All hail the conquering Dodgers. Very painful loss for Toronto. A classic lesson not to leave the door open for the enemy even an inch even with that chain thingie on, for they will kick it down. In 2019, when the Gnats went up 3-2 in the seventh inning of their Game 7 against the hated Astros, they knew better than to try to bring the baby home in the shaky stroller through the rain and bad neighborhood. They got another run in the 8th, and two more in the 9th. Case closed. Toronto had so many chances to add on, but came out empty-handed. You need to drive a stake through the heart with a team as deep and good as LA. Loved Dave Roberts’ reaction to Rojas’s improbable game-tying dinger with one down in the ninth. He threw his head back and grabbed it with both hands: “Is this really happening?”
Here is a picture of joyfulness Phil caught for us.
So, yup, LA dropped a PEOPLE’S ELBOW on the Jays Saturday night. I learned what that is from Saturday’s puzzle. It’s a wrestling term. The clue was “The Rock’s signature W.W.E. move.” This is from the Urban Dictionary: The people’s elbow was one of the signature moves of The Rock (Dwayne Johnson). First he would look at the crowd, then pull off his elbow pad in slow motion and throw it into the crowd. Then he would run left, bounce off the ropes then over the guy on the ground, bounce off the ropes again. Then he would kick his right leg up and drop his elbow on to the man’s heart. Ouch. By then, the crowd would have judged the poor slob to be evil, so DJ was administering the people’s justice in that fashion.
At 17A, the clue was “Controversial Richard Serra sculpture once seen in N.Y.C.’s Foley Square.” I don’t recall seeing it, but Riverdale Joe did. It’s the TILTED ARC. Foley Square is south of Chinatown and east of Tribeca. It was on display from 1981 through 1989. It was a 120-foot-long, 12-foot-high solid, unfinished plate of rust-covered steel. Critics called it ugly and saw it as ruining the site. Following an acrimonious public debate, it was removed in 1989 as the result of a federal lawsuit and has never been publicly displayed since, in accordance with the artist’s wishes. And get off my lawn! Hrummmmph.
At 15A, the clue was “Gift of Athena to Athenians,” and the answer was OLIVE TREE. Her original idea was a blender.
Like a peanut, a puzzle can either be fresh or stale. If it’s fresh that means there are neat words, phrases, and concepts in it, as opposed to a pile of CAT, TABLE, OREO, etc. Saturday’s was beyond fresh, all the way to wonderful. It was by Michael Lieberman. In addition to the items discussed above, which you’ve already forgotten, it included MAYBE PILE, MOM FRIEND, and BEYOND PARODY, clued respectively with “‘I’ll think about this and decide later’ grouping,” “Acquaintance made at day care drop-off, perhaps,” and “Superlatively absurd.”
Last — did you know that “the one mammal that can crack a Brazil nut with its teeth” is the AGOUTI? (What about us humans?) It’s a rodent, but so what? Who among us is perfect? (Well, maybe Armas, but even there — her choice in men?)
Speaking of puzzles, here’s a Halloween costume photo Cody P. sent to Rex who posted it for us. Note the OREO on the front, and the scary face grid on the back. Regarding the crosswordese on the front, Cody wrote: “From left to right / top to bottom, the decorations are: ELM/ASH/TREE, EEL, EWE, OGRE, OREO, EAR, ALE/IPA, TEA, ALOE, APE, TEE, AXE, ANT, EYE/ISEE, EMU, and LEO” (represented by her friend’s dog, Leo). And get this — The grids are NYT crosswords from previous Halloweens.
Per egs: People often say my blood classification is a mistake, but it’s just a TYPEO.
Ever get the wrong thing in the mail? Here’s a true Halloween story from a woman in Hopkinsville, KY. “We were expecting a delivery of urgent medication that was flown in on like a Nashville airport thing, and they delivered two boxes,” she said. BTW, those “airport things” are called “planes.” But go on. “We opened one box and it turned out to be human body parts.” Yikes! Two arms and four fingers, if you must know. She called 911 and turned the items over to the county coroner, except for one “because I always wanted to give my mother-in-law the finger,” she explained (no she didn’t). As a good illustration of TMI, the coroner stated the items came from four different bodies. They were supposed to be delivered to a school or hospital for surgical training.
Hard to imagine that anyone noticed, but Owl Chatter went into radio silence for two days. This is because our headquarters were invaded by around ten of the most fearsome folks known to mankind: teenage girls. We turned our house over to Robin (the artist formerly known as Lianna) and her buddies for a birthday (Sweet 16, kinahora) sleepover party. Mom Caitlin was in charge (like anyone could be). All went well!!
We fled down to a dingy motel in Bordentown (see room, below), and took in a nice concert in Princeton on Sunday, as well as Saturday dinner at one of our favorite spots, Destination Dogs in New Brunswick; breakfast at one of our favorite spots, Chesterfield Bagels (their tobacco bagel is to die for) near Bordentown, and lunch at a great new (to us) pizza place in Skillman NJ, with Owl Chatter friend Jersey Mary, Beniamino’s (wow – out of this world).
We watched Toronto fall on this TV.
And here’s Beniamino, our new best friend!
If you’re looking to hear two cute girls sing a great old Steve Forbert tune, you’ve come to the right place. (Happy Birthday Peyton, whoever you are. To 120!) See you tomorrow, Chatterheads! Thanks for stopping by!
The Wellington Files 