Tuesday, March 6, 2012 Don Gagliardo & C.C. Burnikel

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

Answer grid.

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.

Monday, March 5, 2012 Ed Sessa

Theme: Diminutive of Amelia, Hermione, Mary, Minerva or Wilhelmina - It's good the first theme is so iconic because the unifier? has no clue as to what it is by itself.

17A. Click-and-drag tool : MOUSE BUTTON

39A. Learner’s permit prerequisite, often : DRIVER EDUCATION

63A. Memorable surprise attack site : PEARL HARBOR

71A. Name associated with the start of 17-, 39- or 63Across : MINNIE

Argyle here. Technical difficulties today; Cruciverb is down so watch out for typos. Other than the unifier coming from the theme entries or the perps, a nice puzzle with some answers I didn't see until the write-up. (And now, Cruciverb is up again.)

Across:

1. Long-necked waders : EGRETS

7. Sgt. Friday’s employer : LA PD. (Los Angeles Police Department)

11. Blow away : AWE

14. __ pork: Chinese dish with pancakes : MOO SHU. and from column B: 70A. Egg foo __ : YUNG

15. Fairy tale villain : OGRE

16. Betty Crocker product : MIX

19. Impersonal pronoun : ONE

20. Barnyard brayer : ASS

21. Half an Orkan goodbye : NANU. The other half is also Nanu.

22. Enjoyed, as a lollipop : LICKED

24. Filming locations : SETS

26. More out of practice : RUSTIER

28. Reunion attendee, briefly : ALUM

30. Libyan or Liberian, e.g. : AFRICAN. Cool map.

34. Tequila plant : AGAVE

37. Kimono sash : OBI

38. Hefty volume : TOME

43. Guitarist Hendrix : JIMI

44. Reveal, in verse : OPE

45. Thick, like fog : DENSE

46. Step on the gas : SPEED UP

48. Jack of late-night TV : PAAR

50. Legislative period : SESSION

52. Mex. ladies : SRAs. (senoritas)

56. Samples a bit of : TASTES

59. Univ. military org. : ROTC

61. Dada co-founder Jean : ARP

62. Actress Gardner : AVA

66. Deafening noise : DIN

67. Sprinter’s path : LANE

68. “Seinfeld” woman : ELAINE

69. Fruit drink ending : ADE

Down:

1. Actresses Watson and Thompson : EMMAs

2. Fairy tale Mother : GOOSE

3. Shake awake : ROUST

4. Superman’s monogram : ESS

5. Afterwards : THEN

6. Forester automaker : SUBARU. After ten years of production as a compact SUV, it grew to a mid-size crossover SUV.

7. Legs-intertwined meditative position : LOTUS

8. Player’s rep. : AGT.

9. Very productive : PROLIFIC

10. Naysayer : DENIER

11. Helter-skelter : AMOK

12. Rosé or Cabernet : WINE

13. Crossed (out) : EXed

18. U.S. motto word : UNUM. "e pluribus unum"

23. Animals, casually : CRITTERS

25. Most well-informed : SAVVIEST

27. Dana’s “forbidden fragrance” : TABU

29. Grant wartime foe : LEE

31. Nickel or dime : COIN

32. “Famous” cookie guy : AMOS

33. Hawaiian goose : NENE

34. Descriptive wds. : ADJs. (adjectives)

35. Golf club part : GRIP

36. “Je t’__”: French “I love you” : AIME

37. Shelley work : ODE

40. Philosopher JeanJacques : ROUSSEAU

41. “House” actor Omar : EPPS

42. Oral health org. : ADA. (American Dental Association)

47. With intense feeling : DEEPLY

48. Motel amenity : POOL

49. “O Canada,” e.g. : ANTHEM

51. Discount rack abbr. : IRREG.

53. Former Israeli leader Yitzhak : RABIN

54. “The San Francisco Treat” suffix : -A-RONI

55. Shopper’s indulgence : SPREE

56. “I did it!” : "TADA!"

57. Raring to go : AVID

58. Of sound mind : SANE

60. Colombian city : CALI. Map.

64. __ Arbor, Michigan : ANN

65. Took flight : RAN

Answer grid.

Argyle