Saturday, Oct 10th, 2015, Bruce Venzke

Theme: None

Words: 68 (missing Q,V,X,Z)

Blocks: 30

 My experience with Mr. Venzke's puzzles has been tough, but do-able.  Today, however, I smoked through his construction in half my personal allotted time. Lots of "definitions" which helps avoid the names of people and places.  Triple 9-letter corners, two 10-letter climbers, and one spanner;

38a. House adjustment : REAPPORTIONMENT - The US House of Representatives; more here

16a. Calculated : TOTALED UP - straight up

36d. Pleasant : ENJOYABLE

55a. Nebraska tribe : WINNEBAGO

  

3d. Eroded : ATE AWAY AT

On(e)wa Rd ~!

ACROSS:

1. Ray in the water : SKATE - oops, not MANTA

6. Lasting consideration : SHELF LIFE - I find it peculiar that my bottled water has a shelf life....

15. Times in ads : NITES - this had to be right, so it made me take out MANTA

17. On one's toes : ALERT

18. Periodic synchronizations : LEAP YEARS

19. Key ingredient in a Bloody Caesar : CLAMATO - I vaguely remembered this, but where it comes from is new to me - the Wiki
 

21. High-fashion shoemaker Jimmy : CHOO - HeartRx is all too familiar with this brand

22. Royal Botanic Gardens locale : KEW

23. Chef's introduction? : SOUS - working in the restaurants, this was easy for me

25. Do a farm vet's job : DEHORN

27. Frank's cousin : BRAT - oh, that frank(furter)

29. Cried from a shelter : YIPPED

31. 1989 James Cameron film, with "The" : ABYSS - I did see it, but didn't recall it right off the bat

33. Discontinues : SURCEASES - my Latin helped me here

40. Initiates detailed plans : SETS A DATE - think wedding

41. 1932 Lake Placid gold medalist : SONJA - one of the few proper nouns in today's puzzle, this one was mostly perps

42. Least exciting : TAMEST - did not get my ta-DA~! because I had Lamest first

44. Rapper __ Moe Dee : KOOL - I went with Cool first, and knew it was wrong

45. Malting material : BARLEY - think beer

49. Itinerary elements: Abbr. : RTEs

51. Sometime substitute for 45-Across : RYE

52. Spread on the table : OLEO

53. Native whose land has an Atlantic and Caribbean coastline : HAITIAN

60. Don't disturb : LET BE

61. Sign, as an agreement : ENTER INTO

62. Challenge for a future doctor : ORALS - I threw in MSATS

63. Hit from behind : REAR-ENDED - happened to me in 1989; took 4 years to recover the money from the other insurance company

64. Items in a slush pile: Abbr. : SASEs - the envelopes included with the manuscripts

DOWN:

1. Bite sites : SNACK BARS

2. First recurring "SNL" character : KILLER BEE

4. Insurance policy datum : TERM

5. Spanish pronoun : ESTAS

6. Edward Jones Dome athlete : St. LOUIS RAM - mostly perps; glad to see we had a hockey-themed puzzle for the opening of the season this week.  Not so much the football season

7. Masonry tool : HOE

8. Seventh of 24 : ETA - Greek letters

9. Once around : LAP

10. 1986 Jeff Goldblum film, with "The" : FLY - the more graphic version - IMDb

11. It's hard to get rid of one : LEECH

12. Wyoming neighbor : IDAHO

13. Hubbub : FUROR

14. Big name in printers : EPSON - since I had the "O", XEROX seemed likely

20. Bichon Frise, e.g. : TOY - dogs, learned from doing crosswords

24. Sound flustered : SPUTTER - oooh, so close, I had sTutter

25. Chrysler Building style : DECO - Art Deco, and my favorite building of the NYC skyline - and here combined with one of my other favorites

26. Heavens : EDENS

28. Rx amts. : TSPS

30. Group of fathers : PRIESTHOOD

32. Sudden rush : SPATE - yeah, um spaLe was, uh, wrong....

34. Frenzily : AMOK

35. Misses at many bullfights : SENORITAS - the ladies, not the "close calls"; need to call in the Farm Vet from 25a.

37. Lack of originality : STALENESS

39. Jazz singer Anita : O'DAY - dredged from the nether regions of the mind

43. Word with caddy or ball : TEA - tea caddy I get, but a tea ball is new to me

45. Shaded recess : BOWER - reminds me of this Led Zeppelin song

Gallows Pole - lyric @ 2:18

46. Flared dress shape : A LINE

47. __-Wreck : RENT-A

48. Hardly an extrovert : LONER

50. Storage areas : SILOS - semi-clecho at 57d.

54. Prefix with hertz : TERA - went with MEGA - that's 50%, 100% correct

56. Poetic preposition : ERE

57. Storage place : BIN

58. Word between two ages : AND - ummm....

59. Onetime Bell Atlantic rival : GTE

Splynter

Friday, October 9, 2015, Bruce Haight

Theme: A few quick NOTES.

I knew it was Friday and we were in for some shenanigans when I saw the blank grid with the three interesting shapes from NW to SE.  I was not immediately sure what they were, but having done Bruce's E puzzle, I was ready. The asterisks and the reveal made this doable but it was a challenge. Bruce has decided to create a six themer,with a reveal, where each 7 letter word has only letters which can be notes (A B C D E F and G). This one is a visual treat, with the short theme answers leaving room for a boatload of sparkly fill.  AKIHITO,  A LACK OF,  APOLLO I,  BAGGAGE, BUSSING,  DO I DARE,  EROTICA, GONERIL, LATINOS, OLEANNA.  ON TOP OF, RELEARN, POP-UP ADS,  BICAMERAL,  NATURALIST, POLICEWOMAN. These are not all easy, but they were fun. He also uses the downs to create triple stacks of 7s in each corner with the theme on the outside, intersecting with two double stacks. Add two 10 letter climbers and there is your puzzle. Bruce, I like your style. let's walk.

32A. *Vandalized, in a way : DEFACED (7). Like your street artists?

39A. *Head of the produce section? : CABBAGE (7). Lettuce dispense with bad vegetable puns, please!

1D. *Yielded : ACCEDED (7).

12D. *Place for oats : FEEDBAG (7). No horsing around.

36D. *Emotional burden : BAGGAGE (7). Looks like CABBAGE's evil twin.

42D. *Wiped out : EFFACED (7). I realize with the limitation of using only 7 letters things will look similar, but this and 32A are really close.
and the reveal

52A. They're graphically represented three times in this grid ... and the answers to starred clues are the six longest common words than can be spelled using only them : NOTES (5).

Across:

1. Stirs : ADOS.

5. He wrote about "a midnight dreary" : POE. Now, 170 years since publication; a sample:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
`'Tis some visitor,' I muttered, `tapping at my chamber door -
Only this, and nothing more.'

8. Gobble (up) : SNARF.

13. Die, with "out" : CONK. Like a car engine.

14. Blog entry : POST. Weekly.

15. Capital of India : RUPEE. We get both kinds back to back in this clecho.

16. Capital __ : CITY.

17. Colorful fish : OPAH. Also known as moonfish.

18. Took the wrong way? : STOLE. Nice clue.

19. Old Tokyo : EDO.

20. Haul to the kitchen, as groceries : LUG IN. I like the word lug, but no this fill.

22. Word before or after dog : SLED.  I do like the challenge of before and after words. 4D. Word before or after blue : SKY.

23. High-five relative : DAP. We had this fist bump recently.

24. Poison remedy : IPECAC. Now controversial emetic. LINK. And more next door clecho.

26. Poison test site : LAB.

27. Steamy stuff : EROTICA.

30. Queen of the Goths in Shakespeare's "Titus Andronicus" : TAMORA. We get some Shakespeare almost every Friday.

33. Romantic activity : BUSSING. Great word; not affirmative action but "a kiss," 1560s; probably of imitative origin, as are Welsh and Gaelic bus "kiss, lip," French baiser "kiss" (12c., from Latin basiare), Spanish buz, German dialectal Buss. (Dictionary).

34. Words of wisdom : SAWS. Generally old ones.

35. Country on the Strait of Hormuz : IRAN.

36. Ravel classic : BOLERO. A brief X-rated scene

43. Old-style warning : ALARUM.

44. Rather little : A LACK OF.

45. Understand : GET. Ah, I get it.

46. Deli staple : SALAMI.

49. Like Beethoven's "Pastoral Symphony" : IN F.

50. Horse show concern : GAIT.

53. 2000 World Series venue : SHEA. The SUBWAY Series.

54. Yearbook, e.g. : ANNAL.

56. Bakery buy : TART.

57. Newspaper fig. : CIRCular.

58. Little garden party? : GNOME. Really cute clue for an ugly statue.

59. Mazatlán Mrs. : SRA. Senora.

60. End in __ : A TIE.

61. Facilitated : EASED.

62. Suffer : AIL.

63. Squealed : TOLD. My brothers and I learned early to never squeal on each other.

Down:

2. "Is it worth the risk?" : DO I DARE. Nice letter pattern and stack.

3. Knowledgeable about : ON TOP OF. Old Smokey?

5. Online annoyances : POP-UP ADS.

6. Oklahoma county in which a 2008 Pulitzer-winning drama is set : OSAGE. Anybody? LINK.

7. Work __ : ETHIC.

8. Many AARP mems. : SRS. Seniors,

9. "Darn it!" : NUTS.

10. Ill-fated 1967 mission : APOLLO I.  Sad HISTORY. HG?

11. Brush up on : RELEARN.

14. Member of the force : POLICEWOMAN. PEPPER was so spicy. 28D. 14-Down's need, at times : TASER.

21. Darwin, for one : NATURALIST. He ran around without clothes?

25. Fruit named for a Turkish town : CASABA. This MELON named for KASABA.

29. Legendary flier : ICARUS. Poor guy, it was his fall that made him famous.

31. "Morning Joe" airer : MSNBC. Do you watch?

33. Like Congress : BICAMERAL. Two bodies.

37. 1992 Mamet play : OLEANNA. And 1994 MOVIE.

38. Fast-growing U.S. ethnic group : LATINOS.

40. Reigning emperor of Japan : AKIHITO.


41. Regan's poisoner, in Shakespeare : GONERIL. An extra Will.

47. "__ luck!" : LOTSA.

48. Asteroids maker : ATARI.

51. Subdue : TAME.

53. "Buzz off!" : SCAT. I see scat for four legged animals, buzz off for two.

55. Went first : LED. In this case, out the door as another week has passed. Thanks Bruce for your semi-annual Friday LAT. Another week, on that note.... Lemonade out.

Thursday, October 8th 2015 C.C. Burnikel

Theme: Riches to Rags - The Dow goes up, the Dow goes down, the Dow goes up, the Dow goes down.

2D. Common comedy club requirement : TWO DRINK MINIMUM. Noooo problem!

4D. Xbox 360 rival : NINTENDO WII. The company name roughly translates as "leave luck to heaven".

22D. "Right Ho, Jeeves" writer : P. G. WODEHOUSE. If you've not seen the BBC adaptations of the books starring Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, you're in for a treat over on YouTube. All the episodes are available.

10D. "Where was the mistake?" : WHAT DID I DO WRONG? The crossword-solvers lament.

and the reveal:

16D. Wall Street phenomenon suggested by this puzzle's circled letters : MARKET SWING

What ho! Steve here sailing into uncharted Thursday waters - I'll see if I can find Marti's navigation notes somewhere! Circles from C.C. - she told me last week that Rich adds the circles, she doesn't construct with them.  I like this one - the reason the theme entries run north-south rather than the usual east-west is so that the word DOW can run up and down, not side to side. (Note from C.C.: I did have circles in this puzzle submission, Steve, but used "... and a hint to the four letters in the answers to the starred clues in this puzzle" for last week's WILD CARD. That extra circled A in 4-Down caused some confusion for a few of our regulars.)

A thumping 63 letters of themage, including two grid-spanners. Let's see what else we've got:

Across:

1. Night table : STAND

6. Covers a lot of ground : SPRAWLS

13. One learning the ropes : NEWBIE

14. Stir-fried dish with rice noodles : PAD THAI. Food! Once of my favorite Thai dishes. I'm lucky enough to have a Thai market close by that carries the "secret" ingredients - pickled radish, lime leaves, Thai basil and tamarind paste.

15. Receipt datum : AMOUNT

16. Sources of inside info? : MRI SCANS. Magnetic Resonance Imaging, according to WebMD. People tell me it's claustrophobic inside the scanner.

17. Heart : MIDST

18. European coal region : SAAR. Partly in Germany, partly in France.

19. Your, to Pierre : TES. Thursday-level French.

20. Pre-splashdown stage : RE-ENTRY

22. Rice source : PADDY

24. Sports media consultant Fleischer : ARI. Former White House Press Secretary under G.W. Bush.

26. Hiding places : NOOKS

27. Moo goo __ pan : GAI. Yay! More stir-fry - Chinese this time. 蘑菇雞片

28. Good times : FUN

29. Blue Devils' school : DUKE. Perennial basketball powerhouse.

30. Strolled in the shallows : WADED

33. Invite as one's date for : ASK TO

35. UFO crew, so it's said : E.T.S

37. Willow twig : OSIER. Crosses for me. I think I knew this, but I needed lots of help to prod the memory.

38. Cut even shorter, as a green : RE-MOW

39. Chips source : SPUD. The largest potato was grown in the UK in 2010 and weighed in at a whopping 8lbs 4oz. That's a lot of chips!

41. R&B group __ Hill : DRU

42. Ristorante suffix : INI

43. "Pearls Before __": Stephan Pastis comic : SWINE

44. Tuba syllable : OOM

45. Supernatural benefactors : GENII

47. Do-it-yourselfer's website : WIKIHOW. Current front-page items include "How to wrap wontons", "How to help someone with low self-esteem" and "How to choose a good dairy cow breed". Fascinating.

49. Boxer Laila : ALI

50. Typically rectangular glass piece : PANE

51. Hatch in the Senate : ORRIN

54. Attractive : TEMPTING

57. Numbers game : SUDOKU

58. Produce eggs : OVULATE

59. Online newsgroup system : USENET. Is this a thing any more?

60. Pangs of conscience : REMORSE

61. Largely submerged threats : BERGS

Down:

1. Cargo carrier : SEMI

3. Cyberbullying, e.g. : ABUSE

5. "NYPD Blue" rank : DET.

6. Attacks in a hose fight : SPRAYS

7. Tango team : PAIR

8. Byways: Abbr. : RDS

9. LAX tower service : A.T.C. Air Traffic Control at my local airport. A lot of people think this is the control tower at LAX - it's not, it's a restaurant.

11. Like highways : LANED

12. Actress Spacek : SISSY

13. '60s hot spot : 'NAM

18. Stir up : STOKE

21. __-turn : NO U

23. Remote batteries : AAA'S

24. Way out yonder : AFAR

25. Trick : RUSE

31. Designer Saarinen : EERO. This is one of his - the TWA Flight Center at JFK.

32. One frequently hit on the head? : DRUM

34. "Un-break My Heart" singer Braxton : TONI

36. Sudden increase : SPIKE. As in voltage spikes.

40. Verse starter? : UNI. Cue some Beatles from the album "Let It Be".

43. Jolson classic : SWANEE

45. Swamp thing : GATOR

46. Lycée student : ÉLÈVE. Definitely Thursday-level French.

48. Monastic group : ORDER

50. Cherry discards : PITS

52. Turner and Clanton : IKES

53. Aficionado : NUT

55. Gaza Strip gp. : P.L.O. Palestine Liberation Organization.

56. It covers a lot of ground : TAR. There are approximately 2,500,000 miles of paved roads in the USA. That's a lot of blacktop!

57. One coming off the bench : SUB

Just time for the grid and my work here is done. Have a great day!

Steve

Notes from C.C.:

1) I apologize for those cringy entries today, everyone. You know I got desperate when I put OSIER in. Limited theme entry choices, heavy themage and the middle 13 all gave me troubles. I even used two corner black cheaters (Rich does not like them at all).
 
2) Happy Birthday to dear Jayce, who lights up my day every time he comments. Jayce lived in Taiwan for a few years and integrated himself into the local culture and tradition. He speaks fluent Chinese and eats many of the same authentic Chinese food I eat. Boomer thinks they're weird and never touches my fried Tofu or seaweed salad, yet he puts soy sauce on freshly cooked rice, weird!

Jayce and his lovely wife on their wedding day

Click here for a few more photos of Jayce and Mrs. Jayce (she won't like two of today's theme entries).

Wednesday, October 7, 2015 Howard Barkin

Theme: TIME OUT FOR HOCKEY SEASON.  And just in time, as the first of the regular season openers occur tonight, with the Toronto Maple Leafs hosting the Montreal Canadiens and the Calgary flames hosting the Vancouver Canucks. Seven more games follow on Thursday.  My beloved Red Wings don't open until Friday, when they host the Maple Leafs [which I saw referred to as a dysfunctional organization with a psychotic fan base] now led by former Red Wings coach Mike Babcock.  

Today's theme entries are all hockey infractions.  Hockey is a rough, physical game, but there are limits, at least in theory.  For a minor penalty, the offending player is given a 2 minute time out, and his team mates must play a man short, either for the duration, or until the other team scores.  For a major penalty, the duration is 5 minutes and the team with the man advantage may score as many goals as they are able to. The team with the man advantage is said to be on the power play.  

17 A. Sleeping in the great outdoors, e.g. : ROUGHING IT.  AKA camping.  Not a lot of fun in the rain.  After camping with me one time, the LW made a strong case about the virtues of indoor plumbing.  In my role of excellent husband, I take such things very seriously.  The ROUGHING penalty involves excessive physical contact.

23 A. Making sense : HOLDING WATER.  Indicates a sound concept, by analogy to a bucket that does not leak.  The HOLDING penalty involves grabbing the opponent's body, equipment or clothing.

38 A. Fair odds : FIGHTING CHANCES.  This indicates a possibility of success, given sufficient effort.  The FIGHTING penalty is the only major on today's list.  Often they cancel, since it generally takes two to tangle; but uneven numbers sometimes participate, and actual melees have been observed at times.  With this kind of variability, it is possible for one or both teams to end up one or two men short while the penalties are served.

49 A. Airport agent's request : BOARDING PASS.  This is what gets you onto the plane.  The BOARDING penalty involves pushing an opponent violently into the wall surrounding the skating surface, while he is facing the wall.  This is often a blind side hit.

And the unifier -- 60 A. Hockey punishment for the starts of the longest across answers : PENALTY BOX.  This, also known as the sin bin, is where the time out is served.  

There are many more ways to go wrong in a hockey game, and you can read about them here.  And it can get a whole lot worse.  The Shark's infamous repeat-offending goon Raffi Torres has now been suspended for half the season due to a brutal hit to the head of Anaheim Ducks player Jakob Silfverberg in a pre-season game.  Torres received three penalty calls on the spot, and the longest suspension in hockey history after the league review.

Hi gang, JazzBumpa here to referee this match.  Let's strap our skates on and get going.

Across:

1. Great Salt Lake component, to a chemist : NACL.  NaCl outside the all caps world of puzzles, is the chemist's symbol for sodium chloride, common table salt. I know this 'cuz I are one.

5. Moved for a better view, in a way : SAT UP.  More of a posture adjustment than a movement.

10. Lucy's partner : DESI. Lucille Ball and DESI Arnaz.  He is known to have had many other partners [in a DF kind of way,] a serious drinking problem, and a tendency to smoke way too many Cuban cigars. 

14. Fairy tale villain : OGRE.   

15. Yoga position : ASANA.   

Mind, body and spirit

16. Pair in a loaf : ENDS.  I take it this is referring to the heels on a loaf of bread

19. Big East or Big South org. : National Collegiate Athletic Association

20. Generation : AGE.  With baby boomers, Gen X, Gen Y, and millennials, this is the AGE of generations.

21. Org. recommending flossing : American Dental Association.  

22. Like many stunts : RISKY.   If they were safe, they wouldn't be stunts.

28. In the past : AGO.

29. Start of a spelling rule broken by deists? : I BEFORE E.   The word "deists" cleverly illustrates the breaking of the given rule.  I'm very cool toward self-referential clues, no matter how clever.

33. Flooded : AWASH.  Inundated, and one of the dreaded a-words.

36. Bring __ a substitute : IN AS.  Rather an awkward partial.

37. Co-star of Burt in "The Killers" : AVA.  Ms. Gardner plays Kitty Collins opposite Mr. Lancaster's Ole "Swede" Anderson in this suspense thriller based on a story by Ernest Hemingway.

Suspense

42. Prefix with fold : TRI-.  Three panels and two folds, common in poster boards, pamphlets, and paper towels.  

43. "I get the idea!" : OK, OK.  Seems a bit impatient.

44. Skeptical : LEERY.

45. Guard : SENTINEL.

48. Korean automaker : KIA.  The name more or less translates as "Coming out of Asia."

54. Adolescent sidekick : ROBIN.  The Boy Wonder, associated with Bat Man.

57. Indifferent response : MEH.

58. "I did not need to know that" : Too Much Information.

59. Letter-shaped building part : I-BAR.  Metal beam with an I-shaped cross section.  Not this guy.

Erick Aybar

64. Narrated : TOLD.

65. "State of Affairs" star Katherine : HEIGL.

Short-lived Presidential drama

66. Clanton foe : EARP.  As I reported here, back on May 13th,  The EARP brothers, Virgil, Morgan and Wyatt along with Doc Holliday were on one side against Billy Claiborn, Ike and Billy Clanton and Tom and Frank McLaury. The combatants were only a few feet apart, and the incident was over in a matter of seconds.  It took place at a narrow vacant lot next to a photographer's shop, not at or adjacent to the eponymous corral. Probably the most famous gunfight in the history of the old west, but it was not well known to the American people until 50 years later.

67. Jazz finale? : ZEES.   A call out to me?  I suspect not, since it is a self-referential description of the last two letters of the word.

68. Schmoes : DOPES.  Stupid or obnoxious people.

69. Leaf support : STEM.  Plant life details.

Down

1. Ravi's musical daughter : NORAH.

2. Disco era suffix : A GOGO.  Term borrowed from the French, originally meaning something like "in abundance," later indicating a suggestive style of dancing.

3. Mean : CRUEL.

4. Wing alternative : LEG.  Chicken or turkey parts.

5. Flatly denied it : SAID NO.

6. Hit __: experience delays : A SNAG.  Anything holding up progress.

7. Put out on the infield : TAG. 

Collins caught in a run down - one of many Tigers base running gaffes this year

8. One at the front? : UNI-.  At the front = prefix.  

9. Butter serving : PAT.  

10. "Meet the Parents" actor : DE NIRO.

11. Contents of some envs. : ENCS.  Enclosures enclosed in envelopes.  So much redundancy; so few words.

12. Neb. neighbor : SDAK.  South DAKota.

13. "Do as __ ..." : I SAY.   I hear this in my dad's voice.

18. __-Ashbury: San Francisco section : HAIGHT.  Hippy hang out, back in the day.

22. Court official : REFeree.

24. Smidgen of spice : DASH.  Ask the Mrs.

Everything nice?

25. Take the top medal : WIN GOLD.  Olympically speaking

26. By surprise : ABACK.  Unexpected way to be taken.

27. New Age musician John : TESH.  John.  I'm not linking.

30. Compete in a heat : RACE.  Heats are the preliminary rounds.  What were you thinking?

31. At any time : EVER.

32. "Nothing to it!" : EASY.

33. Siesta hrs. : AFTS.   Afternoons.

34. Charging cable, e.g. : WIRE.

35. Not fer : AGIN.   Down-homish vernacular for pro and con.

36. Graphic novel artist : INKER.  Not an adult getting paid to color, as you might expect.  The INKER interprets and embellishes the original pencil drawing.  The colorist applies color.

39. Isle of Mull neighbor : IONA.  Inner Hebrides islands.  Iona is a small island just west of Mull, home to about 200 people.  It is known for it's tranquility and natural beauty, and serves as a location for religious retreats and tourism.

40. Land : ALIGHT.  

41. Tide type : NEAP.  The tide just after the first and third quarters of the moon, when there is the least difference between high and low levels.

46. Classic Fords : T-BIRDS.   The T stands for THUNDER.

Sweet Thunder

47. Accelerator particle : ION.   Used in high energy physics.

48. Mournful tolls : KNELLS.  The ringing of bells, as at a funeral.

50. Physical likeness : IMAGE.   A picture or sculpture.

51. Chance to swing : AT BAT.   Baseball, not Hockey's FIGHTING penalty.  Every time a player completes a turn batting, that is considered a plate appearance.   There are several events in which a plate appearance happens, but not an AT BAT  These include a base on balls, hit by pitch, sacrifice bunt or fly, and some other rare occurrences.  Most batting stats are based on AT BATs. 

52. Three-ingredient treat : S'MORE.  Graham cracker, chocolate and toasted marshmallow.  A treat best enjoyed around a camp fire while ROUGHING IT

53. Common dinner hr. : SIX PM.

54. Nabisco cracker : RITZ.

55. Concert reed : OBOE.  Most common X-word music maker.  The orchestra tunes to it.  

56. About 500 pounds of cotton : BALE.  Heavy.

60. Scholar's deg. : PHD.   Doctor of Philosophy in some specialized field.

61. Want-ad abbr. : EEO.  Equal Employment Opportunity.   Refers to laws prohibiting discrimination.

62. Quick drink : NIP.  Or a sip.  Take your pick 

63. Aye or hai : YES.  That's agreeable, in both Scotland and Japan.

Do you say aye or hai to this puzzle?   I have my nits, but won't call any major penalties.   Here's hoping your team wins all its games - unless they're playing my team, of course.   Now it's time for me to skate off into the sunset.

But first an aside, re: the Oxford comma.  In my usage, it occurs when I'm demarcating a list of multi-word phrases, as in the DESI comment at 10 A, but not when I'm demarcating a list of single word items.

Cool [on ice] regards!

JzB

Notes from C.C.:

1) D-Otto (Tom Uttormark) and I made today's Wall Street Journal Daily Crossword. You can click here to print out & solve.

2) For baseball fans who missed George Barany's Fast Ball yesterday, do go to his site and download the grid. It's fun.