National park, in Southwest Utah / TUES 2-13-24 / Garment for the Grim Reaper / Uncouth sort / Captain von Trapp in “The Sound of Music,” e.g.

Hola, everyone, it’s Clare for this random Tuesday in February! I’m currently in México celebrating my sister’s 30th birthday (on Valentine’s Day). She was born in México because my parents lived here for a few years when she was born, so we thought this would be a fitting trip for the big milestone. It’s been an absolutely incredible trip so far (not least because of the sunny and warm weather) — the food is to die for, the drinks are delicious and cheap, and the city is beautiful and very walkable. We watched the Super Bowl yesterday in a bar where we split the most mediocre burger imaginable and watched the game in Spanish. So we’ve been plenty busy, but there’s still always time for crosswords! 

Theme answers:

• BLUE FLAME (3D: *Indication that a gas stove is functioning properly [N.H.L.]) 
• BROWN BEAR (11D: *Grizzly, for one [N.F.L.]) 
• SUN KING (33A: *Louis XIV's nickname [N.B.A.]) 
• GUARDIAN ANGEL (54A: *Clarence in "It's a Wonderful Life," e.g. [M.L.B.])

Word of the Day: CALYPSO (26A: Harry Belafonte album whose first song is "Day-O") —

Calypso is the third studio album by recording artist Harry Belafonte, released by RCA Victor (LPM-1248) in 1956. The album became his second consecutive number-one album on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, where it peaked for 31 weeks. Calypso was the first Long Play record album to sell over one million copies. The first track "Day-O (Banana Boat Song)" largely contributed to the success of the album and has long been Belafonte's signature song, the single reaching number five on Billboard's Pop chart. (Wiki)

That was a clever theme! I liked that it sorta kinda tied to the Super Bowl (not that the BROWNs have ever been to one…) in that all of the clue answers deal with sports. (I feel like I should note: I’m a Steelers fan, not a Commanders fan.) I love how the clue answers can stand alone and are clever in and of themselves — especially SUN KING and GUARDIAN ANGEL. And the revealer was likewise great. This might be my favorite Tuesday theme I’ve written about in a long while. 

I’d never heard of DOG TV (42A: Streaming channel sometimes shown at grooming salons and veterinarians' offices), but the clue was fair enough and wasn’t too hard to get. Likewise, I hadn’t heard of “Father STU” (45A: (2022 Mark Wahlberg film)), which made that section a bit rough (not ruff). I was able to get DUM DUMS (42D: Branded lollipops), though, which I hadn’t thought about in forever but used to love as a kid. 8D: "That was too close for comfort!" as WHEW rather than “phew” threw me for a bit in that section, especially because all I could think of for 5A was “roe” rather than getting SPAWN. (Yes, we did have sushi today for lunch. It was incredible.) 

I still don’t really get LARRY Bird (51D). I know who he is, but I feel like he wasn’t really stuffing the net as much as some other players? Although, I think it’s nice to continue on with the sports theme. Similarly with AROD at 44A: Slugger who ended his career four shy of the 700 home run club. Take those answers, along with KNEE PAD (20A: Piece of volleyball gear), EPEE (41A: Sword with a three-sided blade), and ESPN (65A: "Monday Night Countdown" cable channel), and you’ve got yourselves a veritable sports theme. 

The word NETIZEN (9D; Redditor, e.g.) was fun to have in the puzzle. I chuckled at 37D: "All rise" undoer as BE SEATED. ARGO (and “Fargo”) for 30D: Best Picture winner that becomes an earlier Best Picture nominee when an "F" is added to the front was great. And I liked having SHIATSU (5D: Therapy whose name is Japanese for "finger pressure") in there. 

There was otherwise some crosswordese that was bland, but I truly didn’t mind given the theme.

Misc.:

• My sister tells me that UCLA (14A: Sch. near Bel Air) just found its new football head coach. In her words, “Oh, well, I don’t have to care anymore because the Bruins aren't in the Pac-12… Have fun in the Big 10.” 
• I was reminded about the cultural phenomenon of “A DINGO ate my baby.” (23D: Wild canine of Australia) I didn’t know this was a real phrase until a few years ago when I looked it up, and it turns out it was this tragic event where a DINGO took a nine-week-old baby from the campsite where she was with her parents. The mom went to prison for several years because people didn’t believe that a DINGO had taken the baby. But when the baby’s jacket was found a few years after the incident right near a DINGO den, the mom was immediately exonerated and released. I just went down a deep hole re-researching this. 
•  I remember getting a green IPOD (63A: Apple product from 2001 to 2022) mini when I was younger, and I was pretty darn obsessed with that thing. 
•  Margaret ATWOOD (10D) might be best known for “The Handmaid’s Tale” these days, but I’ll die on the hill that her best book is “The Blind Assassin.”

Signed, Signed, Clare Carroll, una chica muy cansada ahora

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