Constructor: David Steinberg
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
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THEME: none
Word of the Day: LEN Pasquarelli (50A: Sportswriter Pasquarelli) —
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Pluto is not a planet. But a "minor planet" can be a "dwarf planet," which is what Pluto is, now, technically, which is confusing. If it's not a planet, then call it by some term doesn't have "planet" in it. Because if the term's got "planet" in it, it sounds like, uh, a planet. OK, now that that's over, this is pretty nice. Again with the long, low-lying sections (see Thursday), though here we get that thick, grid-crossing middle section (the puzzle's real highlight). Gotta admire how cleanly the whole central section came off. Acrosses are rock solid (and colorful), and the Downs are all real things. You do get something of an -ER smash-up there toward the lower right center (SWEEPER, POKER, HALER, GAINER), but it's pretty inconspicuous, and only one of them is a comparative adjective, so it's not like you're getting a bunch of the same parts of speech. Yeah, overall, this one really works. Will's core of insiders (Chen, Fagliano, Steinberg) are a pretty talented bunch, and we're seeing a lot from them recently (2 for 2 in the new year!). He needs them. Badly. Always happy to see their names.
HIS EMINENCE is practically an anagram of IN EXISTENCE. Two letters off is "practically" in my book. TIS EXINENCE. There's a strong reliance on common letters, but a. the grid never gets dull, and b. believe me, real words made from common letters are way, way better than the nightmarish stuff you'd be staring down if David had tried to cram in more "J"s. David's apparently been going to night school at the Patrick Berry Academy of Smooth.
Bullets:
Relative difficulty: Easy-Medium
THEME: none
Word of the Day: LEN Pasquarelli (50A: Sportswriter Pasquarelli) —
Len Pasquarelli is an American sports writer and analyst with The Sports Xchange and a 25-year veteran of covering the National Football League (NFL).The Sports Xchange is a network of professional, accredited reporters and analysts who cover each team or sport full-time.Prior to joining the Sports Xchange, he wrote for ESPN.com starting in 2001 and was a frequent contributor to the other ESPN outlets, including SportsCenter, ESPNEWS, ESPN Radio and ESPN The Magazine. Before ESPN, Pasquarelli served as a senior writer for CBS SportsLine.com. He has also covered the NFL for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution from 1989 to 1999, the Fort Wayne News-Sentinelfrom 1985 to 1989, Pro Football Weekly from 1982 to 1985, and Pittsburgh Steelers Weekly from 1978 to 1982.Pasquarelli is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America and has twice won national awards as the Best NFL Reporter of the Year. He also has won several writing awards, including an Associated Press Deadline Sports Reporting Award in 1988. (wikipedia)
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HIS EMINENCE is practically an anagram of IN EXISTENCE. Two letters off is "practically" in my book. TIS EXINENCE. There's a strong reliance on common letters, but a. the grid never gets dull, and b. believe me, real words made from common letters are way, way better than the nightmarish stuff you'd be staring down if David had tried to cram in more "J"s. David's apparently been going to night school at the Patrick Berry Academy of Smooth.
Bullets:
- 18A: Shooter for kids (TAW)— The crossword remains the only place in the world where kids still play marbles.
- 19A: 1958 #1 hit composed by Vice President Charles Dawes ("IT'S ALL IN THE GAME") — Had all of it but the last word, and couldn't dredge it up. This made moving out of the NW impossible. Had to reboot down below, and even then had trouble moving into the middle. But MINESWEEPER was a gimme, and the center started to fall right after I got it. Toward the end, with no additional letters in place to help me, "IT'S ALL IN THE GAME" suddenly entered my head, clear as a bell.
- 31D: Got by (MADE DO)— Kept wanting this and then kept thinking "But … it's MADE DUE, right?" Dear lord.
- 39D: Women, in pulp fiction (DAMES)— now you're speaking my language (pulp, that is). DAMES was the last of a four-in-a-row run of Downs I had to open the SE corner (IRIS, CDS, PETE, DAMES).