Happy Anniversary Don Larsen! On this date in 1956, Larsen pitched his perfect game against Brooklyn in the World Series. It was the first perfect game pitched since 1922. Only 24 have been pitched in all of baseball history.
Larry Napp was umping at third base for Larsen’s game, and twelve years later when Catfish Hunter pitched his perfect game, Napp was umping at first. Ed Runge was umping in right field for Larsen’s game, and 56 years later (in 2012) when both Philip Humber and Matt Cain pitched perfect games, Runge’s grandson Brian umped in both.
The puzzle was very clever today. The theme was “Make Ends Meat.” Meat! The theme answers all used meat homonyms. E.g., at 17A the clue was “Beware of this sausage!”? and the answer was FEAR THE WURST. At 45A the clue was “Charlotte’s first draft for ‘Some Pig’?” And the answer was WHAT A BOAR.
Rex wrote briefly on the topic of boars and pigs and, apparently, betrayed his ignorance. Because a commenter who called himself Anyone/Everyone who lives in Iowa schooled us with the following:
“Sir, your ignorance of swine is astonishing.
“Naming based on Age / Sex:
Piglet – a baby pig of any sex. Called such until weaned
Barrow: A male when castrated before sexual maturity
Stag: A male castrated post puberty.
Gilt: A female who hasn’t had a litter.
Sow: A female who has had a litter.
Boar: An intact, adult male.
“Based on Size:
Weaner: Any sex, but weaned an not ready for market.
Porker: up 120lbs, ready for market as meat
Cutter: 120 – 160lbs, also for meat, and
Baconer: 160lbs+ – Produce good bacon, lesser quality meat otherwise.
“You probably haven’t eaten boar pork in your life, as boars exist solely for breeding purposes, and one boar can take care of hundreds (thousand with assistance of technology) and no one wants to have to handle a boar if it’s not necessary.”
I know what you are all wondering. No, that won’t be on the midterm. Hi Wilbur!
In Monday’s puzzle, a clue was “Boxer who lit the cauldron in the 1996 Olympics” and it was, of course, ALI. It opened a little door to a wonderful memory for commenter Tom T and he shared it with us:
“In 1996, my wife and I took summer jobs in Europe before a planned move with our two young sons from Louisiana to South Florida in the fall. The jobs in Europe turned out to be a bust and, with the Olympics about to get underway in Atlanta, we had to scramble to get flights to Atlanta from Europe. We ended up with my older son and me flying through LaGuardia while my wife and younger son reached Atlanta via Cincinnati.
“As she waited with my son at their gate in Cincinnati, my wife thought that the lone man who arrived on an airport motorized cart might be Mohammed Ali, even though it seemed really odd that he would travel without an entourage. It was indeed Ali and she got a great picture of our son with the legendary boxer.
“Two nights later, sitting on the living room floor of our new house in Florida with my son in my lap, we watched the opening ceremony of the 1996 Olympics. And as the torch passed from one famous person to another, it dawned on me that the last person to hold that torch, the one to light the cauldron, would be Ali. I shared that thought with my son, and when the big moment came, he said, ‘That’s him, Dad!’”
“Ali’s low profile travel arrangement was clearly part of a plan to keep his torch-bearing a secret. It led to a great memory for my family.”
Gotta get to bed early tonight — the owls and we are taking the show on the road tomorrow with a stop in Pittsburgh and then on to see Sam, Sarah, Morris, and Worthington in Bloomfield Hills MI. Broadcasting may be a bit spotty until our return next Tuesday. But we’ll see.
Thanks for stopping in!
The Wellington Files 