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New York Times, Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Author: Andrea Carla Michaels and Kent Clayton
Editor: Will Shortz
Andrea Carla Michaels
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
616/12/20008/6/201833
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
64292200
ScrabbleRebusCirclePangram
1.63217
Andrea Carla Michaels
Kent Clayton
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
211/2/200912/7/20102
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
0110000
ScrabbleRebusCirclePangram
1.72000
Kent Clayton

This puzzle:

Rows: 15, Columns: 15 Words: 76, Blocks: 34 Missing: {V} Spans: 1 This is puzzle # 24 for Ms. Michaels. This is puzzle # 2 for Mr. Clayton. NYT links: Across Lite
Constructor notes:

ANDREA:

As mentioned in the constructor comments for Mon 11/2/2009, my neighbor Kent Clayton and I decided to collaborate again after his reveal of BELIEVEITORNOT saved my bacon. Kent was watching football, so we decided to do a sports theme, which might surprise many of those who follow my anti-sports comments on certain blogs. However, I am NOT anti-sports. I am anti the overuse of baseball and the presumption that solvers will know the most obscure MVP of 1953, yet will not know who HELLOKITTY is, or whatever girl-centric topic comes up. And I like to be a thorn in the side of those who overdose on sports clues. I have nothing against sports itself.

This puzzle focused on team names. We decided to combine them and have a nice reveal of FOOTBALLMATCHUP 15 going across the grid. It was a lot of fun to mix and match the team players and coming up with clues. There were many that were so natural, like RAMCHARGER or JETPACKER (though I don't think our Boba Fett clue made it to the final version).

1
I
2
R
3
A
4
Q
5
M
6
A
7
P
8
L
9
E
10
R
11
I
12
N
13
K
14
N
A
N
U
15
I
W
I
L
L
16
O
M
A
N
17
C
H
I
E
18
F
T
E
X
A
N
19
A
P
S
E
20
M
E
E
T
21
M
I
22
S
D
E
A
L
23
S
24
T
A
G
E
25
G
26
I
A
N
T
B
I
L
L
27
E
A
T
28
L
29
A
U
D
30
O
I
L
31
R
B
I
32
S
33
B
I
O
34
S
35
L
O
36
C
37
O
38
S
39
F
O
O
T
40
B
A
L
L
M
41
A
T
C
H
U
P
42
S
O
N
A
R
43
T
I
E
R
44
K
A
T
E
45
G
Y
46
M
47
Z
A
C
48
H
49
M
I
A
50
J
51
E
52
T
P
A
C
53
K
E
R
54
U
55
P
P
E
R
56
A
R
R
A
N
G
E
57
P
L
E
A
58
R
O
A
R
59
R
A
60
M
61
C
H
A
R
G
62
E
63
R
64
E
D
I
T
65
A
C
R
I
D
66
I
N
F
O
67
D
E
N
Y
68
W
H
I
G
S
69
L
E
G
O
© 2010, The New York TimesNo. 1207 ( 22,309 )
Across Down
1. Neighbor of Kuwait : IRAQ
5. Sugar source : MAPLE
10. Ice Follies venue : RINK
14. Half of Mork's sign-off : NANU
15. Volunteer's cry : IWILL
16. Arabian Peninsula sultanate : OMAN
17. Governor in Austin? : CHIEFTEXAN
19. Area that may have stained-glass windows : APSE
20. Come together : MEET
21. Card player's boo-boo : MISDEAL
23. All the world's one, to the Bard : STAGE
25. Unwelcome result of a shopping spree? : GIANTBILL
27. Chow down : EAT
28. Give kudos : LAUD
30. "Black gold" : OIL
31. Sluggers' stats : RBIS
33. Life stories, for short : BIOS
35. Nut jobs : LOCOS
39. Bit of Sunday TV scheduling ... or a hint to 17-, 25-, 50- and 59-Across : FOOTBALLMATCHUP
42. Aid in finding sunken ships : SONAR
43. Part of a wedding cake : TIER
44. Jackson or Winslet : KATE
45. Sock hop locale : GYM
47. Galifianakis of "The Hangover" : ZACH
49. Actress Farrow : MIA
50. Airport baggage handler? : JETPACKER
54. Like half of a pair of dentures : UPPER
56. Do the work of a florist or an orchestrator : ARRANGE
57. "S O S," e.g. : PLEA
58. Belly laugh : ROAR
59. Sheep's accuser? : RAMCHARGER
64. Cut and paste, say : EDIT
65. Pungent-smelling : ACRID
66. Lowdown : INFO
67. Say isn't so : DENY
68. Presidents Tyler and Taylor, for two : WHIGS
69. Plastic brick brand : LEGO
 1. Abbr. at the end of a co. name : INC
2. Cheerleader's cry : RAH
3. Walt Disney's specialty : ANIMATION
4. "The Caine Mutiny" captain : QUEEG
5. Oven user's aid : MITT
6. Leave dumbstruck : AWE
7. Snapshots, for short : PIX
8. Cousin of an alpaca : LLAMA
9. Weather-affecting current : ELNINO
10. Place for a "Bridge Out" sign : ROADBLOCK
11. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame architect : IMPEI
12. Like Fran Drescher's voice : NASAL
13. Mournful peal : KNELL
18. Have a hunch : FEEL
22. Bit of equipment for a circus clown : STILT
23. Feudal drudges : SERFS
24. Verboten : TABOO
25. Burden of the conscience-stricken : GUILT
26. Put on a pedestal : IDOLIZE
29. Attorney's org. : ABA
32. Event that may include blue films : STAGPARTY
34. Dirty campaign tactic : SMEAR
36. Bubbly drink : CHAMPAGNE
37. Protruding navel : OUTIE
38. Gaff, to a fisherman : SPEAR
40. Orator William Jennings ___ : BRYAN
41. Rainbow shape : ARC
46. Dr. Phil's last name : MCGRAW
48. Hip-shaking dance : HULA
50. Actor Leto of "American Psycho" : JARED
51. Chip away at : ERODE
52. Choo-choo : TRAIN
53. Stacy who played Mike Hammer : KEACH
55. Danger : PERIL
57. Degs. for many profs : PHDS
60. CAT scan alternative : MRI
61. A smoker might bum one : CIG
62. Trio after D : EFG
63. Kanga's baby : ROO

Answer summary: 3 unique to this puzzle, 1 unique to Shortz Era but used previously.

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