Words: 72 (missing Q,V,X,Z)
Blocks: 30
BAM~!!! How's that for a Saturday Grand Slam~! I get to blog a puzzle from our Northmost Host~! ( OK, maybe our Montana is further up....) - a themeless from our very own C.C. I was getting a little worried in the NE corner, but then things started to come to mind. Two proper names crossing in the center, and triple-7 corners - then there's the six 8-letter climbers; and, of course, one's of a baseball nature~! Lots of two-word answers. We have:
36A. Youngest male tennis player to be No. 1 in the ATP Rankings : LLEYTON HEWITT - why not have a spanner that starts with two "L"s? Never heard of this "JOE"
21D. Duel personality? : AARON BURR - Alexander Hamilton - the "JOE" on the $10 bill - was shot and mortally wounded by Burr; I knew of the duel, but not the history preceding the event - but I did remember this spot for milk;
8. Show known for its slow-motion shots : BAYWATCH - this is funny
- but I gotta tell ya, I never got into this show; not a huge fan of
bathing suits - I prefer the smartly dressed type. For the rest of the
male population, I offer this
38. Where most hits wind up : OUTFIELD - I played baseball for one season when I was about 14 - our record was 1-11, but in our only win, I had a blooper single that scored the winning run - HA~! BTW, I was hit by more pitches than the number of times I made contact with the bat....now I jump in the way of the ball intentionally - a hockey ball, that is.
Should have saved 
for today~!
for today~!
ONWARD~!
ACROSS:
1. Piece of fruit? : SILENT I - knew we were looking for some trickery; "früt"
8. Time capsule ceremonies : BURIALS - I recommend the movie "Knowing" with Nicholas Cage; the story begins with the opening of a time capsule, and the movie has some chillingly realistic CGI scenes
15. Barhopping : ON A TOOT - Yep, Fridays were usually the 'official' bar-hopping night; as many as you could get to; Thurdays were typically Ladies Night
16. Awkward at gatherings, say : ASOCIAL - and I was pretty much this "JOE" at every one of those bars....
17. Big oaf : PALOOKA - my favorite scene involving this word; *warning!* language
18. "I need an answer now!" : YES OR NO - who else thought of this song?
19. __-Locka, Florida : OPA
20. Shortens again, as a board : RESAWS - measure once, cut twice - oh, wait - that only works if you need it shorter
22. Medieval fight club? : MACE
23. Move, briefly : RE-LOcate
25. Frozen Four org. : NCAA - the hockey version of the college tournament
26. Pequod co-owner : PELEG - Moby Dick
27. Give up a seat : STAND
29. Pianist Schnabel : ARTUR
31. Ivy League nickname : ELI
32. Wild West : MAE - nice mis-direction
34. Prefix with -syllabic : OCTO - poetry in eight lines - Yellowrocks?
35. NBAer Artest who changed his name to Metta World Peace : RON
40. Guy : JOE - G.I.Joe or Joe the Plumber?
41. Short remnant : STUB
42. Cagy : SLY
43. Battle of Shiloh monogram : U.S.G. - Ulysses S Grant - the "JOE" on the $50 bill; born Hiram Ulysses Grant, the "S" stands for nothing
44. Erect : PUT UP - yeah, what were you thinking....?
46. Bollywood garments : SARIs - Indian garb
50. Bedroom label : SERTA - mine now says "Sleep Number", and I have settled on "45"
52. Some brothers : FRAs - Italian monks, from the Latin 'frater', brother; my brother just celebrated his 40th B-day on Thursday - same day as Dennis
54. Having a single channel : MONO - in audio equipment
55. NYC train, familiarly : THE "A"
56. Historic events : FIRSTS
58. 16th-century date : MDL - 1550 A.D.
59. Certain tie : NO SCORE
61. "Now, listen ..." : SEE HERE
63. As good as it gets : OPTIMAL
64. All-purpose : GENERAL
65. Covent Garden locale : WEST END - another musical link
66. Fuddy-duddy : OLD FOGY
DOWN:
1. Deep sleeps : SOPORS
2. Hot under the collar : IN A PET
3. Syllables sometimes said with one's fingers in one's ears : LA-LA-LA - I can't hear you, Linda~!
4. 1940s arena: Abbr. : ETO - popular this week
5. Queen who is also a humanitarian activist : NOOR of Jordan - beautiful
6. Keepsake : TOKEN
7. Mississippi source : ITASCA - oh, so this is in Minnesota, too~!
9. Capitalizes on : USES
10. Sigur __: ethereal Icelandic band : RÓS - I gave it a listen; it's a bit wandering for me
11. "Where __ from ..." : I COME
12. Wartime signal : AIR ALERT - and another music link
13. Loyal friend of Gawain : LANCELOT - "We're knights of the round table..."
14. Alabama Slammer ingredient : SLOE GIN - amaretto, Southern Comfort, OJ, and sweet & sour - never over ICE~!
24. Words someone 15-Across loves to hear : ON ME - loved these two words
26. Hunts : PROWLS
28. Mani-pedi spot : DAY SPA - there's a Day Spa on my new training route - I have not seen any cuties in there yet
30. Rugged vehicles : UTES
33. Incredulous accusation : ET TU, Brute?
36. Stop looking for a rescue plane : LOSE HOPE
37. Recliner features : LEG RESTS
39. Start of Popeye's credo : I YAM what I yam, and tha's all what I yam
40. Seconds ago : JUST NOW
45. Turn a corner, in a game : PASS GO - Monopoly
47. The Joker portrayer : ROMERO
48. Like comic Eddie Izzard, at times : IN DRAG
49. Alone : SOLELY
51. Unspoken : TACIT
53. Symbol of strength : STEEL
56. "Happily Divorced" actress Drescher : FRAN - Drescher, also starred in This Is Spinal Tap - one of my all-time favorites
57. Cellphone button : SEND
60. Cockney abode : 'OME
62. Mag mogul : HEF - ahh, to finish up with the Playboy himself, Hugh Hefner
Splynter
8. Time capsule ceremonies : BURIALS - I recommend the movie "Knowing" with Nicholas Cage; the story begins with the opening of a time capsule, and the movie has some chillingly realistic CGI scenes
15. Barhopping : ON A TOOT - Yep, Fridays were usually the 'official' bar-hopping night; as many as you could get to; Thurdays were typically Ladies Night
16. Awkward at gatherings, say : ASOCIAL - and I was pretty much this "JOE" at every one of those bars....
17. Big oaf : PALOOKA - my favorite scene involving this word; *warning!* language
18. "I need an answer now!" : YES OR NO - who else thought of this song?
19. __-Locka, Florida : OPA
20. Shortens again, as a board : RESAWS - measure once, cut twice - oh, wait - that only works if you need it shorter
22. Medieval fight club? : MACE
23. Move, briefly : RE-LOcate
25. Frozen Four org. : NCAA - the hockey version of the college tournament
26. Pequod co-owner : PELEG - Moby Dick
27. Give up a seat : STAND
29. Pianist Schnabel : ARTUR
31. Ivy League nickname : ELI
32. Wild West : MAE - nice mis-direction
34. Prefix with -syllabic : OCTO - poetry in eight lines - Yellowrocks?
35. NBAer Artest who changed his name to Metta World Peace : RON
40. Guy : JOE - G.I.Joe or Joe the Plumber?
41. Short remnant : STUB
42. Cagy : SLY
43. Battle of Shiloh monogram : U.S.G. - Ulysses S Grant - the "JOE" on the $50 bill; born Hiram Ulysses Grant, the "S" stands for nothing
44. Erect : PUT UP - yeah, what were you thinking....?
46. Bollywood garments : SARIs - Indian garb
50. Bedroom label : SERTA - mine now says "Sleep Number", and I have settled on "45"
52. Some brothers : FRAs - Italian monks, from the Latin 'frater', brother; my brother just celebrated his 40th B-day on Thursday - same day as Dennis
54. Having a single channel : MONO - in audio equipment
55. NYC train, familiarly : THE "A"
56. Historic events : FIRSTS
58. 16th-century date : MDL - 1550 A.D.
59. Certain tie : NO SCORE
61. "Now, listen ..." : SEE HERE
63. As good as it gets : OPTIMAL
64. All-purpose : GENERAL
65. Covent Garden locale : WEST END - another musical link
66. Fuddy-duddy : OLD FOGY
DOWN:
1. Deep sleeps : SOPORS
2. Hot under the collar : IN A PET
3. Syllables sometimes said with one's fingers in one's ears : LA-LA-LA - I can't hear you, Linda~!
4. 1940s arena: Abbr. : ETO - popular this week
5. Queen who is also a humanitarian activist : NOOR of Jordan - beautiful
6. Keepsake : TOKEN
7. Mississippi source : ITASCA - oh, so this is in Minnesota, too~!
9. Capitalizes on : USES
10. Sigur __: ethereal Icelandic band : RÓS - I gave it a listen; it's a bit wandering for me
11. "Where __ from ..." : I COME
12. Wartime signal : AIR ALERT - and another music link
13. Loyal friend of Gawain : LANCELOT - "We're knights of the round table..."
14. Alabama Slammer ingredient : SLOE GIN - amaretto, Southern Comfort, OJ, and sweet & sour - never over ICE~!
24. Words someone 15-Across loves to hear : ON ME - loved these two words
26. Hunts : PROWLS
28. Mani-pedi spot : DAY SPA - there's a Day Spa on my new training route - I have not seen any cuties in there yet
30. Rugged vehicles : UTES
33. Incredulous accusation : ET TU, Brute?
36. Stop looking for a rescue plane : LOSE HOPE
37. Recliner features : LEG RESTS
39. Start of Popeye's credo : I YAM what I yam, and tha's all what I yam
40. Seconds ago : JUST NOW
45. Turn a corner, in a game : PASS GO - Monopoly
47. The Joker portrayer : ROMERO
48. Like comic Eddie Izzard, at times : IN DRAG
49. Alone : SOLELY
51. Unspoken : TACIT
53. Symbol of strength : STEEL
56. "Happily Divorced" actress Drescher : FRAN - Drescher, also starred in This Is Spinal Tap - one of my all-time favorites
57. Cellphone button : SEND
60. Cockney abode : 'OME
62. Mag mogul : HEF - ahh, to finish up with the Playboy himself, Hugh Hefner
Splynter
