ROGER ANGELL, THE SUMMER GAME--[T]his is the week of the unfurled bunting,... the restored hope, the repainted seat... . In another month, some order will... emerge from the standings. Infields will have hardened, some arms and expectations will have gone bad... .
BASEBALL HAS BEGUN. EAST and west, this is the week of the unfurled bunting, the flexed mayoral or gubernatorial wing, the restored hope, the repainted seat, the April fly ball falling untouched on resodded turf, the windblown shout, and the distant row of pitchers and catchers huddling deeper into their windbreakers as the early-spring sunlight deserts the bullpen. Now everything counts; from now until October, every pitch and every swing will be recorded. In another month, some order will begin to emerge from the standings. Infields will have hardened, some arms and expectations will have gone bad...
| A. | Epicurean press release? (2 wds.) | REDWINE |
| B. | Descriptive of a switch hitter's choice (hyph.) | ONOFF |
| C. | Einstein | GENIUS |
| D. | "Heartburn" author, 1983 | EPHRON |
| E. | Butler whose last words are often quoted | RHETT |
| F. | Little suckers | APHIDS |
| G. | Introverted jogger? (3 wds.) | NOTETOSELF |
| H. | Burg with a population of zero (2 wds.) | GHOSTTOWN |
| I. | 19th-century English author/illustrator famous for popularizing the Answer J. (2 wds.) | EDWARDLEAR |
| J. | See Clue I. | LIMERICK |
| K. | Did Daffy Duck, say | LISPED |
| L. | Saucy element in baba ghanouj | TAHINI |
| M. | Irreligious, uncultured or uncivilized person | HEATHEN |
| N. | Made quite an impression on | ENGRAVED |
| O. | Attractive older fellow (2 wds.) | SILVERFOX |
| P. | Lacking a common thread | UNTHEMED |
| Q. | What the centaur Chiron was to Achilles | MENTOR |
| R. | Pivotal term in a plot segue | MEANWHILE |
| S. | Hummingbird with bright green plumage | EMERALD |
| T. | Thing that glitters | RHINESTONE |
| U. | Bill who said "Money has no utility to me beyond a certain point" | GATES |
| V. | Half of a team seen regularly at Cooperstown | ABBOTT |
| W. | Shellfish in some paellas | MUSSELS |
| X. | Costume designer who won eight Oscars (2 wds.) | EDITHHEAD |