1.   And he went on to win a record seven straight batting titles.

2.   And the Toms River representative, T.J. Tullo, who won his second straight North American Opti title in Ontario last summer, is from Staten Island, N.Y.

3.   And, hey, the thought of a third straight NCAA title can keep you up at night.

4.   As expected, the Dutch men and German women won their seventh straight titles at the world all-around speedskating championships in Budapest.

5.   As the Yankees prepared for a run at their third straight World Series title, Manager Joe Torre will continue tweaking them until he believes they are ready.

6.   Before he departs, however, he talks passionately of his desire for a second straight title.

7.   A season later he led the Bulls to their first NBA championship, the first of three straight titles.

8.   All-Star center David Robinson likely will be named league MVP later this month, and forward Dennis Rodman captured his fourth straight rebounding title.

9.   Buss has kept his payroll reasonable even as he has ripped off three straight titles behind his two supernovae.

10.   But everyone is keeping an eye on Jordan and the Bulls, who won three straight titles before Jordan decided to give baseball a try.