Theme: No C's - You only need learn your A,B's.
70A. Hitter's statistic, and, when abbreviated, a hint to the six longest puzzle answers : AT BAT. A B
17A. Fancy burger meat : ANGUS BEEF
35A. Powerful northern cold front : ARCTIC BLAST
44A. "30 Rock" co-star : ALEC BALDWIN
63A. Color of a clear sky : AZURE BLUE
11D. "Good Eats" series creator : ALTON BROWN
29D. Injury treatment brand : ACE BANDAGE
Argyle here. Joel's first two puzzles left me expecting more but they can't all be jewels. Interesting open slash from SW corner to NE corner. The theme entries certainly are a diverse group and some of the fill have a small bite to them.
Across:
1. Chicken piece : THIGH
6. "Amazing!" : "WOW!"
9. Vineyard picking : GRAPE. Labor intensive, picking one at a time.
14. Reddish-orange salon dye : HENNA
15. Cleanup hitter's stat : RBI
16. More sick-looking : PALER
19. Athlete on a Houston diamond : ASTRO. Not STROs today.
20. When repeated, an African fly : TSE
21. Gretel's brother : HANSEL
23. Jumps on one foot : HOPS
24. Opposite of NNW : SSE
25. Begin serving customers : OPEN
27. Ristorante shrimp dish : SCAMPI
32. Spoils, as food : GOES BAD
38. "Messenger" molecule : RNA
39. Musical inadequacy : "NO EAR"
40. Underinflated tire's need : AIR
41. Sch. east of Hartford : U.CONN. (University of Connecticut) The Huskies.
43. Bit of gel : DAB
47. One throwing the first pitch : STARTER. Not the ceremonial first pitcher.
49. Art of "The Honeymooners" : CARNEY. Ed Norton.
50. Must have : NEED
51. Juvenile newt : EFT
53. Melville sailor Billy : BUDD. Wiki LINK.
55. Flowering : ABLOOM
58. Happy hour place : BAR
61. Remove from the whiteboard : ERASE
65. Raring to go : EAGER
66. "__ Abner" : LI'L
67. Blackens, as tuna : SEARS
68. Earnest requests : PLEAS
69. "__ Miz" : LES. Popular name for the musical, Les Miserables.
Down:
1. "How about __!" : THAT
2. Farm layers : HENS
3. "Picnic" playwright : INGE
4. Bearded antelope : GNU
5. Dish of chopped-up leftovers : HASH
6. Small songbirds : WRENS
7. More than pudgy : OBESE
8. Michelle, to Barack : WIFE
9. Valedictorian's 4.0, e.g.: Abbr. : GPA. (grade point average)
10. Itchy skin conditions : RASHES
12. One sought by cops : PERP. (perpetrator)
13. Love deity : EROS
18. Army private's training, familiarly : BASIC
22. Johns, to Elton : LOOs. (bathrooms)
26. "Downtown" singer Clark : PETULA. A slightly different version. I believe it's 1984 with a new piano and trumpet intro that leads into the song's original opening.
27. Smooths in wood shop : SANDS. Or in Gibbs' basement, on NCIS.
28. Certain Balkan : CROAT
30. NYC subway org. : MTA. (Metropolitan Transportation Authority)
31. Stereotypical "Arrr!" shouter : PIRATE. Talk Like A Pirate Day - 19th Sep, 2016, mark it on your calendar.
32. Attire : GARB
33. Broadway title orphan : ANNIE
34. Boy in a classic Irish ballad : DANNY
36. Boxer Max : BAER. His son played Jethro Bodine on The Beverly Hillbillies.
37. State-issued driver ID : LICense
42. USN officer : CDR. (Commander)
45. Mother of Castor and Pollux : LEDA. Castor and Pollux Wikipedia LINK.
46. Stage performer : ACTOR
48. Watery obstacle for Moses : RED SEA
51. Popeye creator Segar : ELZIE
Elzie Name Meaning: Altered spelling of English Elsey. Americanized spelling of German Eltze, probably a habitational name for someone from either of two places named Eltz, on the Mosel and the Neckar.
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press
52. Tips caught by a catcher, e.g. : FOULS
53. Honk cousin : BEEP
54. Eurasian border river : URAL
56. Strike's opposite : BALL
57. Flat-topped hill : MESA
58. Spill secrets : BLAB
59. Vague emanation : AURA
60. Part of R and R : REST. The second R? recuperation or relaxation or recreation (or, the truth, revelry).
62. Ambulance destinations, for short : ERs. (Emergency Room)
64. Gambling action : BET
Argyle
