Title: Play ball!
I have had the pleasure of introducing the cruciverb world to so many first time publications. One day, I should count them. In any event, Will Tobias is the next in line. His puzzle is a repurposing of common phrases used during a baseball broadcast by cluing them with descriptive and amusing images. He even includes, what I see as an unnecessary reveal. As we are working our way slowly toward a World Series, the timing is good. As a Friday there is some challenge- 39. "Strega __": Tomie dePaola Caldecott winner whose title means "Grandma Witch": NONA and 58. Goiânia greeting: OLA come to mind. He also squeezes in some sparkle with HIGHBALL, PONTIFFS, NOR'EASTER, and PIRATICAL (an odd but easily inferrable word. So it is time to begin.
20A. *Where to hang a lei on a rhino?: AROUND THE HORN (13). A double play initiated by the third baseman who throws to second who throws to first.
32A. *Bits of dialogue censored on network television?: FOUL LINES (9). Pretty funny. The ball is in play between the white lines.
40A. *Dracula after a hearty meal?: FULL COUNT (9). We will
not ask what Vlad has eaten, but this too is funny.
51A. *Crime of someone who wants folks to get lost?: STEALING SIGNS (13). This is not so funny as it is the basis of a major league scandal in major league baseball causing teams to forfeit World Series wins.
Across:
5. "Nothing but net": SWISH. That special sound in basketball as the ball slides down without hitting the rim.
10. One often looking down: SNOB. One's nose often; counterintuitively it is said to have arisen from the custom of writing “s. nob.”, that is, 'sine nobilitate,' after the names of children of untitled parents in certain English schools.
14. Handmade blade: SHIV. I know some fun shiv stories.
15. George who co-wrote the graphic memoir "They Called Us Enemy": TAKEI.
16. Do the honors: POUR. A CSO to our resident Sommelier and our friend TIN.
17. Blaze: FIRE. Look, there is a blaze; meh.
18. Circular gasket: O-RING. Very important in the machinery of all kinds.
19. "__ boy!": ATTA. ATTA Girl.
23. Acquire: GET.
25. Whitney and Washington: Abbr.: MTS. In California- the highest peak in 48 contiguous states and in New Hampshire with the highest winds.
26. Counted (on): BANKED. On banking on entertaining you, but so far it is a struggle.
27. Unstable time: CRISIS. No politics.
29. Bygone Russian title: TSAR. Not bygone from the puzzle world.
31. Lawful: LICIT. Hence, illicit.
37. And others, in Lat.: ET AL. Alia or Alii.
38. Group of experts: PANEL.
39. "Strega __": Tomie dePaola Caldecott winner whose title means "Grandma Witch": NONA. If you speak Italian it is a very literal answer.
42. Doughnut-shaped: TORIC. We have had this shape many times.
44. Musical inability: TIN EAR. More Tin.
45. Dark igneous rock: BASALT. Basalt is a dark-colored, fine-grained, igneous rock composed mainly of plagioclase and pyroxene minerals.
49. Suffix with bass: OON. Suffix with Sw? Please.
50. High card: ACE.
55. "The Sopranos" actor Robert: ILER. AJ, has left the building.
56. "And that's __!": FINAL. No, not yet.
57. Elemental unit: ATOM. Ant?
60. Belafonte classic: DAYO. The Banana Boat Song is back.
61. Cereal tidbit: FLAKE. Corny answer.
62. Auction, say: SELL. Or try to...
63. "Birds of Prey" actor McGregor: EWAN. Harley Quinn...
64. Attack: SET AT.
65. Cairo native: ARAB. A descendant of Ismael.
Down:
1. Bad check letters: NSF. non-sufficient funds
2. Poke tuna: AHI. Aha! Are you okay with POKE?
3. Given to plundering: PIRATICAL. You missed TALK LIKE A PIRATE DAY. ARRGH!
4. At any time: EVER. We get into the filling fill.
5. Dark drafts: STOUTS. Rex?
6. Cautions: WARNS.
7. "Joke, joke": I KID.
8. Email status: SENT.
9. Tall drink: HIGHBALL. Another baseball possibility but not included in the theme. This drink recipe is one that every aspiring bartender should know and it is, quite simply, whiskey and ginger ale.
10. Pitcher Warren with the most lifetime wins for a southpaw: SPAHN.
11. Far from acceptable: NOT OK.
12. Quite unusual: OUTRE.
13. __ awareness: BRAND.
21. Drop: OMIT.
22. Rank between marquess and viscount: EARL. Did you all watch the movie?
23. Staff symbol: G CLEF. The treble clef is also called the "G clef" because the symbol at the beginning of the staff (a stylized letter "G") encircles the second line of the staff, indicating that line to be G4 (or g above middle C).
24. Verdi baritone aria: ERITU. Just in time for some opera.
28. Window ledge: SILL. What you not know and do not care about the WINDOW SILL.
29. 1,000 kilograms: TONNE. A metric ton.
30. Bird feeder cake: SUET. Hard to think of suet as "cake."
32. Woodland spirit: FAUN.
33. Privy to: IN ON.
34. Stahm that may affect Bahston: NOR'EASTER.
35. Early computer: ENIAC.
36. "__ bleu!": SACRE.
38. Popes: PONTIFFS.
41. Ring up: CALL.
42. Sound of a tiny bell: TING.
44. __ water: TOILET.
45. It may be a sleeper hit: B-SIDE.
46. Shingle words: AT-LAW.
47. "Toodles!": SEE YA.
48. Judge on a diamond: AARON. Yankee star who is being overshadowed by Luke Volt and Gianncarlo Stanton in the playoffs. NY is down 2-1 to Tampa Bay, but Tinbeni can't lose.
49. Japanese financial hub: OSAKA. Also the US Tennis Open women's champion this year.
52. River delta where the Rosetta Stone was found: NILE.
53. Winged pest: GNAT. We get more midges in Florida.
54. Mission Control org.: NASA.
58. Goiânia greeting: Olá. Goiânia is a city in Western Brazil. When you see Olá rather than ¡Hola! it is a clue you are looking for a Portuguese place, not Spanish.
