Boys and Their Toys

I thought today's cryptoquote was a bit sexist:

Tris Speaker
(courtesy of Wikipedia)

"If you put a baseball and other toys in front of a baby, he'll pick up a baseball in preference to the others."--Tris Speaker

What about the girls? Do they not like sports too? 

And who was Tris Speaker? He lived from 1888 until 1958 and played for the Red Sox, Indians, Senators, and the A's. He was considered one of the best center fielders in major league history and batted .345. Speaker led the Red Sox to two world champions and carried the Indians to their first World Series title. After that, he became a minor league team manager and then owned a team called the Kansas City Blues. The Blues were affiliated with the A's but are no longer a team.

Today's puzzle by Gail Grabowski was called "Closing Words." None of the theme answers really motivated me to entail further comment:

20A: Desperate Strategy (LAST RESORT)

40A: "Case Closed!" (END OF DISCUSSION)

56A: Negotiation Step (FINAL OFFER)

Yesterday, we saw an excellent movie  at the Museum of the Moving Image called "Becoming Elmo." It's a biopic about Kevin Clash from his childhood in Baltimore to the creation of his most famous Muppet. It was very heartwarming and Kevin is a really nice guy. Also, we saw a Jim Henson retrospective, which featured puppets, drawings, storyboards, and live performances. On Saturday, we explored the Rubin Museum of Art. I have to admit Himalayan art and religion don't always excite me, but Alex has been studying it in school.

Elmo

Last night, I watched the pilot for "Pan Am." Although it dragged in some spots, it had very pretty cinematography and doesn't try to pretend to be something it's not. It was meant to be a fantasy puff piece and not a clone of "Mad Men." The latter is supposed to be dark and take on controversial themes.

Tonight the boys are seeing the Foo Fighters while I go back to the eye doctor.

Till tomorrow. . . .

Signing off,

The Puzzlechick