09.27.10 — Baseball




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Monday, September 27, 2010

Puzzle by Janice M. Putney, edited by Will Shortz

Baseball, anyone? — PITCHES A FIT (17A. Shows petulant anger), CATCHES A BREAK (23A. Gets lucky), FIELDS A QUESTION (40A. Doesn’t stonewall, say), BATS AN EYELASH (51A. Reacts slightly), STEALS A KISS (63A. Shows affection unexpectedly) are the interrelated group of this winning Monday crossword.

Other — AKITAS, ALMOST, AS A SET, BIG THRILL (37D. Cause of goose bumps, perhaps), HENRYS, LATECOMER (3D. Recent arrival), ORNATE, SEESAW, STROKE, T-NOTES.

Five-letter — ACCRA, AISLE, BRUIN, DAFOE, ELENA, ELIZA, ERASE, Pro FORMA, HE-MAN, MARIA, OTERI, PABLO, SAKES, SLEEK, SOFAS, SUEDE, TOAST, YEARS.

Short stuff — ALL, ALMA, AMIS, ASAP, BOPS, CHAS, DANA, DES, DOM Pérignon, ECOL, EGGY, ELLA, ETS, “Fee, FIE, foe, fum” GAFF (27D. Large iron hook), GOO, HITS, IMAC, ILS and IQS, ISLA, LIPO, LOGE, “ Whatever LOLA wants, LOLA gets“, from the baseball musical “Damn Yankees“, LYE, MAMA, NET, NSEC, OLE and OLIO, OMIT, ONT, ONYX, OOZE, RIOT, SAT, SHA and SHE, SLAP, SON, SSE and SST, TEX, USA, WET (10D. Rainy).

It breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone. ~ A. Bartlett Giamatti, "The Green Fields of the Mind," Yale Alumni Magazine, November 1977

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Puzzle available on the internet at

THE NEW YORK TIMES — Crossword Puzzles and Games.

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Remaining clues — 5. Teeter-totter; 11. ___ Moines; 14. Apple computer; 15. Hitting of a golf ball; 16. Nothing’s opposite; 20. Cheri formerly of “S.N.L.”; 21. Exam for H.S. seniors; 22. Seep; 27. Hot tar, e.g.; 29. “Here ___ comes, Miss America”; 30. Heir, but not an heiress; ___ mater; 33. “Lucky Jim” author Kingsley; 36. Painter Picasso; 40. Pro ___ (perfunctory); 44. Tiny time unit: Abbr.; 45. Like an omelet; 46. Toronto’s prov.; Lone Star State nickname; 57. Run amok; 58. Cheer for a matador; 59. “Ave ___” (Latin prayer); 62. Fourth of July celebration inits.; 66. They, in Marseille; 67. Eight English kings; 68. Fitzgerald known as the First Lady of Song; 69. Volleyball court divider; 70. How china may be sold; 71. Possible response to a grabby boyfriend. — DOWN: 1. Quick weight loss option, informally; 2. Leave out; 4. Ghana’s capital; 5. Opposite of NNW; 6. Co. that oversees the 21-Across; 7. Rub out; 8. Couches; 9. Dogs whose tails curl up the back; 11. Actor Willem; 12. Doolittle of “Pygmalion”; 13. Streamlined; 18. Chart-toppers; 22. Highly decorative; 24. Addams who created “The Addams Family”; 25. Muscular fellow; 26. Knocks on the noggin; 28. Medley; 32. Not quite; 34. 100 is average for them; 35. Soft leather; 38. Pricey seating section; 39. Gem with colored bands; 41. Carvey who used to say “Well, isn’t that special?”; 42. Environmental sci.; 47. Gov’t securities; 49. Papa’s partner; 51. Boston N.H.L.’er; 52. Window or middle alternative; 53. Raise a glass to; 54. Justice Kagan; 55. Senior, junior and sophomore; 56. Rice wines; 60. Cuba, por ejemplo; 61. “Rush!,” on an order; 63. ___ Na Na; 64. Soapmaker’s need; 65. Fast jet, for short.

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