches that of Matisse and Picasso?

When Mr. Burrows arrived at Bendel's in 1970, the store was the most vaunted of Manhattan retailers, and the designer quickly took center stage there.

How could Mr. Rust have crossed 400 miles of the world's most vaunted air defense?

Wrote the San Francisco Examiner, "It galls most mainstream newspaper editors that a tawdry tabloid could be considered for their most vaunted prize.

A major factor in the Jays' fall was that the bullpen, one of the most vaunted in the league, failed for the second time in two games.

Gabriela Sabatini was hoping her new coaching alignment with Argentina's other most vaunted tennis export, Guillermo Vilas, would deliver her from a 24-tournament slump.

Barbaro's departure and the trade of cornerback Gary Green began a youth movement that produced the most vaunted secondary in team history.