Words: 72
Blocks: 28
Triple stacks of 11's with 'almost' triple stacks of 10's make up today's grid from constructor Steve Salitan - his last LAT contribution was mine, too - a bit like JZB this week with Gareth's contribution. Long baseball proper name to start, pure C.C., and I needed perps to get it. Otherwise, the words that broke this one out for me were -
25. Raced on a lake, perhaps : SCULLED - Skated was too short, Ice Boated too long and awkward; after the perps, I still needed the "LL", but then the V-8 can....Rowing ah, a wet lake, not a frozen one - it's a hockey thing
and its counter-fill -
44. Really messed up : SNAFU'ed - Considered "BLOTTED", but then again any collection of letters can usually describe being messed up; this one is an acronym, Situation Normal: All F'ed Up - since I spent a fair amount of time being 'drunk', let's see how many words there are....Wrecked, Plastered -
Onward ~!
ACROSS:
1. Dodger shortstop after Leo Durocher : PEE-WEE REESE - C.C., I defer to you
12. "I kiss'd thee __ I kill'd thee": Othello : ERE
15. Mediterranean arm : ADRIATIC SEA - well, I filled in the SEA part, and waited for the 'other' part
16. 24-hora period : DIA - Spanish for hour and day, Italian, too~? I took Latin in High School, so....
17. Where sheets are spotted : LINEN CLOSET
18. Suppositions : IFs
19. Coat of a kind : PEEL
20. Chick chaser : HEN - Not a GUY, like me, chasing the cuties
21. Adjective showing confidence : DOABLE
23. Cost of membership : DUES - I have not paid any Union dues at UPS; I think it's a charge for FT associates (drivers) only
26. Many "Twilight" series readers : 'TWEENs - not a fan of the whole Vampire thing
29. Racket : CLATTER
30. Pharmaceuticals co. division : Research AND Development
31. Upside list : PROs - I had my list of UPSIDES and CONS for applying for the management position; still in the "hurry up and wait" phase of the hiring process, for those curious
32. Horse with a high tail carriage : ARAB - well I was going to guess one of the two horse words I know of 4-letters, ARAB and ROAN, but I left it for a few perps
34. Past, in the past : ELD
35. Accommodates : OBLIGES
38. 2011 Hiroshima Art Prize winner : ONO - not a fan
39. Take off the top : SKIM
41. "Hogwash!" : LIES~!
42. "The Supremes __": 1966 #1 album : A'GO-GO
46. Glossy-coated tree dweller : MARTEN - Image
47. Crusty entrées : POTPIES - I like Chicken Pot Pies
48. Notice on the links? : FORE~!
49. "Be right with ya" : ONE SECecond
50. Where chads became famous: Abbr. : FLA - Ol' Jeb and George Bush, putting one over on Al Gore....
51. Stanza rhyme scheme : ABAB - ARAB and ABAB
55. 1880s White House monogram : CAA - Had this, took it out, put it back in; reminds me of this scene, @ 7:45
56. "Basic Instinct" co-star : SHARON STONE - and we remember this scene, right~? TV-MA~!!!
59. Cassis cocktail : KIR - black currant liqueur with white wine; sounds tasty, but no longer a choice for me
60. Drug delivery mode : TIME RELEASE - not INTRAVENOUS; always wanted to try Heroin....
61. New alums, last yr. : SRs
62. Outward impressions : APPEARANCES
DOWN:
1. Insect sensor : PALP - new one for me, more HERE
2. Emmy winner Falco : EDIE
3. Ocean flier : ERNE - not TERN....
4. Used with skill : WIELDED - Like a sword
5. Suffix with Ecuador : EAN
6. Aquatints, e.g. : ETCHES - Learning moment for me
7. Gets upset : RILES
8. Subj. involving bread? : ECONomy - bread = money, etc.
9. What a collective noun usually lacks : ESS - Like FISH (not fishES); good for a little mis-direction in crossword construction
10. Pea pod, e.g. : SEED CASE
11. Celebrate, in a way : EAT OUT
12. Radish, for one : EDIBLE ROOT
13. Shooting site : RIFLE RANGE - there is a shooting range along one of the routes I regularly take; something I would like to try
14. Reduced : EASED
22. Ski resort near the Great Salt Lake : ALTA - Map; no snowboarding allowed
24. Reverse : UNDO
25. Tough jobs : SLOGS - Classic Saturday crossword verb, yes?
26. 25% of doce : TRES - 1/4 of 12 = 3
27. Revels in the moment : WALKS ON AIR - despite not being a TV show, this could be paired/traded with its neighbor, like yesterday;
28. Conclude with an emotional demonstration, perhaps : END IN TEARS - Walks on tears, Ends in Air ????
29. Shouted : CRIED
31. Practices : PLIES - like a trade; always makes me laugh when I hear a doctor/lawyer has a "practice" - I'd rather they were at game ready levels....
33. Benefit : BOON
36. Good stock : BLUE CHIP - this was a fill from last Saturday, no ~? uh-uh; a clue from the Feb 4th puzzle
37. Mineral-rich European region : SAAR - Not RuhR
40. Google __ : MAPS
43. Increase : GREATEN - a 'meh' moment, tho I know it's a word; "the more I blog, the more I greaten my chances of being read"....?
45. Ford subcompact since 1976 : FIESTA - European, mostly; I watch the UK Top Gear 'motoring' show, and they "assaulted a beach" in a bright green one; just another practical test of the car's capability
46. Malcontent : MOANER
47. Hail damage marks : POCKS - not DINGS
48. Area plants : FLORA
50. "... get one __!" : FREE - it's Saturday, so you don't get the "BUY ONE" hint....
52. Former U.K. carrier : BOAC - British Overseas Airways Corp. - the Wiki story
53. Le Havre handle : ANSE
54. Some school competitions : BEES - I love this "Bees" track - TM Juke
57. One often turned up in a club : AMP - thought this might be a mis-direction of the deck of cards variety, and tried ACE; I have found a fellow guitar player, and we have been jamming a lot lately; been cranking up the AMPs
58. '70s radical gp. : SLA - once again, I can never remember which one is which; SAS, SDS, SLA ??? This is the Patty Hearst one...oh well....
gotcha ~! Splynter
