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GAME CHANGERS

New York Times, Sunday, April 4, 2021

Author:
Angela Olson Halsted and Doug Peterson
Editor:
Will Shortz
Blog:
68-Across : Stand-in for Middle America
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
56/14/20114/4/20213
SunMonTueWedThuFriSat
1210010
ScrabDebutFresh
1.662651%
Angela Olson Halsted
TotalDebutLatestCollabs
572/20/200610/13/202435
SunMonTueWedThuFriSatVariety
6383313183
RebusScrabDebutFresh
31.6226368%
Doug Peterson

This puzzle:

Rows: 21, Columns: 21 Words: 140, Blocks: 73 Missing: {QZ} This is puzzle # 5 for Ms. Halsted. This is puzzle # 50 for Mr. Peterson. Sunday freshness: 48%
Will Shortz notes:
Angela Olson Halsted is a legal secretary in Washington, D.C., and the mother of two college students. Doug Peterson is a professional crossword constructor in Pasadena, Calif. The two ... read more
Constructor notes:
We had fun trying to devise seven wacky theme entries that were all baseball-related. (Yes, we know the outfield grass isn't called a LAWN but cut us a little slack here). LABOR OF GLOVE ... read more
Jeff Chen notes:
PuzzleGirl and Doug, two of my favorite crossword folks! They're both big into baseball, so it's no surprise to see a baseball theme. EXTRA INNINGS is a fine revealer, explaining why I ... read more
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© 2021, The New York Times4/4/21 ( No. 26,080 )
Across
1
Chow down on : SNARF
6
"Exactly like this" : JUSTSO
12
Word with mild or well : MANNERED
20
Character often found in children's books : WALDO
21
Emotionally process, in modern lingo : UNPACK
22
Repeated cry in 1931's "Frankenstein" : ITSALIVE
23
*Perfect curveball? : IDEALBREAKER
25
Ivy League city : NEWHAVEN
26
Jam : FIX
27
Crucial : KEY
28
White coat? : ENAMEL
30
Course standards : PARS
31
Emergency room concern : TRAUMA
33
*Batting coach's instruction to a lackadaisical hitter? : BUNTSERIOUSLY
37
Habitual drinkers : LUSHES
39
Opposed (to) : AVERSE
40
*Apprentice groundskeepers? : LAWNSTUDENTS
46
Singer/songwriter Parks with the 2021 album "Collapsed in Sunbeams" : ARLO
47
It might get pulled in both directions : SAW
50
New York's Mount ___ Hospital : SINAI
51
Dark wine grape : MERLOT
52
Part of a heartbeat : SYSTOLE
54
Diplomatic official: Abbr. : AMB
55
Corn core : COB
57
Cancels : SCRUBS
60
Alacrity : HASTE
61
Afternoon socials : TEAS
63
Where dreams are made : BED
65
*Overenthusiastic description of a routine base hit? : SOFAIRSOGOOD
68
Stand-in for Middle America : PEORIA
71
Pair of socks? : ONETWO
72
*Umpire's aid in judging foul balls? : LINEDETECTOR
78
GPS approximation : ETA
79
Sgt. and cpl., e.g. : NCOS
83
Airer of "Nancy Drew" : THECW
84
Old salt : SEADOG
86
Fury : IRE
88
State where M.L.K. marched: Abbr. : ALA
89
Some fins : DORSALS
92
King James on a court : LEBRON
94
Do as Henry VI did : GOMAD
96
Letters on some foundations : SPF
97
Jumpy sorts, in brief : ROOS
99
*Long hours of fielding practice? : LABOROFGLOVE
101
___ only : ADULTS
103
Tilting : ASLOPE
104
*Imperceptible fastball movement? : INVISIBLESINK
109
All over the place : GLOBAL
113
Jimmy ___ (luxury shoe brand) : CHOO
114
Scientist buried in Westminster Abbey : DARWIN
115
Pop artist who sings "Satisfied" on "The Hamilton Mixtape" : SIA
116
New ___ (cap brand) : ERA
117
Trouble, metaphorically : HOTWATER
120
Ballgame extenders ... and what can literally be found in the answers to the asterisked clues : EXTRAINNINGS
124
Beekeeper : APIARIST
125
___ to go : RARING
126
Run-D.M.C. and the Jonas Brothers, for example : TRIOS
127
Bands' performance sheets : SETLISTS
128
Unruffled : SMOOTH
129
___ Domingo : SANTO
Down
1
Bird that can spend up to 10 months in the air without landing : SWIFT
2
Absolute bottom : NADIR
3
Digital assistant : ALEXA
4
Food packaging abbr., once : RDA
5
What's heard at many a coffeehouse : FOLKMUSIC
6
Group sometimes said to be "out" : JURY
7
French article : UNE
8
Pampering place : SPA
9
In use : TAKEN
10
Candle choice : SCENT
11
Gumbo pods : OKRAS
12
Goddess with a sacred owl : MINERVA
13
Designers' studios : ATELIERS
14
Its capital is Sydney: Abbr. : NSW
15
"Uh-uh" : NAH
16
Go by : ELAPSE
17
Compete with : RIVAL
18
Part of EGBDF : EVERY
19
Places to play cards, often : DENS
24
The Daily ___ (online news site) : BEAST
29
___ culpa : MEA
32
It plays a role in arm-twisting : ULNA
33
"Venerable" saint : BEDE
34
Manual readers : USERS
35
Air France hub : ORLY
36
It brought Hope to the world : USOSHOW
38
When doubled, a Nabokov protagonist : HUMBERT
40
Pre-bar challenge, briefly : LSAT
41
"Je t'___" : AIME
42
Org. with Fire and Sparks : WNBA
43
It was first won by the N.Y. Mets in 1969 : NLCS
44
Snow blower brand : TORO
45
Word on some Oreo packages : STUF
47
Nothing special : SOSO
48
Tina Turner, voicewise : ALTO
49
Goldenrod, e.g. : WEED
53
Append : TAGON
56
Instrument with a flared end : OBOE
58
Chinese steamed bun : BAO
59
Ratio of an angle's opposite side to the hypotenuse : SINE
62
Blueprint details : SPECS
64
Runs out of juice : DIES
66
Eye cream ingredient : RETINOL
67
Symbol on Captain America's shield : STAR
69
Villainous English king in "Braveheart" : EDWARDI
70
Outstanding pitcher : ACE
72
Former Ford models : LTDS
73
Seller of Belgian waffles and French toast (fittingly, considering the "I" in its name) : IHOP
74
Super Soaker Soakzooka brand : NERF
75
Like some orders : TALL
76
Ancient halls : ODEA
77
Eldest Stark son on "Game of Thrones" : ROBB
80
G.I.'s garb, at times : CAMO
81
Speed skater Johann ___ Koss, winner of four Olympic golds : OLAV
82
One-named Nigerian Grammy winner : SADE
85
Pained sound : GROAN
87
In the Renaissance, they were known as "mala insana" ("mad apples") : EGGPLANTS
90
Baseball's Gehrig and Piniella : LOUS
91
Most reliable : SOLIDEST
93
Russian city on the Ural River : ORSK
95
Butterlike spread : OLEO
98
French West Indies resort island, familiarly : STBARTS
100
Keep from flying, maybe : FOGIN
101
Profession : AVOWAL
102
Camera inits. : SLR
104
"With any luck ..." : IHOPE
105
Tag line? : NOTIT
106
Fancy pourers : EWERS
107
Paper route hour, maybe : SIXAM
108
Headliner's cue : INTRO
110
Land between Togo and Nigeria : BENIN
111
Insider's vocabulary : ARGOT
112
Catch with a throw : LASSO
113
Alternative to Chuck : CHAS
115
Wistful sound : SIGH
118
Man's name that's 123-Down reversed : ARI
119
Stanza contraction : TIS
121
Home of the world's largest carnival : RIO
122
Word with red or army : ANT
123
Man's name that's 118-Down reversed : IRA

Answer summary:
7 unique to this puzzle, 1 debuted here and reused later, 3 unique to Modern Era but used previously.

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