February 27, 2023

Title: FISH HEADS

Constructor: Anna Gundlach

Editor: Anna Gundlach

Theme Answers: 

GOLD STANDARD (20A: Ideal example that others are compared to)

STAR WARS DAY (35A: Sci-fi celebration on May the 4th)

CAT OSTERMAN (42A: All-star softball pitcher with three Olympic medals)

JELLY SANDALS (54A: Colorful 1980s plastic footwear trend)

Theme synopsis: The first words (the HEADS) of the theme answers can precede the word FISH. We have GOLDFISH, STARFISH, CATFISH, and JELLYFISH.

Things I learned:

• IVAN (62A: Hall of Fame catcher Rodriguez) IVÁN Rodríguez is a former MLB catcher. During his MLB career, he won 13 Gold Glove Awards. The Texas Rangers, who IVÁN Rodríguez played for from 1991-2002 and in 2009, have retired his uniform number, 7. IVAN Rodríguez was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2017. From 2007-2022, IVÁN Rodríguez held the record for career putouts as a catcher. He now ranks number 2 for that stat, having been surpassed last season by (now retired) St. Louis Cardinals catcher, Yadier Molina. (Go Cards!)
• SANDO (8D: Japanese lunch between two slices of bread) SANDO is the Japanese colloquial term for a sandwich.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• YEAR (23A: 687 days, on Mars) A YEAR is the time it takes a planet to complete a revolution around the sun. Planets closer to the sun have a smaller orbit, and therefore a shorter year, compared to planets farther from the sun. In our solar system, Earth is the third planet from the sun, and Mars is the fourth. Therefore, it makes sense that a YEAR on Mars (687 Earth days) is longer than a YEAR (365 days) on Earth.
• OPT (25A: ___ out (unsubscribe)) and MAP (28A: ___ out (plan in detail)) I enjoyed the "___ out" echo in these consecutive clues.
• STAR WARS DAY (35A: Sci-fi celebration on May the 4th) This answer reminded me of the puzzle  we saw on STAR WARS DAY, 2021. 
• NORSE (38A: Like the myth of Valhalla) In NORSE mythology, Valhalla is a majestic hall over which the god Odin rules. In NORSE tradition, half of those who die in combat go to Valhalla after they die, while the other half go to Fólkvangr, a field ruled over by the goddess Freyja.
• TAO (40A: ___ Te Ching) TAO Te Ching is a fundamental text for Taoism.
• CAT OSTERMAN (42A: All-star softball pitcher with three Olympic medals) I learned about retired softball player, CAT OSTERMAN, when we saw her as a theme answer on November 14, 2022. 
• JELLY SANDALS (54A: Colorful 1980s plastic footwear trend) Having lived through the 1980s, I can tell you that colorful JELLY SANDALS, also known as JELLY shoes or jellies, were ubiquitous. (Somehow I managed to not ever own a pair.)
• TIGER (67A: Striped big cat) Willow is neither big nor striped, but she is adorable. 

  

  Willow

• DOLLY PARTON (3D: Country star who originally recorded "I Will Always Love You") Not only did DOLLY PARTON originally record, "I Will Always Love You," she also wrote the song (as a way to say goodbye to her mentor, Porter Wagner). DOLLY PARTON first recorded the song in 1974, and re-recorded it in 1982 for the soundtrack of the movie, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. Both recordings reached the top of Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. In 1992, Whitney Houston recorded "I Will Always Love You" for the movie, The Bodyguard. That version was a huge hit. DOLLY PARTON has spoken several times about how amazing she thought Whitney Houston's cover of the song was. I will always be happy to see DOLLY PARTON in a crossword; I am a fan.
• FOXTROT (5D: Dance similar to the quickstep)The FOXTROT is a partner dance to a 4/4 time signature (as opposed to a 3/4 time signature of a waltz). The FOXTROT, which is characterized by long, flowing movements, developed in the 1910s. A decade or so later, two variations of the dance evolved, eventually becoming the separate dances known as the FOXTROT and the quickstep.
• ANNA (22D: Actress Faris) I wrote about ANNA Faris on July 22, 2020, as I learned about her role of Christy Plunkett on the TV show, Mom. ANNA Faris is also known for starring in the Scary Movie films, five horror spoof movies (2000-2006). In 2015, ANNA Faris launched a podcast titled, Unqualified.
• LARP (57D: Play an IRL fantasy game) I learned about LARP from the January 3, 2023 puzzle. 
• SHE'S (58D: "___ Gotta Have It") SHE'S Gotta Have It is a 1986 movie directed by Spike Lee. A 2017-2019 TV series of the same name was based on the movie.
• ALI (60D: Actor Mahershala) I have previously written about Mahershala ALI.

Geography review:

• NOLA (17A: Bourbon Street's city, for short) Bourbon Street is located in the historic area of New Orleans, Louisiana (NOLA, for short), known as the French Quarter. The 13-block street is known for its bars and strip clubs.
• UTAH (62A: Great Salt Lake state) The Great Salt Lake is located in northern UTAH. As the lake's name suggest, it is a large, saltwater lake - the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The area of the Great Salt Lake varies. In the 1980s, the lake covered 3,300 square miles. Recently, the area of the lake - affected by drought and upstream water diversion - has shrunk considerably, to 950 square miles.
• ALBANY (44D: New York's capital) New York's capital city of ALBANY is located on the Hudson River in Upstate New York, about 135 miles north of New York City.

I have to say that I appreciated this puzzle more than the goofy "FISH HEADS" song! A great collection of theme answers here. In addition to the answers I've already highlighted, I also liked ORDER STATUS, TERRIER, and WATER SLIDE. Thank you, Anna, for this puzzle that was a marvelous way to start my Monday.