Theme: 2008 Championship Tribute
18A: With 29-Across, sports organization: MAJOR LEAGUE
29A: See 18-across: BASEBALL
40A: 2007 MVP for the 47-Across, shortstop Jimmy: ROLLINS
47A: 2008 winners of 62-Across: PHILLIES
62A: The "Fall classic": WORLD SERIES
1D: 2008 All-Star of 47-Across, second baseman Chase: UTLEY
4D: MVP of the 2008 62-across, ace pitcher Cole __: HAMELS
For those who have not solved this puzzle, I've uploaded the grid to Scribd. Just click on iPaper, then print it out. Barry also kindly provided us the special puzzle he made for Fairfax County Libray presentation on Jan 17, 2009. Very clever theme entries.
As for this Tribute puzzle, the last two answers I listed above are not symmetrically placed, so technically they are not part of the theme. But I think they fit in perfectly. TUES (51A: When the All-Star Game is played) and GMS (71A: 29-Across VIPs) are great baseball related fills too.
Lots of cross-references in this puzzle. Might be a bit tough for non-baseball fans. I thoroughly enjoyed the solving. It made me feel so smart. I think Barry should have sold this puzzle to Phillies. They can do a special Crossword Solving Day, you know, like Bobblehead Giveaway Day.
Across:
4A: Islamic militant group: HAMAS. It has become a "terrorist group". Fatah is not.
9A: Chipmunk of pop music: ALVIN. This music just sounds so jarring to me.
24A: Swiss stereotype: YODELER. I was thinking of watchmaker.
28A: Nittany Lions' sch.: PSU (Penn State). Why do they call themselves Nittany Lions? Reminds me of ninny.
52A: Horizon arc measurement: AZIMUTH. See this diagram. Too complicated for me to understand.
56A: Cell: suff.: CYTE. No idea. Dictionary gives an example of leukocyte (white blood cell). Also, the prefix for cell is CYTO, as in cytoplasm.
65A: Govt. investigation: INQ. Inquiry? Why "Govt. investigation"?
67A: Young salmon: SMOLT. I wonder how long it takes for this SMOLT to mature into this big salmon.
68A: "All Things Considered" network: NPR. "Fresh Air" network too. Terry Gross is sharp.
Down:
2D: Brigham Young University site: PROVO. Ken Jennings, the all-time champion of "Jeopardy", attended this university, so is our Barry G, Johnny Miller, Mitt Romney etc. See this alumini list.
3D: Ecclesiastical assembly: SYNOD. This word always escapes me.
6D: Woman of La Mancha: MUJER. No idea. I was thinking of señora.
7D: Old Testament prophet: AMOS. A minor one. I am more accustomed to the " "Famous cookie maker" clue.
10D: Pay no mind: LEAVE BE. New to me. Can you make a sentence with this phrase for me? I only know "Let it be".
11D: Carrot or Onion: VEGETABLE. I love the symmetrical placement of VEGETABLE and FRUIT TREE (35D: Orchard entity).
29D: Gaucho's weapons: BOLAS. Spanish for balls. What kind of material are those?
40D: It sounds real bad: RALE. Williams likes to clue RALE as "Death rattle".
41D: Todd Rundgren's rock band of the 1960's: NAZZ. I googled this band name. What's their most famous song?
44D: Puritanical ban: BLUE LAW. Now this ban is still valid in some states, right?
55D: Langley, for the CIA: HDQRS. I see HQS more often.
56D: 100-lb. units: CWTS (Hundredweights). New abbreviation to me.
63D: License to drill?: DDS. Great clue.
64D: "Strange Magic" rock band: ELO. Here is the song. I guessed. Three letter band name has to be ELO or REM.
C.C.
18A: With 29-Across, sports organization: MAJOR LEAGUE
29A: See 18-across: BASEBALL
40A: 2007 MVP for the 47-Across, shortstop Jimmy: ROLLINS
47A: 2008 winners of 62-Across: PHILLIES
62A: The "Fall classic": WORLD SERIES
1D: 2008 All-Star of 47-Across, second baseman Chase: UTLEY
4D: MVP of the 2008 62-across, ace pitcher Cole __: HAMELS
For those who have not solved this puzzle, I've uploaded the grid to Scribd. Just click on iPaper, then print it out. Barry also kindly provided us the special puzzle he made for Fairfax County Libray presentation on Jan 17, 2009. Very clever theme entries.
As for this Tribute puzzle, the last two answers I listed above are not symmetrically placed, so technically they are not part of the theme. But I think they fit in perfectly. TUES (51A: When the All-Star Game is played) and GMS (71A: 29-Across VIPs) are great baseball related fills too.
Lots of cross-references in this puzzle. Might be a bit tough for non-baseball fans. I thoroughly enjoyed the solving. It made me feel so smart. I think Barry should have sold this puzzle to Phillies. They can do a special Crossword Solving Day, you know, like Bobblehead Giveaway Day.
Across:
4A: Islamic militant group: HAMAS. It has become a "terrorist group". Fatah is not.
9A: Chipmunk of pop music: ALVIN. This music just sounds so jarring to me.
24A: Swiss stereotype: YODELER. I was thinking of watchmaker.
28A: Nittany Lions' sch.: PSU (Penn State). Why do they call themselves Nittany Lions? Reminds me of ninny.
52A: Horizon arc measurement: AZIMUTH. See this diagram. Too complicated for me to understand.
56A: Cell: suff.: CYTE. No idea. Dictionary gives an example of leukocyte (white blood cell). Also, the prefix for cell is CYTO, as in cytoplasm.
65A: Govt. investigation: INQ. Inquiry? Why "Govt. investigation"?
67A: Young salmon: SMOLT. I wonder how long it takes for this SMOLT to mature into this big salmon.
68A: "All Things Considered" network: NPR. "Fresh Air" network too. Terry Gross is sharp.
Down:
2D: Brigham Young University site: PROVO. Ken Jennings, the all-time champion of "Jeopardy", attended this university, so is our Barry G, Johnny Miller, Mitt Romney etc. See this alumini list.
3D: Ecclesiastical assembly: SYNOD. This word always escapes me.
6D: Woman of La Mancha: MUJER. No idea. I was thinking of señora.
7D: Old Testament prophet: AMOS. A minor one. I am more accustomed to the " "Famous cookie maker" clue.
10D: Pay no mind: LEAVE BE. New to me. Can you make a sentence with this phrase for me? I only know "Let it be".
11D: Carrot or Onion: VEGETABLE. I love the symmetrical placement of VEGETABLE and FRUIT TREE (35D: Orchard entity).
29D: Gaucho's weapons: BOLAS. Spanish for balls. What kind of material are those?
40D: It sounds real bad: RALE. Williams likes to clue RALE as "Death rattle".
41D: Todd Rundgren's rock band of the 1960's: NAZZ. I googled this band name. What's their most famous song?
44D: Puritanical ban: BLUE LAW. Now this ban is still valid in some states, right?
55D: Langley, for the CIA: HDQRS. I see HQS more often.
56D: 100-lb. units: CWTS (Hundredweights). New abbreviation to me.
63D: License to drill?: DDS. Great clue.
64D: "Strange Magic" rock band: ELO. Here is the song. I guessed. Three letter band name has to be ELO or REM.
C.C.
Dennis,
ReplyDeleteHow long did it take you to solve this puzzle? Any of Phillies players solves crossword puzzle?
Hello CC, I cannot find the "2008 Championship Tribute Barry Silk" puzzle that I completed. As I remember I needed help in the SE corner and 55D "HDQRS" was the real killer for me. All considered, I liked the puzzle and thanks for your help in the SE corner.
ReplyDeleteC.C., I don't remember any snags, but I also don't remember the time. Very enjoyable puzzle, especially for me, being a Phillies fan.
ReplyDeleteDick,
ReplyDeleteDid you get MUJER (6D: Woman of La Mancha)?
Dennis,
Is HDQRS a legit abbreviation? I don't think you experienced any snag. Your finished grid looks so clean and neat.
Good Morning C.C. and All
ReplyDeleteThis one took me 20:09:75. I did not know HAMELS and chose HAMELL, so I wound up with PLU. As far as I can see, INQ's are not soley the purview of government. I had never heard of BLUE LAW or NAZZ.
Apparently, NAZZ had no bonafide hits. They were generally unsuccessful. However, there song, "Hello It's Me" was a big hit later on when it was done at a faster tempo by Rundgren.
A three letter band name could also be YES
Thanks for the puzzle. I am going to print out the Fairfax County Library one, as well.
Good Morning All, I came here first to see what has been said about the special Barry Silk's puzzle.
ReplyDeleteEven though I'm not well informed about baseball, the clues were straightforward and the perps helped me get the answers I didn't know.
The cross of NAZZ and AZIMUTH stopped me for a bit, but I got lucky. I "G'd" post-puzzle and NAZZ was still almost unknown.
G.A.H. and I vacationed on the Women Island, Isla Mujeres a few years ago. It is a lovely little island just a few miles off the Yucatan coast in Mexico.
Thanks to Barry Silk for an enjoyable puzzle.
The nittany lion was a cat, much like a bob cat , that lived in that area. Dont know if they are still there but that is where the name came from. Go PSU !!
ReplyDeleteCC I think I stumbled on Mujer as well. Sure wish I could find that darn puzzle!
ReplyDeleteHi C.C.
ReplyDeleteInteresting puzzle.
I say that, because all my answers are differnt then yours in the St. Cloud Daily Times. Even the puzzle author is different. Adele Mann.
It still is printed by star trib news services tho. Makes me wonder if we got weds puzzle today?
I guess it wouldn't help to ask anybody what 42 down is?
Giggle Giggle
Whoo
I actually “got” this puzzle despite its preponderance of sports clues. But with the exception of Cole HAMELS, most of the sports clues were either things I knew (e.g. MAJOR LEAGUE) or were obtainable from the crosses (e.g. Chase UTLEY). Non-sports challenges were CYTE and AZIMUTH which I finally remembered. Totally unknown but obtainable from the crosses was SMOLT. I suppose I prefer puzzles that are not so sports-focused, but I was quite happy that I could complete one (without googling).
ReplyDeleteSCUBA stands for Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. It was first developed and popularized by Jacques Cousteau.
Thanks, Mr. Barry Silk!
C.C. This was a a lot of fun to solve even though I a not a baseball fan. I had SMELT for SMOLT, but could have corrected myself if I was paying attention.
ReplyDeleteA very elegant puzzle. A BIG thank you to Barry Silk for this puzzle. Wish we could get more of his in the weekly offerings.
Hey, all. My paper discontinued our x/w so I need the link to do it on line. I'm canceling my sub. to this local "rag". They cut the comics in half and did away with the "quiptoquote". That's it!!!! I'm done. And they wonder why newspapers are losing subscribers. I was in sales and marketing my whole working life and learned that the one thing you do NOT do when things get tough, is cut services. My morning iced tea (I'm not a coffee drinker)will be in front of my computer, not my newspaper.
ReplyDeleteYa know what? here's your chance. If nobody sends me the link, I'll have no reason to post - and I'll be gone. OH-OH!!
My Uncle Edgar was a DEEPLY religious man. Went to church everyday. One day while he was walking downtown, a mugger shot him in the chest. As it turned out, Uncle Edgar always carried a Bible in his left breast pocket. Miracle of miracles, we all rejoiced. Uncle Edgar had something to read while he laid there and bled to death.
I must be off
Oh no Buddy, you're not sneaking away that easily!
ReplyDeletedaily TMS crossword...Bookmark it.
whoo,
ReplyDeleteYou might be confused because this puzzle was a special one that Barry Silk provided to C.C. to share with us. She sent out links to it a week or two ago. The posts for todays puzzle are here.
ClearAyes...Thank you for that. We DEFINITELY can't lose Buckeye
ReplyDelete"We DEFINITELY can't lose Buckeye"
ReplyDeleteWho's we?
J/K :)
I was wondering where you were hiding, Buckeye. I feared perhaps nurse Ratchet had finally done you in. FYI: Despite realizing my error on confusing nurse Ratchet with nurse Diesel, I still cannot help but picture her like this.
Although the NAZZ aren't necessarily a household name, they did have a very big hit regionally with "Hello It's Me" in Philadelphia back in 1969/70. The flip side of the record, "Open My Eyes" was also popular at that time. Rundgren and his band are from Philadelphia, so I thought it would be appropriate for this puzzle :-)
ReplyDeleteTo my knowledge, NAZZ has not appeared in any nationally syndicated crosswords before.
Barry Silk
Hi Barry,
ReplyDeleteThanks for popping in.
"To my knowledge, NAZZ has not appeared in any nationally syndicated crosswords before."
A good XW word, too, with the double Z.
According to Wikipedia, the A-side of that single was not a hit, but the B-side caught on in Boston. It must have spread from there to Philly quickly. Apparently, it eventually spread to the whole country. Even then, it was not the hit that Rundgren's remake would turn out to be.
Alan,
ReplyDeleteThanks for Nittany Lion.
PromiseMe,
YES is a new band to me. Thanks.
Barry Silk,
Have you contacted the Phillies regarding this puzzle? I thought they might want this puzzle for their fans.
The sad thing is, this puzzle wasn't even carried in the Philadelphia Inquirer yesterday. What a rip-off!
ReplyDeletePhilliesPhanatic,
ReplyDeleteThis puzzle is a special offering to us from Barry Silk. It's not carried in any syndication.
Hi C.C.,
ReplyDeleteSurprisingly, this c/w did not take me too long to complete. i was surprised as I am not a follower of MLB. Azimuth, axiom, and hdqrs were my only snags. Everything else I got with the fills and a couple of good guesses.
"YES is a new band to me. Thanks."
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, C.C. I am glad I could turn you on to them. They are an old band that harkens back to the Vietnam era. They were hugely popular in the 70's. If you go to one of their shows today, you would find a very positive crowd made up of leftover hippies, hippies that turned into yuppies and now want to be hippies again and an assortment of other peace-loving folks.
Are you going to blog about the Fairfax County Fair XW?