"Leading Men" - October 4, 2019

[damefox]

On some shore somewhere. I submitted an answer mostly through process of elimination. The options for how I'm going to feel when I see the solution are 1) really lucky, 2) really stupid, or 3) like there's no way I ever would've been able to see that.

[Julie O]

I have an answer I don't like, I'll be stewing over it at a table in the corner of the bar,...

[KayW]

Had a momentary worry, seeing 16A and 29A that this was going to be that subject I know almost nothing about. But all is well. I’m joining the shore party

Barbara
This is the month to fill in your missing knowledge

Last week a friend commented that he'd be staying home that evening to watch the baseball game. I was confused - thought I'd heard somewhere that baseball season was over. Apparently there is still something going on though.

Barbara if you're in Chicago like me, baseball season IS over

And like you, I thought I was in for rough seas when I saw 16A and 29A. But nice smooth trip to shore. Clever and fun meta - no search engines needed! Since it's early, I'll make mine a Stiegl Radler graperfuit.

[ALS]

Ashore and sure, but not very excited.

ALS

[Janet P]

Ashore! Finished the grid quickly yesterday but a couple of bunnies popped out of holes that were dead ends. Had Isaac fix a martini before he trundled off to find Marge in the garden.
This morning with pen and paper all became clear.
Good luck to all on winning the mug!

[STL-D]

Ashore! Not 100% positive, but good enough to get an alternate answer mug if I'm wrong.

[Deb F]

When you open the thread on Friday morning and it's already to page 5, you know you should get it! This was one I actually got before finishing it--that is so rare for me that I may have an early Bloody Mary!! On the beach, happily.

[juliet]

I'm onshore, and it's too early for drinking anything except coffee. Usually, for me, the grid is a chore, the meta process is interesting, and the meta-aha is delightfully satisfying. This puzzle was all in reverse, but maybe I'm missing something. Okay, maybe it's the coffee that's missing something. A little Bailey's? Yes, thank you!

[jenirvin]

Ah. What a relaxing swim to the beach this week! Count me on the shore. Good thing, too, since the rest of the weekend is so busy.

[pddigi]

I beat Dom to shore - that might be the first time in over a month. 100%er! He says he is still working on it, so I will have to update with my son's status later. Have a good weekend all!

[Hector]

I think I've got the first one and a half steps, but now I'm stuck. Since everyone else seems to think it's pretty straightforward, I wonder if I might be about 40 years too young for this puzzle...

That's a distinct possibility.

[sharkicicles]

Since it's early, I'll make mine a Stiegl Radler graperfuit.

I find it best with a shot of Malört at the bottom of the glass.

[Inca]

I thought this was actually a very well done meta. As someone who has virtually no knowledge of the topic in play (I "knew", as in recognized at all, 50%), it was possible for me, based on the title to google away to get the other 50% that I was sure had to be there. The answer fits perfectly so, although I did this whole puzzle (including the grid) mostly by feel (like a blind man in a dark room), I'm quite confident in my answer.

[LesY]

Ashore! Forgot to post yesterday. Got caught behind all the Guinness trucks headed for the beach.

Still at sea on pgwcc and hoping for a lay-up from Matt's return with a Week 1 in a few minutes.

[Saxerbrau]

Statistics for the last 200 Puzzles!

As a celebration for the 200th Contest Crossword (started tracking online for the puzzle: "You Better Shop Around" on 12/11/15 by Matt Gaffney), I thought I would share some interesting statistics regarding winners, states, and more! If you would like more information about any of the stats below, let me know in a reply.

By the way, I am on shore this week, and looking forward to another 200 contests.

Top 5 states for Winners

• California – 22
  Massachusetts – 19
  New York – 17
  Ohio – 12
  Texas – 12

Top 5 Cities for Winners

• Portland, Oregon – 3
  Colorado Springs, Colorado – 3
  Berkeley, California – 3
  Cotuit, Massachusetts – 3
  Palo Alto, California – 2

Winners with more than one win

• Laurie Dings, Cotuit, MA – 3 Mugs Won
  Kurt Huddleston, Lisle, IL – 2 Mugs Won
  Melanie Frost, Colorado Springs, CO – 2 Mugs Won
  Yossi Fendel, Berkeley, CA – 2 Mugs Won

States that have yet to win a contest crossword
Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Louisiana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.

Duplicate titles

• City Folk – 2 Times it has been used
  Secret Ingredients - 2 Times it has been used
  Marking Time - 2 Times it has been used

Number of Titles by Author

• Gaffney, Matt 100
  Kelly, Marie 63
  Shenk, Mike 16
  Berry, Patrick 13
  Gordon, Peter 6
  Muller, Pete 1
  McClary, Todd 1
  Grand Total 200

[FrankieHeck]

Statistics for the last 200 Puzzles! ....

Sweet! I love data. Thanks for this!

[Rad26]

Ashore.

[Jim and Anita]

We thought we had a plausible solution Thursday evening but had second thoughts because it didn't seem to have that "aha" feeling. We spent the night with Isaac admiring MaineMarge's garden and decided this morning that our answer was the best we could do. Ashore!

[Olaf]

Hanging out with Isaac again. Maybe I’ll have an epiphany on Saturday, like last week. This seems like something I should be able to get, but not sure I am going the right way.

[Devilbunny]

Fairly straightforward, though there was one brief sleeping policeman (I’d call it a speed bump, but the forum seems only to have a choice for British English when signing up, so...).

Long-time lurker, first-time poster, happy to be ashore. I’ve had a decent run lately, so I am sure that failure looms large in the near future. Oh well; I shall take my good fortune where I find it.