August 10, 2023

Title: OPENING NUMBERS

Constructor: Stella Zawistowski

Editor: Kelsey Dixon

Theme Answers:

TUNE IN NEXT WEEK (19A: Prompt at the end of some TV episodes)

TRACK YOUR ORDER (24A: Monitor the status of an online purchase)

HIT FOR THE CYCLE (49A: Perform a rare batting feat in baseball)

Theme synopsis: The OPENING words of the theme answers are synonyms for musical NUMBERS. We have a TUNE, a TRACK, and a HIT.

Things I learned:

• OBOE (9D: Woodwind instrument in "Kiss From a Rose") Singer-songwriter Seal released the song "Kiss From a Rose" in 1994. The song was a huge HIT, reaching the top ten in several countries, and winning three Grammy Awards. "Kiss From a Rose" is one of the few hit songs that have an OBOE solo. I enjoyed reading this interview with Seal, who earlier this year did a 30th Anniversary Tour in North America. This fall, Seal will be touring in the United Kingdom. All three of the "Things I learned" today have something in common. Although I didn't know these things, the answers were inferable. It was fairly easy to figure out that the four-letter woodwind instrument here is an OBOE.
• FLIP CUP (13D: Beer pong alternative) I admit to not being familiar with many drinking games. However, I do know that beer pong involves CUPs, so once I had a few letters from crossing answers it was pretty easy to figure out the answer. FLIP CUP has the dubious distinction of being the most efficient drinking game if your goal is to get drunk. Yikes.
• NIKE (20D: Company in the movie "Air") The movie Air, released earlier this year, is a biographical drama based on the origin story of Air Jordan, a NIKE shoe line. Although I haven't seen the movie, I'm familiar with Air Jordans, so it was fairly easy to figure out the answer here.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• MIMI (14A: Nickname for Mariah Carey) Mariah Carey's tenth studio album, released in 2005, is titled The Emancipation of MIMI. When the album was released, Mariah Carey said that MIMI was a nickname her close personal friends used, and the title was a signal she was revealing more of herself to fans.
• PIE (22A: Dessert with a crust) For a long time, I wasn't a huge fan of PIE. I thought it was okay, but would almost always opt for other desserts if given a chance. Then I began making PIEs. Although a bit time-intensive (if you make your own crust), PIE is fun to make. And, it turns out, homemade PIE can be delicious.
• LEAGUE (32A: The "L" in MLS) MLS = Major LEAGUE Soccer
• SUNI (34A: Gymnastics champ Lee) At the 2020 Summer Olympics (held in 2021), SUNI Lee won a gold medal in the Women's artistic individual all-around. We saw SUNISA LEE as a theme answer on October 6, 2021. 
• HIT FOR THE CYCLE (49A: Perform a rare batting feat in baseball) HIT FOR THE CYCLE is my favorite theme answer today. That may be because it's a sports thing and I knew it! To HIT FOR THE CYCLE, a baseball player needs to hit a single, a double, a triple, and a home run in the same game. The hits don't need to be in that order, but if they are, it's referred to as a natural CYCLE. In the last 141 years (since 1882), HITting FOR THE CYCLE has only been accomplished 343 times. On June 23 of this year, Elly De La Cruz, who plays for the Cincinnati Reds, became the most recent player to HIT FOR THE CYCLE.
• EAST (58A: Starting player in mah-jongg) Mah-jongg, or mahjong, is a tile game developed in China in the 19th century. A typical set of mah-jongg tiles has 16 winds, four each of the north, south, EAST, and west wind. One method of choosing the starting player is to place one of each of the wind tiles facedown. Each player selects a tile, which determines the seating arrangement, and the starting player.
• AMONG (59A: ___ Us (online video game)) AMONG Us is a multiplayer online game. During the game, which occurs in a space-themed setting, players are assigned roles - each player is either a Crewmate or an Impostor. The goal of the Crewmates is to complete certain tasks, while identifying and eliminating the Impostors. The goal of the Impostors is to secretly sabotage the Crewmates, and get rid of them before they complete their tasks. Initially released in 2018, Among Us received increased attention in 2020 when popular YouTubers and Twitch streamers played it.
• BIAS (60A: Prejudice that might be unconscious) You may have heard that we all have BIAS. It's true. Unconscious BIAS, also referred to as hidden BIAS or implicit BIAS, is often shaped by our early experiences. If you'd like to learn more about unconscious BIAS and test yourself for hidden BIAS, check out this article. 
• HOME (49D: "Fun ___" (Bechdel graphic memoir)) I have previously written about Alison Bechdel's 2006 graphic novel, Fun HOME, and the musical of the same name adapted from the novel.

Geography review:

• IRAN (3D: Neighbor of Afghanistan) Afghanistan is one of IRAN's seven neighboring countries. Are you up for a challenging Geography Review Quiz? IRAN has coastline along the Caspian Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf. It also borders seven countries. Including Afghanistan (your one freebie!) can you name the seven countries that border IRAN? The answer to the Geography Review Quiz is at the end of this blog post. (True confession: Geography is not my strong suit, and I could only name three.)

A nice "Aha!" moment today when I uncovered TUNE IN NEXT WEEK, and realized the OPENING NUMBERS in the theme would not be one, two, three, etc. This puzzle is asymmetric, a necessity to accommodate three 14-letter theme answers. Thank you, Stella, for this puzzle that was a terrific way to start my Thursday.

Answer to Geography Review Quiz: The seven countries that border IRAN are Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.