Monday June 7, 2021John R. O’Brien

Theme: Hitting for the CYCLE (38. With "the," rare batting feat whose components begin the answers to starred clues)

 17. *Selling point for a used car: SINGLE OWNER.

 28. *Going out with another couple: DOUBLE DATING.

 44. *High club in a deli: TRIPLE DECKER.

 58. *Metaphor for the perfect person for the job: HOME RUN HIRE.

Boomer here. 

I hit .477 to lead my Babe Ruth Baseball League as a 15 year old. But I can honestly say I never hit for the cycle.  I believe you need to be a fast runner to get a triple.  

This morning as you all solve this Monday puzzle, I am on the golf course testing to see if golf balls fly further in 90 degree heat.  The weather man is very strange though.  Our neighboring state to the Northwest, North Dakota is enduring triple digits!

Across: 

1. 10-year-old Oscar winner O'Neal: TATUM.  "You know it's only a Paper Moon" 

6. Head lock: TRESS.  I used to watch pro-wrestling for hours and I never heard it called a TRESS.

11. Title for Lee or Grant :Abbr.: GEN. An interesting pair of Generals. Lee was a West Point scholar, while Grant was so so.  However when the civil war ended, Lee surrendered to Grant.

14. The Colosseum, e.g.: ARENA.

15. Beyond bad: WORSE.  I think our Twins have gone from bad to WORSE.

16. Messenger molecule: RNA.  I am no doctor but this is some kind of acid.

19. Homer's "rosy-fingered" dawn goddess: EOS.

20. Jacob's twin: ESAU.  Incredible story of thousands of years ago.  One guy sold his birthright to the other but I can never remember who was who.

21. "Young Sheldon" network: CBS.

22. Beauty's beau: BEAST.  C.C. is the Beauty and I am the BEAST.  Grrr!

24. Part-time player: SEMI-PRO.  The Twins have a few of these playing.  About 10 of the original roster are now on an injured list.

26. Raise, as sails: HOIST.  We have a bracket near our garage door, so we do not need to HOIST it.

32. In the stars: FATED.

35. Lena of "Alias": OLIN.  Were these the original OLE and LENA ??  I have heard a few stories about them.

36. Expected in: DUE.  I believe rain was DUE in Minnesota today but it may have evaporated before it hit the ground.

37. Old-school "OMG!": EGAD.

40. Note to the staff: MEMO.

41. Villain Luthor: LEX.  Mean old LEX hated Superman.

42. Work bound to sell?: BOOK.

43. Former Swedish cars: SAABS.  I never owned one.  I believe they stopped making them in 2014, SOB!

48. Krall of jazz: DIANA.

49. Power failures: OUTAGES.  Nothing recent here.  Keeping our air conditioning running.

53. Former senator Lott: TRENT.  From Mississippi.

55. Bad firecracker: DUD.  4th of July is coming.  These things are illegal in Minnesota, but people import them from other states. Not me though.

56. Hair clump: TUFT.  I wish I had enough to call a TUFT.

57. Anthem contraction: OER.  OER the land of the free, and the Home of the brave.

62. Printer problem: JAM.  I like Strawberry.  Sugar-free please.

63. Chris of "Captain America": EVANS.  DALE of Roy Rogers fame.

64. Arnie __, Don Draper's neighbor on "Mad Men": ROSEN.

65. Suffix with direct: ORY. Directory.

66. Dentist's request: RINSE.  Then spit.

67. Wind: Pref.: ANEMO.

Down: 

1. Uses a stun gun on: TASES. I knew a stun gun was called a TASER.  We had an incident just south of us in Brooklyn Center a few weeks ago when a lady police officer killed a man with her gun because she mixed it up with her taser.  We had a few protests in our city but things have settled down.

2. Come about: ARISE.

3. Coffee break hr.: TEN AM.  After coffee.  This is my tee time, "Fore!".

4. Like a tour without a leader: UNGUIDED.

5. Prefix with ware: MAL.

6. Pair of shillings, in British slang: TWO BOB.  I thought it was all EUROS across the pond.

7. Uses oars: ROWS.  Been there, Done that.  14 foot cedar strip fishing boat.

8. West end?: ERN. Western.

9. Fresno-to-L.A. dir.: SSE.  Yup, California coast line runs Southeast.  Actually, Reno Nevada is further west than L.A. 

10. Belgrade native: SERBIAN.

11. "Wish I'd thought of that!": GREAT IDEA.

12. Grandson of Adam: ENOS.  The only ENOS that I remember is ENOS Slaughter of the Cardinals.  I believe he was a many times All Star.

13. Creator of the GOP elephant: NAST.

18. Hosiery hue: ECRU.

23. Approx. number: EST.  Earlier, due to Covid, I think the Twins were allowing 8,000 fans in at Target Field.  I think they are now drawing about 6,000.

25. Whale group: POD.  We did not plant peas this year.  A few green peppers and cucumbers only. 

26. Satan's realm: HELL.

27. "Garfield" canine: ODIE.

29. Age of Reason philosopher John: LOCKE.

30. Anesthetized: NUMB.  After our two mile walk at Lake Harriet a couple of weeks ago, My legs were already numb.  No Anesthetic needed.

31. Most '90s Prizms: GEOS.

32. Pool table surface: FELT.  Also Craps and Black Jack tables.  How do I know this? I think I read about it somewhere.

33. Stress or worry, it's said: AGER.

34. Wildlife preservation method: TAXIDERMY.  After many, many years of hunting in Minnesota, my father shot a 12 point buck.  Of course he had the head mounted, but Mom was kind of so so about the whole thing.

38. Either "Fargo" director: COEN.  Many trivia shows ask the question about where the movie "Fargo" took place.  Of course the contestants answer North Dakota but I know better. 

39. Film wise man with his own grammar: YODA.

40. Very long race: MARATHON.  Never ran one of these.  They have a big one in Minnesota each year.  Not 2020 and we all know why.  The 26 mile route goes around three lakes plus. 

42. Nonsense: BLATHER.

43. Wimbledon unit: SET.

45. Bowling target: PIN.  This clue is right up my alley. -- I mean LANE!

46. Golfing venue: COURSE.  I am there right now.  By the way, you can "Go Bowling" but you "Play Golf".  You do not GO GOLFING or PLAY BOWL.

47. Spiral-horned antelope: KUDU.

50. Pretense: GUISE.

51. Zimbalist Jr. of "77 Sunset Strip": EFREM.  "Kookie, Kookie, lend me your comb".

52. Shorthand pro: STENO.

53. WWII Japanese general: TOJO.  Sorry, I am not old enough for WWII history.

54. Raise, as kids: REAR.

55. Animal lairs: DENS.  Also we met there when I was in "Cub Scouts".

59. Egg: Pref.: OVI.

60. __ cave: MAN.  We do not have one in our house.  I have to go to the Bowling Center.

61. New Deal agcy.: NRA.

Boomer