Theme: Going, Going, Gone! - Four RBIs at the same time equals a home run with the bases loaded.
17A. Top banana : MISTER BIG
25A. A low-flow showerhead will help lower it : WATER BILL
30A. 50 cents, in slang : FOUR BITS
45A. Baker's container : FLOUR BIN
50A. Hit generating four 71-Across : GRAND SLAM
64A. "The Iron Horse," baseball's all-time 50-Across recordholder : LOU GEHRIG
71A. One of them is hidden in 17-, 25-, 30- and 45-Across : RBIs
Argyle here to play ball. I am going to assume we all know a little about baseball here. If not, it's time you learn and it's time for spring training. Quite a line up today(7). I thought about listing two more to stretch it out to a full nine roster but I'm afraid I'd be called out.
Centerfield (3:52) "Two bits, four bits, six bits a dollar, all for the baseball stand up and holler"
Across:
1. Picket line crosser : SCAB
5. Arrange, as a vacation : PLAN
9. Washington neighbor : IDAHO
14. "Splendor in the Grass" director Kazan : ELIA. IMDb bio.
15. Gutter site : EAVE
16. La Scala's city : MILAN. Italy
19. Mayan corn crop : MAIZE
20. Observation after too many wrong turns : "I'M LOST"
21. "Dirty Harry" composer Schifrin : LALO. Four Grammy Awards and six Oscar nominations but I still don't know him.
23. "Don't __ stranger" : BE A
24. Like a dog's hind leg : BENT
27. Enzyme ending : ASE
29. Online auction site : EBAY
35. After "get," gain an advantage : A LEG UP. Or an attempt to break up a double play.
39. Attending a Lakers game, say : IN L.A.. If you say they are playing a home game.
40. Ski resort named for a tree : ASPEN
42. Longest river entirely in Switzerland : AARE
43. Inning half : BOTTOM
47. Dedicated works : ODEs
49. Taylor of fashion : ANN. I'm shocked; there wasn't a real Ann Taylor.
54. Horizontal punctuator : DASH
58. Hold up, as a bank : ROB. "We wuz robbed!" Oft heard at the old ball park.
59. Yogi, for one : BEAR. Berra, for two.
60. Wheel cover : HUBCAP. Used for a base in sand lot ball games.
62. HI hello : ALOHA. HI = Hawaii
66. Jeopardy : PERIL
67. Hops kiln : OAST
68. Took __ loan : OUT A. "It's outta here!"
69. It has reservations : HOTEL
70. G.I. fare : MREs. (Ready-to-Eat)
Down:
1. Event before finals : SEMI
2. Ascend : CLIMB
3. Path between rows : AISLE. At a stadium, perhaps.
4. Conductor's wand : BATON
5. Cheeky : PERT
6. Research site : LAB
7. St. Teresa's city : AVILA. West of Madrid, Spain.
8. Cancel out : NEGATE
9. Wicked : IMMORAL
10. Lunes o martes : DÍA. All through Spain, Monday or Tuesday is a day(DÍA).
11. Perp's story : ALIBI
12. Eye color : HAZEL
13. "Shaq Diesel" rapper : O'NEAL. Shaquille O'Neal, basketball player and rapper.
18. Founded: Abbr. : ESTAB.. (established)
22. Beirut's country : LEBANON
25. Licks, as a stamp : WETS
26. One way to play : BY EAR. I wonder if Shaq has an ear.
28. Cat breed : SIAMESE
30. White lie : FIB
31. Dedicatee of Lennon's "Woman" : ONO
32. Final: Abbr. : ULT. (ultimate)
33. Inform against : RAT ON
34. Sunblock letters : SPF. For those sunny days at the ball park.
36. Gift of the garrulous? : GAB. Back to Yogi Berra?
37. Ocean State sch. : URI. (University of Rhode Island)
38. Pilot product : PEN. We had bull PEN back on the first.
41. Jason with a record 63-yard field goal to his credit : ELAM. How'd football get in here?
44. Weirdo : ODDBALL. Such as Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, pitcher for the Detroit Tigers.
46. Like inappropriate influence : UNDUE
48. Picabo Street race : SLALOM. Skier.
50. It's plotted in math class : GRAPH
51. Loggers' game : ROLEO. (logrolling) Two loggers on one log
52. Scrub the launch : ABORT
53. Like a cheering crowd : AROAR
55. Can't stand : ABHOR
56. Use elbow grease on : SCRUB
57. Part of Hispaniola : HAITI
60. 5'2", 6'3", etc.: Abbr. : HGTs. (heights)
61. Some major golf tournaments, informally : PGAs
63. Move it : HIE. Archaic or poetic.
65. Employ : USE
Argyle
Notes from C.C.:
1) Here is a wonderful article from the Times of India today on our LA Times constructor Mangesh Ghogre, who was invited as a judge for the 2012 ACPT (American Crossword Puzzle Tournament). Congratulations again, Mangesh! And be sure to say Hi to Mangesh if you attend ACPT this year.
2) Finally a puzzle for baseball! Don and I originally had HANK AARON for 60-Across, since AARON holds the MLB record for RBIs (2,297). Rich felt LOU GEHRIG should be the focus due to GRAND SLAM entry. Had A-Rod hit one more grand slam last season, we would have to place him in the grid also.
Notes from C.C.:
1) Here is a wonderful article from the Times of India today on our LA Times constructor Mangesh Ghogre, who was invited as a judge for the 2012 ACPT (American Crossword Puzzle Tournament). Congratulations again, Mangesh! And be sure to say Hi to Mangesh if you attend ACPT this year.
2) Finally a puzzle for baseball! Don and I originally had HANK AARON for 60-Across, since AARON holds the MLB record for RBIs (2,297). Rich felt LOU GEHRIG should be the focus due to GRAND SLAM entry. Had A-Rod hit one more grand slam last season, we would have to place him in the grid also.
