December 31, 2006

Monday, 1/1

CS 3:02
LAT 2:46
NYT 2:37

(post updated at 8:45 a.m. Monday)

If you're wondering how to find this week's Sun crosswords before there's a 2007 calendar page at Puzzle Pointers, try the page for recent puzzles. Mind you, it won't get you a Monday puzzle for this week since Monday's a holiday. Despite Gerald Ford's funeral and the associated holiday, however, there is a puzzle posted for the 2nd.

There is an NYT crossword for New Year's Day, by Randy Sowell. Nice 'n' easy, just like we like 'em on Mondays, and aptly, the theme's perfect for the holiday. The theme entries all start with different BOWLS—the ROSE, ORANGE, SUGAR, and COTTON Bowls of college football. I have absolutely no idea which teams are playing in any of the games, nor do I care. But I could come up with teams of all-star crossword constructors to fight one another to the death in cage matches honor, and that will be the subject of a stand-alone post.

Updated:

In Donna Levin's LA Times crossword, a 56-square homophone theme is supplemented by three Z's.