August 6, 2023

Title: RISEBALL

Constructor: Matthew Stock

Editor: Amanda Rafkin

Theme Answers:

READ ALL ABOUT IT (6D: Words shouted after "Extra! Extra!")

MANUAL LABOR (10D: Work done without machines)

VANILLA BEAN (25D: Off-white ice cream flavor)

Theme synopsis: The word BALL is on the RISE in each vertical theme answer.

Things I learned:

• PINTA (30A: ___ azul (lollipop brand with the slogan "Rock that blue tongue!") PINTA azul lollipops are distributed by the Mexican candy brand Vero. The blue lollipops are strawberry and raspberry-flavored. Appropriately, PINTA azul are shaped like a paintbrush, perfect for "painting" your tongue blue.
• TARO (39A: Root veggie in imoni) Imoni is a TARO and meat soup that originated in Japan.

Random thoughts and interesting things:

• ALI (15A: "Bel-Air" actress Tatyana) Tatyana ALI portrays Ashley Banks on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air (1990-1996). Beginning with the second season of the reboot series, Bel-Air, Tatyana ALI has a recurring role as English literature teacher, Mrs. Hughes.
• MAGMA (17A: Volcanic output) As I talked about on September 1, 2022, the difference between MAGMA and lava is location. MAGMA is molten rock that is underground. Once MAGMA breaks through the Earth's surface - perhaps spewed out of a volcano - it is known as lava. (Therefore, although I easily filled in the answer here, I don't think this clue is quite accurate.)
• VUVUZELA (23A: Horn heard at some soccer matches) I knew the answer to this clue immediately, but I needed the help of crossing answers to figure out how to spell it. A VUVUZELA is a plastic horn that is essentially a long fluted tube. The VUVUZELA was invented in South Africa (though its origins are disputed), and has become a popular noisemaker at some soccer matches. One characteristic of the VUVUZELA is that it is loud. It can actually cause ear damage! The VUVUZELA has been banned at some sporting events.
• LAND (43A: Touch down at GNV) GNV is the code for the Gainesville Regional Airport located just northeast of Gainesville, Florida. I'm guessing it is where you might LAND if you were going to visit the constructor of today's puzzle.
• OSU (47A: The NCAA's Buckeyes) The Buckeyes are the athletic teams of Ohio State University (OSU), located in Columbus, Ohio.
• IGA (60A: Tennis champion Swiatek) IGA Świątek is currently the number one ranked player in the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). She won the French Open in 2020, 2022, and 2023, and the U.S. Open in 2022. IGA Świątek is the first player from Poland to win a major singles title. 
• KWANZAA (5D: Holiday celebrated by lighting candles in a kinara) KWANZAA is a celebration of African-American culture observed from December 26 to January 1. Celebrations include the lighting of candles in a seven-branched candleholder called a kinara. The candles represent the seven principles of Kwanzaa: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
• TITANIC (33D: Film with the song "My Heart Will Go On") Celine Dion's song, "My Heart Will Go On," was the theme song for the 1997 movie, Titanic. The song has won many awards, including an Academy Award for Best Original Song, and four Grammy Awards. 
• TIG (46D: Comedian Notaro) I have previously written about TIG Notaro. TIG Notaro appears in two movies released in February of this year, Your Place or Mine and We Have a Ghost.
• NAOMI (50D: Model Campbell) NAOMI Campbell began her modeling career at the age of 15. She was the first Black model to appear on the covers of Time, French Vogue, and Russian Vogue.

Geography review:

• ERIE (14A: Smallest Great Lake) The word smallest is relative, of course. Although Lake ERIE is the smallest of the Great Lakes, it has a surface area of 9,990 square miles. That makes it larger than six U.S. States. Vermont, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Connecticut, Delaware and Rhode Island all have an area smaller than Lake ERIE. 
• INDIA (16A: Delhi's country) Dehli is the administrative division of INDIA that contains the city of New Delhi, the country's capital. The official name of Delhi is the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
• TEXAS (26A: The Lone Star State) The state of Texas is nicknamed "The Lone Star State," and its flag features a single star. This nickname is a reminder that Texas was previously an independent republic after it broke away from Mexico in 1836 until it became a U.S. state in 1845.
• SRI (1D: ___ Lanka) SRI Lanka is an island country in the Indian Ocean that is located southeast of the Indian peninsula. SRI Lanka has two capital cities. The legislative capital is SRI Jayawardenepura Kotte, and the executive and judicial capital is Colombo.

A RISEBALL is a type of pitch in fastpitch softball, so named because it rises as it approaches home plate. Today RISEBALL is our theme, with a BALL on the RISE in each theme answer. Constructor "voice" is a topic of discussion in the world of crosswords. I think of voice as the aspect that makes a puzzle unique to a constructor. If you asked multiple constructors to grid and clue a puzzle with the same theme set, you'd end up with different puzzles. (This would be an interesting experiment...) Anyway, I bring this up because I enjoyed the math clues in this puzzle, which I associate as part of Matthew's constructor voice: TEN (2D: This clue's number times five), ADDS (38D: Does sum work), and RHOMBUS (42D: Shape known as a "tilted square." I also greatly appreciated the clue for STIGMA (52A: Mental health literacy battles it). Here's to battling the STIGMA associated with mental health. Thank you, Matthew, for this puzzle that was a delightful way to start my Sunday.