4:59 (FWOE)
First off, welcome Mr. Koiki to the ranks of NYT crossword puzzle creators! Always great to see and comment on a debut.
Color me young, but I'd never heard of OHIOPLAYERS before this puzzle, and after looking them up on Wikipedia, I am no more enlightened. Even after listening to two of their greatest hits, Funky Worm and Rollercoaster of Love, I am in the dark. All of which is to say that the revealer was not such an "aha!" moment for me.
But taken the other way, it's a clever way to tie the other four theme answers together in an unexpected way. The Bengals, Browns, Reds, and Indians are the major league representatives from the NHL and MLB in the state of Ohio. It's odd (but understandable) that the NHL team (the Columbus Blue Jackets - try fitting that into the beginning of a theme answer) and the NBA team (the Cleveland Cavaliers) were not included.
I made one error (again - the second time in three days). Today's came at the crossing of DSL and KILDARE. I recognize the latter now that I fixed it, although, like the revealer, it's not something I ever saw. But my issue came from putting "ISP" in at 42D, and correcting the first letter as I entered REDWHITEANDBLUE, but not the last. After all, "Kip Dare" seemed like a possible TV doctor's name.
Otherwise there's not much to complain about or to uphold as sparking. I like 6D: Genre for David and Amy Sedaris (SATIRE), both for the artform itself and the two practitioners. Perhaps the Electric SLIDE is a bonus revealer-related answer?
- Colum
4:43
ReplyDeleteWell, my howevermanyyears I've got on you didn't help me any, because I hadn't heard of the OHIOPLAYERS either. "Fire" sounds somewhat familiar now that I've listened to it, but you could have waterboarded me all day and I'd never have been able to come up with the band name. Too much? Yes, probably. Sorry.
Anyway, it was another day that I had no idea what the theme was until I read the blog. Sigh. I've got to get my head in the game!
I'm just sore about PARTB crossing SABOTS (whatever sabots are). Now I probably shouldn't be, because SAaOTS seems unlikely, and SAcOTS only slightly less so, and I know PARTd is drugs and not x rays (but only because it was a controversy more recently).
ReplyDeleteOh the theme..... Well the concept is cute and I did get OHIOPLAYERS from crosses..... But well there is the little problem of not having heard of the band. Apparently there is some of that going around in these parts.
11:00
ReplyDeleteI like my time since it's to an exact minute. Add me to the list of not ever hearing of the OHIOPLAYERS, but Joel mentioned them as part of MST3K commentary on show 321 ("Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" starring Pia Zadora), so now I know what he was talking about. Seems like a decent Wednesday theme. Nice seeing SPOCK in the grid since we haven't seen him for a while. Is anyone else looking at "Star Trek: Lower Decks" on CBS All Access? Only one episode is available so far. It's animated, so I suppose the actors can stay properly distanced, which is how there are new episodes being produced. It's too early to pass judgement on the show and determine whether it is a HIT. But I digress. I guess of the theme answers, BROWNBETTY was the one with which I was least familiar. AMAIN is a great answer, but I'm with Mr. Kingdon on the PARTB/SABOTS cross, although I chose the correct letter.
Oddly enough I have seen Santa Claus Conquers the Martians.
ReplyDeleteAmazing. The actual stand-alone movie or the MST3K one?
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