Seems like it’s double-letter week for the NYTXW. Yesterday took us down the Mississippi and today focused on quadruple doubles, perhaps to coordinate with the ongoing NBA finals. It’s an unusual statistic, the QD, because it can be achieved five different ways. That is, a quadruple double means you got at least ten of four of any of the following in a game: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. (Since official records of steals and blocks were not kept before the ’73-’74 season, a quadruple double could not occur earlier.)
Only four (fittingly) quadruple doubles have been achieved in NBA history. Hakeem Olajuwon, Alvin Robertson, Nate Thurmond, and David Robertson. All four included points, rebounds, and assists. Only Robertson finished up with steals — the other three with blocks. Commenter Pabloinnh said he was more impressed that Oscar Robertson averaged a triple double for an entire season. (Russell Westbook and Nikola Jokic have done so as well.) The Big O still walks among us at age 86.
So, I can hear you wondering, how did the puzzle work its quadruple doubles? It used rebuses. In three theme answers there were four double letter combinations that were smooooshed into a single square: AD HOC COMMITTEE, ALL-ACCESS PASS, and PEE-WEE FOOTBALL.
What’s that? Did somebody say Mississippi? Check out this amazing song. It rewards repeated listenings.
It’s time for me to use the puzzle as an excuse to bore you with some baseball stuff. At 10D the clue was “Risks an interception, say” and the answer was OVERTHROWS. Do you know the overthrow rule in baseball? I learned it when I took a training session to get certified as a softball ump a long time ago.
What happens when a fielder throws the ball into the stands, i.e., out of play? The runners each get the next base plus one more. So if Tom is between first and second and the ball is thrown out of play, he gets awarded third (because second is the next base for him, plus one makes it third). But here’s the kicker — you go by the position of the runners at the moment the ball is thrown — not when it crosses out of play. Getting back to Tom, say he is a few steps shy of second when the shortstop heaves the ball and has crossed second by the time the ball goes out of play. Since he had not reached second when the ball was thrown he gets to go to third base, not home. Where he was at the moment the ball went out of play is not relevant.
So, when the ball crosses into the stands the umpire has to try to remember where the runners were when the throw was made? Well, the good umpire will assume every throw will go out of play, and note where the runners are when the throw is made. Then, if and when it does go out of play, he can award bases based on runner positions at the time of the throw.
In my umpire training class, I raised my hand to ask about that point. I said: “So you have to assume that every throw will go out of play?” and the instructor slammed the desk and said “Exactly!” and it was such a good question it launched him into a speech on what it means to be an umpire.
Hey! Is this a lady umpire? She’s cute!
It’s Amanda Clement, the first woman to get paid for umping a game. It was an amateur game her brother was playing in and the regular ump failed to show. Amanda’s brother said she’d be good. And she was — she went on to ump semi-pro games. That was back in 1904, so it’s okay if your memory of it is hazy. There still have not been any female MLB umps, although several women minor league umps are on the list to be called up, so it should happen in the near future. Three women have umped major league spring training games. And the Rules Committee has considered using topless female umpires as a way to increase attendance. (No it hasn’t.)
Here’s Jen Pawol who has a very good chance of becoming the first woman MLB ump. A Jersey girl, Jen was an art teacher before becoming a full-time ump, and earned her BFA at Pratt and her MFA at Hunter College! Go Hawks!
There was a fun clue for NASA today: “Org. that developed the ‘pumpkin suit.’” This is the actual NASA pumpkin suit.
And here is the one Rex posted noting “the astronauts look much cooler now.”
Whoa — Mia, is that you?? Take a load off, girl, great to see you. You heard about George? — we’re out of Fresca — seltzer okay? It’s Mia HAMM everybody. She was at 32A today, clued with the laudatory “Named U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year five years in a row.” How are the twins? Nomar good?
Mia has been married to the great Red Sox shortstop Nomar Garciaparra for 21 years(!), and they have twin girls who are 18 now, and a 13-year-old boy. OMG, could you plotz?
Let’s go off tonight with The Staves singing Bruce’s “On Fire.” It (the song title) was in yesterday’s puzzle and Rex introduced us to this trio.
Okay Chatterheads, that’ll do it for today. Thanks for stopping by!
The Wellington Files 