CROSSWORD NO. 2 HAS TY CONCLUSIONS
|
ACROSS
1 Show agreement
4 Easy to bend
10 Legendary Yankees shortstop, informally Dominican lover’s word
15 Hang around
16 Manage somehow
17 Devotion to circular
take-out food?
19 Group of families
20 Feeling relaxed
21 100%
22 “___ up to you”
23 Distinguished British women Have mercy on “Of course, Ms. Boop”?
Less feral
Skirt lines Starter for “horn” or “string” ___-Wan Kenobi Ruckuses Hammer’s cleaning partner
Bone that’s longer than a radius (Stay away from my pride!)
Sound pollution Cat that may bring you a wrench? Fiery crime About to fall out, like a tooth Actress Larue or Longoria
49 Ancient art venues 14 26 29
33 34 35
36 37 38
39 41
42 44
46 47
48 52 56
Allotment Name whose last three letters are a limb
Really large place to land?
61 Additional
62 “Don’t ___ it” (caution about strenuous activity) UFO crew
Part of a certain necklace Chevy SUVS Friend of Larry and Curly
57 63 64
65 66
DOWN
1 California wine region Exclude
Nod off
It may contain lime and water Moves with long strides Three, on a sundial Enjoyed empanadas, say Work without a ___ Make an effort Points a finger at Piece of sushi Outback gemstone Reject as false Democratic Republic of the Congo, once What starts with 2/1: Abbr.
23 Assignment
information 2 3 4
5
6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 18
21 24
25 26 27 28
29 30 31
32 37
40 42
43
45 48 49
50
51 53
54 55 57 58
59 60
Site of stored weapons State of untidiness Heavily built Cellist Casals
___ acid (protein component) Emergent plants Bangkok residents Abdomen’s body section
Oman neighbor Group such as Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Not yet proven Some Arizona natives
Speak pompously, perhaps Boxing stats Wear away
Its teeth may touch a brush
With 51-Down, soothing plant See 50-Down Something purchased Palindromic German name The Big Board in the Big Apple: Abbr. Quickly note (down)
State sch. southwest of D.C. “Unimpressive” “Dude!”
Comedian Aries Spears started doing standup when he was 14, and he hasn’t stopped since.
“Though it would be nice to have the option to take a break when you want,” Spears, 45, said by phone from Baltimore, where he was getting ready to perform as part of an ongoing tour.
The tour will hit Columbus for five shows at the Funny Bone Comedy Club this weekend, where his material will include “everything that isn’t politically correct.”
His performances here are something he’s looking forward to.
“Of all the Ohio cities, Columbus is probably my favorite. It feels a little more metropolitan, a little slicker and quicker and hipper than most. As long as it’s not Cleveland. Oh, Cleveland,” he said.
When Spears was starting out as a comedian, he modeled himself on Eddie Murphy.
“I grew up in the ‘80s, so he was a big influence. I started doing some research on him, and discovered that we had the same birthday, the same zodiac sign. I took all that as inspiration,” he said.
After doing standup in New York for a few years, Spears moved to Los Angeles in 1993, when he was 19. That’s where he auditioned for MADTV, the work for which he is probably best-known.
“It was just a question of being in the right place at the right time,” he said.
He joined the show during its third season, in 1997, and stayed until the end of the 10th season. While he was there, he created memorable characters such as Dollar Bill Montgomery and Belma Buttons, and did dozens of impressions, including those of Murphy, Snoop Dogg, Robert De Niro and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
His audiences now remember those MADTV impressions fondly.
“I do some of that because it’s what people pay for, and it’s part of what I do, but I’m also not a one-trick pony. I try to get people to understand that as well,” he said.
Spears has an unrepentant attitude in regard to political correctness.
“I understand that the climate we’re in right now has changed, with sensitivity and cancel culture. But I haven’t changed. I’ve always taken a Floridian stance to my comedy, which is to say, I stand my ground.”
Not that his audiences are shocked by his comedy.
“You’ve got your community,” he said. “It’s like being a drug dealer. They know what they’re buying.”
margaretquamme@hotmail.com
When he takes the court on Friday, Duane Washington Jr. of Ohio State will be re-introduced to a national television audience, this time on college basketball's biggest stage.
But although the Buckeyes' game against Oral Roberts in West Lafayette, Indiana, might be his first chance to shine in the spotlight that is the NCAA Tournament, Washington has been dancing for some time.
Publicly, he shows it as the music pumps through
“I’m going to bring positive energy, great energy, picking up my teammates, playmaking and shot-making, doing everything I can to try to help our team win.”
the arena's speakers before the opening tip-off. Having hugged each of his coaches, telling them he loves them, Washington's teammates in the bench area feed off the energy and start to groove. Seth Towns typically leads the way, busting out the “Griddy” dance as his fellow reserves follow along like a slow-moving train headed to midcourt.
On the court, Washington heads in the his teammates' direction, grinning and sharing the moment with them. Then, as he did in the Big Ten tournament, he goes out and assumes the role of Ohio State's leading scorer, an offensive focal point and a magnet for the camera.
The national audience on CBS will see it all Friday. What does Washington hope they take away from the experience?
“I'm going to bring positive energy, great energy, picking up my teammates, playmaking and shot-making, doing everything I can to try to help our team win,” he said this week.
The NCAA Tournament is built to turn players of Washington's caliber into household names. A high-volume, occasionally deadly accurate guard who is certain to have the ball in his hands for a chance at a game-winning shot is the type of player whose impact is often remembered long after his career is complete.
That much became evident as he poured in a Big Ten tournament-record 92 points during Ohio State's fourgame run that came up short with a three-point overtime loss to Illinois in the title game on Sunday.
Time after time throughout the week, though, it was Washington getting to the rim, Washington hitting a big three, Washington celebrating a big moment, fists clenched, eyes wide and mouth screaming.
In a season played primarily without fans, that passion helped unite and fuel his teammates.
“Duane certainly expresses how he
Duane Washington Jr., Ohio State guard
feels,” said Jake Diebler, Washington's position coach. “I love the joy that he plays with and I love how much he loves the game. When you have a young man who works hard and has those two things, great things are going to happen for him on the court and that makes it fun.”
That joy and emotion is always near the surface for Washington, a junior from Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Sometimes it leads to one too many ill-advised shots, a look from coach Chris Holtmann that Washington has described as “staring through your whole soul” and a temporary spot on the bench.
But it also has endeared him to his fellow Buckeyes, who feed off the energy and Washington's natural charisma.
“He's supremely confident,” Holtmann said. “Sometimes that's gotten him in trouble, and we're all aware of that, too. He's such a gifted player.”
In three seasons, Washington is tied for 51st in program history with 1,055 points. If he attempts six more threepointers this season, it will be the thirdmost threes attempted in a season team history.
Only six of Washington's points have come in the NCAA Tournament, though, as a freshman who played 21 total minutes in 2019 NCAA games against Iowa State and Houston.
“This year it's going to be different,” he said. “My role is different. There's a process with this basketball thing. You have to trust it and fully give yourself to it. Once you do that, you see greatness slowly come into fruition.”
That belief, coupled with his skill set and talent, makes for compelling theater. What more could you ask for in March? ajardy@dispatch.com @Adamjardy