LA Times Crossword Answers 1 Jul 15, Wednesday

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CROSSWORD SETTER: Frank Virzi
THEME: Baseball Pitches … each of today’s themed answers ends with a type of pitch in BASEBALL:

12D. When combined with 50-Down, this puzzle’s game BASE
50D. See 12-Down … and a word that can follow the ends of the answers to starred clues BALL

17A. *Place-setting piece SALAD FORK (giving “forkball”)
27A. *Inviolable, as rules HARD AND FAST (giving “fastball”)
42A. *Rough-and-tumble BAREKNUCKLE (giving “knuckle ball”)
57A. *Statistical graph image BELL CURVE (giving “curve ball”)

BILL BUTLER’S COMPLETION TIME: 7m 12s
ANSWERS I MISSED: 0

Today’s Wiki-est, Amazonian Googlies
Across

5. Iditarod, e.g. RACE
The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race covers a massive 1,161 miles, from Anchorage to Nome in Alaska. The race starts every year on the first Saturday in March, with the first race having been held in 1973. The fastest finishing time was set in 2002 at just under 9 days. The first few races only used a northern route, but then a southern route was added to the roster every second year. It’s kind of a good thing, because when the racers take the northern route they don’t even pass through the town of Iditarod!

9. Talmudic scholar RABBI
The Talmud is a collection of writings by thousands of rabbis and is a central text in Rabbinic Judaism, second only to the Torah.

14. Bountiful place? UTAH
The city of Bountiful is in the northern part of Utah, and serves as a bedroom community for Salt Lake City. Bountiful was settled back in 1847, the second settlement in Utah right after Salt Lake City. It was originally called Sessions Settlement after the first settler, Perrigrine Sessions, and later North Canyon Ward. The name Bountiful was adopted in 1855, taking the name of a city in the Book of Mormon.

15. Tel Aviv airline EL AL
El Al Israel Airlines is the flag carrier of Israel. The term “el al” translates from Hebrew as “to the skies”.

The full name of Israel’s second largest city is Tel Aviv-Yafo. Tel Aviv translates into “Spring Mound”, a name chosen in 1910.

20. Fenway Park and Wrigley Field STADIUMS
The left field wall in Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team, is the tallest encountered in Major League ballparks. The wall was built so high to prevent viewing of games from outside of the park for free. The height also prevents home runs that would be possible in other ballparks, and so, given its color and reputation, it is called the Green Monster.

The famous ballpark that is home to the Chicago Cubs was built in 1914. Back then it was known as Weeghman Park, before becoming Cubs Park when the Cubs arrived in 1920. It was given the name Wrigley Field in 1926, after the owner William Wrigley, Jr. of chewing gum fame. Wrigley Field is noted as the only professional ballpark that has ivy covering the outfield walls. The ivy is a combination of Boston Ivy and Japanese Bittersweet, both of which can survive the harsh winters in Chicago.

21. Sweet liqueurs CREMES
A “cream liqueur” is one that includes dairy cream. The most famous example is probably Baileys Irish Cream, that is made made from cream and Irish whiskey. A crème liqueur, on the other hand, is one that includes a lot of added sugar, but no dairy cream. Examples are crème de cacao (chocolate-flavored), crème de menthe (mint-flavored) and crème de cassis (blackcurrant-flavored).

22. She, in San Remo ESSA
The Italian city of San Remo sits on the Mediterranean, right on the border with France. In Italian the city is named Sanremo, just one word, although the spelling of “San Remo” dates back to ancient times.

23. “Uptown Girl” songwriter JOEL
“Uptown Girl” is a 1983 song written and recorded by Billy Joel that tells the story of a working-class man from “downtown” who falls for a wealthy woman from “uptown”. Joel wrote the song for his soon-to-be wife, supermodel Christie Brinkley. That said, he originally wrote the song as “Uptown Girls”, describing his three friends: singer Whitney Houston and models Elle Macpherson and Christie Brinkley. Brinkley played the title character in the music video.

24. “Cats” monogram TSE
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s source material for his hit musical “Cats” was T. S. Eliot’s “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats”. Eliot’s collection of whimsical poems was published in 1939, and was a personal favorite of Webber as he was growing up. “Cats” is the second longest running show in Broadway history (“Phantom of the Opera” is the longest and is still running; deservedly so in my humble opinion). my wife and I have seen “Cats” a couple of times and really enjoyed it …

32. Early Talmudic scholar HILLEL
Hillel the Elder was an important Jewish religious leader and scholar. Two popular sayings are attributed to Hillel:

– If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am ‘I’? And if not now, when?
– That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.

36. Morning TV host replaced by Michael REGIS
Regis Philbin is an amazingly popular television personality. Philbin is in such high demand and has had such a long career, that he holds the Guinness World Record for the most time spent in front of a television camera (in excess of 16,000 hours).

When Regis Philbin retired from his famous morning talk show with Kelly Ripa, he was eventually replaced by former NFL player Michael Strahan. Apparently Strahan’s addition to the show has been extremely well received by audiences.

37. Apr. addressee IRS
April 15th wasn’t always Tax Day in the US. The deadline for returns was March 1st from 1913-18, when it was moved to March 15th. Tax Day has been April 15th since 1955.

38. Roper’s target DOGIE
“Dogie” is cowboy slang for a motherless calf in a herd.

40. London’s Virgin __ Records EMI
Virgin EMI Records is a label that formed in 2013 with the merger of Mercury Records UK and Virgin Records. The list of artists recording with Virgin EMI includes Justin Bieber, Elton John, Rihanna, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, Paul McCartney, U2, Willie Nelson and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

47. Lamb or Bacon, e.g.: Abbr. AUTH
Charles Lamb was an English writer best known for a collection of essays called “Essays of Elia” and “Tales from Shakespeare”, a children’s book that he wrote with this sister Mary Lamb. Both Charles and Mary suffered from mental illness. Mary’s condition was so bad that she stabbed and killed her mother in a manic rage.

49. Sporty Fords T-BIRDS
Ford manufactured the Thunderbird (T-Bird) from 1955 to 2005, originally as a two-seater sporty convertible. The T-Bird was introduced as a competitor to Chevrolet’s new sports car, the Corvette.

52. Marriott rival SHERATON
The Sheraton Hotel chain was started by Ernest Henderson and Robert Moore in 1937. The pair bought a hotel that already had a lighted sign on its roof saying “Sheraton Hotel”, and as it was too big and expensive to change, they decided to adopt the name for the whole chain.

Marriott Hotels developed their initial properties in the fifties. The first to open was the Quality Inn near Washington DC, the first purpose-built airport hotel in the country.

59. S.A. country on the Pacific ECUA
“Ecuador” is the Spanish word for “equator”, which gives the country its name.

60. Mezzanine, e.g. TIER
A mezzanine in a building is a low story between two taller ones. The term came to be used for the lowest balcony in a theater in the 1920s.

61. Like Venus, to Serena OLDER
Venus Williams is the older of the two Williams sisters playing professional tennis. In 2002, Williams became the first black woman to earn the World No. 1 ranking by the Women’s Tennis Association.

Serena Williams is the younger of the two Williams sisters playing professional tennis. Serena has won more prize money in her career than any other female athlete.

62. “__ Mommy kissing … ” I SAW
“I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” is one of the most successful Christmas songs ever recorded. The original version was released in 1952 by Jimmy Boyd, when the young man was just 13 years old. “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” has apparently sold over 60 millions copies since then.

63. River of Spain EBRO
The Ebro is the longest river in Spain. The river was known by the Romans as the Iber, and it is the “Iber” river that gives the “Iberian” Peninsula its name.

Down
2. Californie, par exemple ETAT
In French, California (Californie) is a state (état).

3. “The Lion King” lion NALA
In “The Lion King”, Nala is a lioness and the childhood friend of Simba.

The highly successful stage musical “The Lion King” started out life as a 1994 animated feature film of the same name from the Disney studio. The film is the highest earning traditionally-animated feature of all time. The animated film “Finding Nemo” has made more money, but it was created using computer animation.

6. 10-time Gold Glove winner Roberto ALOMAR
Roberto Alomar is a former Major League Baseball player, considered by many to be the greatest ever second baseman. Alomar won 10 Gold Glove awards in his career, which is more than any other second baseman in history.

The Gold Glove is an annual award given by Major League Baseball to the player judged to be the best in each fielding position in a season. The award was instituted in 1957 by the baseball glove manufacturer Rawlings.

7. National rentals CARS
National Car Rental was founded back in 1947, a conglomerate of 24 independent rental agencies that already existed around the country.

8. Deer family member ELK
The elk (also known as the wapiti) is the one of the largest species of deer in the world, with only the moose being bigger. Early European settlers were familiar with the smaller red deer back in their homelands, so when they saw the “huge” wapiti they assumed it was a moose, and incorrectly gave it the European name for a moose, namely “elk”. The more correct name for the beast is “wapiti”, which means “white rump” in Shawnee. It’s all very confusing …

10. Type of cake made with egg whites ANGEL FOOD
Angel food cake is an American creation, with the name being a reference to the sponge’s lightness, as if it is “food of angels”. The chocolate butter cake called Devil’s food cake came along later, and is considered to be a counterpart to the more angelic variety.

23. Shark flick JAWS
“Jaws” is a thrilling 1975 movie directed by Steven Spielberg that is based on a novel of the same name by Peter Benchley. The film has a powerful cast, led by Roy Scheider, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw. “Jaws” was perhaps the first “summer blockbuster” with the highest box office take in history, a record that stood until “Star Wars” was released two years later.

25. Tuscan city SIENA
Siena is a beautiful city in the Tuscany region of Italy. In the center of Siena is the magnificent medieval square called Piazza del Campo, a paved sloping open area made up of nine triangular sections. The square has to be seen to be believed. Twice a year, the famous bareback horse-race called the Palio di Siena is held in the Piazza.

26. “Pomp and Circumstance” composer ELGAR
Sir Edward Elgar was the quintessential English composer, inextricably associated with his “Pomp and Circumstance” marches (including “Land of Hope and Glory”) and the “Enigma Variations”.

“Pomp and Circumstance” is a series of marches composed by Englishman Edward Elgar. The most famous of the series is March No. 1 in D, and this is used as a “graduation march” at high school and college graduation ceremonies in the US. The march is often just called “Pomp and Circumstance”, which is a bit of a misnomer as that title refers to the whole set of marches. The title is taken from Shakespeare’s “Othello”.

Farewell the neighing steed and the shrill trump,
The spirit-stirring drum, th’ear-piercing fife,
The royal banner, and all quality,
Pride, pomp, and circumstance of glorious war!

28. Greek column style DORIC
The Doric was one of the three classical orders of architecture, the others being the Ionic and the Corinthian.

29. Existential woe ANGST
The philosophy of existentialism basically posits that the individual is responsible for his or her life. One cannot look to a higher being, accident of birth, or any other outside influence to define the meaning of one’s life.

30. Offspring SCION
“Scion” comes from the old French word “sion” or “cion”, meaning “a shoot or a twig”. In botanical terms today, a scion is used in grafting two compatible plants together. In grafting, one plant is selected for its root system (the “rootstock”), and the other plant is selected for its stems, leaves and fruit (the “scion”). The term scion migrated naturally into the world of family history. A scion is simply a descendant, a son or a daughter and therefore a branching point in the family tree.

33. Diamond smack LINE DRIVE
In baseball, a line drive is a ball that is hit low, hard and straight.

37. Controversial radio host IMUS
Don Imus’s syndicated radio show “Imus in the Morning” broadcasts from New York City. Imus has been described as a “shock jock”, a disc jockey who deliberately uses provocative language and humor that many would find offensive . I don’t like shock jocks …

38. Coke Zero rival DIET RC
RC Cola introduced its first diet beverage way back in 1958, a product called Diet Rite Cola (or “Diet RC”). It’s still around today, although the formulation has been changed many times.

Even though Coca-Cola Zero is in the category of “diet soda”, the marketing folks at Coca-Cola don’t like its association with the word “diet”. The target market for the beverage is young, adult males, so it is described as “calorie-free” rather than “diet”, the assumption being that males associate “diet” with women. Not in this house …

40. Hall of Famer Slaughter ENOS
Enos Slaughter has a remarkable playing record in Major League Baseball over a 19-year career. Slaughter’s record is particularly remarkable given that he left baseball for three years to serve in the military during WWII.

41. Sunday shopping restriction BLUE LAW
“Blue Laws” are prohibitive statutes designed to restrict activities on a Sunday for religious reasons. There seem to be a few dubious etymologies published to explain the use of the term “blue” in such a context. The most credible derivation seems to be point at the supporters of Oliver Cromwell in the British Parliament of the mid-17th century, who were called “blue-stockings”.

44. Liqueur in a B-52 cocktail KAHLUA
Kahlúa is a rum-based liqueur from Mexico that has a coffee flavor.

A B-52 is a layered cocktail that is usually served as a shot. It consists of coffee liqueur on the bottom, Irish cream in the center, and triple sec on top. The drink is named for the rock band called the B-52’s, and in turn the band is named for the long-range bomber.

48. __ cuisine HAUTE
“Haute cuisine”, literally “high cooking” in French, is the name given to skillfully and elegantly prepared food, especially if it is in the French style.

49. The Andrews Sisters, e.g. TRIO
The Andrews Sisters of the boogie-woogie era really were sisters, from Mound, Minnesota. The trio consisted of LaVerne, Maxene and Patty Andrews. Their biggest hit was 1941’s marvelous “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy”.

51. Apple MP3 player IPOD
The iPod is Apple’s signature line of portable media players. The iPod first hit the market in 2001 with a hard drive-based device, now known as the iPod Classic. Later models all use flash memory, allowing a smaller form factor. The smallest of the flash-based models is the iPod Shuffle, which was introduced in 2005.

MP3 is an audio coding format, the most common format used for music stored on digital audio players. MP3 files are compressed and “lossy”, meaning that some audio information is lost when the file is generated. For this reason, MP3 files are about 1/11 of the size of the equivalent music files found CD.

53. Windy City paper TRIB
“The Chicago Tribune” was first published in 1847. The most famous edition of “The Trib” was probably in 1948 when the headline was “DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN”, on the occasion of that year’s presidential election. When it turned out Truman had actually won, the victor picked up the paper with the erroneous headline and posed for photographs with it … a famous, famous photo, that must have stuck in the craw of the editor at the time.

It seems that the derivation of Chicago’s nickname as the “Windy City” isn’t as obvious as I would have thought. There are two viable theories. First that the weather can be breezy, with wind blowing in off Lake Michigan. The effect of the wind is exaggerated by the grid-layout adopted by city planners after the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The second theory is that “windy” means “being full of bluster”. Sportswriters from the rival city of Cincinnati were fond of calling Chicago supporters “windy” in the 1860s and 1870s, meaning that they were full of hot air in their claims that the Chicago White Stockings were superior to the Cincinnati Red Stockings.

55. Homebound sleuth Wolfe NERO
Nero Wolfe is a fictional detective and the hero of many stories published by author Rex Stout. There are 33 Nero Wolfe novels for us to read, and 39 short stories. There are also movie adaptations of two of the novels: “Meet Nero Wolfe” (1936) which features a young Rita Hayworth, and “The League of Frightened Men” (1937). One of Wolfe’s endearing traits is his love of good food and beer, so he is a pretty rotund character.

57. “__ Mir Bist Du Schoen”: Andrews Sisters hit BEI
“Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen” was a hit in the 1930s for the Andrews Sisters. The title translates from German into English as “To Me, You Are Beautiful”. The song was originally titled in Yiddish as “Bei Mir Bistu Shein” as it was written for a 1932 Yiddish comedy musical called “Men Ken Lebn Nor Men Lost Nisht”.

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For the sake of completion, here is a full listing of all the answers:
Across
1. Waterlogged lowlands FENS
5. Iditarod, e.g. RACE
9. Talmudic scholar RABBI
14. Bountiful place? UTAH
15. Tel Aviv airline EL AL
16. Wee hr. ONE AM
17. *Place-setting piece SALAD FORK (giving “forkball”)
19. Stunned AGASP
20. Fenway Park and Wrigley Field STADIUMS
21. Sweet liqueurs CREMES
22. She, in San Remo ESSA
23. “Uptown Girl” songwriter JOEL
24. “Cats” monogram TSE
27. *Inviolable, as rules HARD AND FAST (giving “fastball”)
32. Early Talmudic scholar HILLEL
34. Need to pay OWE
35. Back in the day ONCE
36. Morning TV host replaced by Michael REGIS
37. Apr. addressee IRS
38. Roper’s target DOGIE
39. __ upswing ON AN
40. London’s Virgin __ Records EMI
41. Raises an auction paddle for BIDS ON
42. *Rough-and-tumble BAREKNUCKLE (giving “knuckle ball”)
45. Heavy wts. TNS
46. God of Spain DIOS
47. Lamb or Bacon, e.g.: Abbr. AUTH
49. Sporty Fords T-BIRDS
52. Marriott rival SHERATON
56. Speedy RAPID
57. *Statistical graph image BELL CURVE (giving “curve ball”)
58. Start of a valentine message I LOVE …
59. S.A. country on the Pacific ECUA
60. Mezzanine, e.g. TIER
61. Like Venus, to Serena OLDER
62. “__ Mommy kissing … ” I SAW
63. River of Spain EBRO

Down
1. Hubbub FUSS
2. Californie, par exemple ETAT
3. “The Lion King” lion NALA
4. Protect from light SHADE
5. Firm no REFUSAL
6. 10-time Gold Glove winner Roberto ALOMAR
7. National rentals CARS
8. Deer family member ELK
9. Laughed heartily ROARED
10. Type of cake made with egg whites ANGEL FOOD
11. Roof support BEAM
12. When combined with 50-Down, this puzzle’s game BASE
13. Babysitters’ challenges IMPS
18. Sink clutter DISHES
21. Ice cream parlor order CONE
23. Shark flick JAWS
24. Beat THROB
25. Tuscan city SIENA
26. “Pomp and Circumstance” composer ELGAR
28. Greek column style DORIC
29. Existential woe ANGST
30. Offspring SCION
31. Babysitters, often TEENS
33. Diamond smack LINE DRIVE
37. Controversial radio host IMUS
38. Coke Zero rival DIET RC
40. Hall of Famer Slaughter ENOS
41. Sunday shopping restriction BLUE LAW
43. One pulling your leg KIDDER
44. Liqueur in a B-52 cocktail KAHLUA
48. __ cuisine HAUTE
49. The Andrews Sisters, e.g. TRIO
50. See 12-Down … and a word that can follow the ends of the answers to starred clues BALL
51. Apple MP3 player IPOD
52. Jiffies SECS
53. Windy City paper TRIB
54. Partner of out OVER
55. Homebound sleuth Wolfe NERO
57. “__ Mir Bist Du Schoen”: Andrews Sisters hit BEI

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