February 22, 2023

Title: SEAM RIPPER

Constructor: Zhouqin Burnikel

Editor: Erik Agard

Theme Answers:

SERENA SLAM (17A: Tennis feat named for a Williams sister)

SEATTLE STORM (28A: Basketball team with a lightning bolt in the logo)

SOCCER TEAM (64A: Current or Courage)

Theme synopsis: Each theme answer contains the letters of the word SEAM, and those letters are on the outside edges of the answer, as if a SEAM RIPPER has been at work.

Things I learned:

• SOCCER TEAM (64A: Current or Courage) Kansas City Current is a professional women's SOCCER TEAM. The Current have been part of the National Women's SOCCER League (NWSL) since 2021. The North Carolina Courage is also a professional women's SOCCER TEAM. The Courage has been part of the NWSL since 2017. Fun fact: We've seen SOCCER TEAM as a theme answer before, on June 17, 2022.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• MVPS (10A: Sports stars) Since all three theme answers today are sports-related, it seems appropriate to find MVPS in the top right corner of the grid. It was a fun bonus to see that the theme answers are related in an additional way other than having a SEAM at the outer edges. Something today for tennis, basketball, and SOCCER fans, and especially great to highlight women's sports in all of the answers. I was delighted to know two of the three sports-related theme answers!
• SERENA SLAM (17A: Tennis feat named for a Williams sister) A tennis Grand SLAM refers to winning all four major championships - Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open - in the same calendar year. If a player wins all four championships consecutively, but not in the same calendar year, as SERENA Williams did in 2002-2003, that is referred to as a non-calendar-year Grand SLAM, or a SERENA SLAM.
• ALS (21A: "White Girls" author Hilton) I learned about Pulitzer-Prize winning writer, Hilton ALS, last September. White Girls is a 2013 book by Hilton ALS that explores issues of identity, otherness, and interpersonal relationships in essays whose subjects include Truman Capote, Eminem, Michael Jackson, and Richard Pryor. In this Guardian article, Hilton ALS talks about his life and his book, White Girls.
• SEATTLE STORM (28A: Basketball team with a lightning bolt in the logo) The SEATTLE STORM are a WNBA team, whose team colors are (appropriately) thunder green, lightning yellow, and bolt green. The team's name was inspired by the rainy weather of SEATTLE, and the team's theme song is "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC. 
• TRADE (42A: Boilermaking is one) Boilermaking is a TRADE that involves making large containers out of steel, iron, and copper. The containers, including boilers, are designed to hold hot gas or liquid. Boilermakers also maintain and repair boilers.
• GUITAR (56A: Sister Rosetta Tharpe's instrument) I learned about Sister Rosetta Tharpe, aka the "Godmother of Rock and Roll," and her GUITAR-playing techniques from the July 12, 2022 puzzle. 
• KNEAD (68A: Verb early in a mandu recipe) Mandu is a filled dumpling in Korean cuisine that may be steamed, boiled, pan-fried, or deep-fried. KNEADing is required to make the dough before it can be filled.
• MOD (26D: Gamer's alteration) In gaming, a MOD - short for modification - is new game content that has been created by players rather than the game's developers.
• TITO (57D: Latin jazz legend Puente) I have previously written about "el Rey del Timbal" ("the King of the Timbales"), TITO Puente.

As one who sews, I am thankful for the SEAM RIPPER, even though I don't ever enjoy using it! SEAM RIPPER makes an enjoyable crossword theme though. As I mentioned above, I appreciated the thoughtful choice of related theme answers. I also like that the SEAM is "ripped" in each possible configuration. Fun fill today: LAID AN EGG, ADVERSARY, EASY STREET, ON SALE NOW, and ALL THE TIME. Thank you, Zhoquin, for this puzzle that was a wonderful way to start my Wednesday.