Fri., 8/8 David Poole

[magus]

THEME:   last word of a familiar phrase has an appendage that ends with a double consonant and final -A
   
GOOD ONES: 
Summer known for kitchen supplies?   TEFLON DONNA ["Telfon Don" Gotti, criminal]   
Navel observation   INNIE [not naval]   
Running without moving   IDLING   
Pal of Picasso   AMIGO [I thought some artist I didn't know]   
Lead in the theater?   USHER   
Head lock   TRESS   
Giant star   OTT [baseball player, not heavenly orb]   
   
BTW:   
Cards, e.g.   NLERS [not a real word, and no one has claimed the million bucks for finding it in the sports pages]   
   
Other, in Oaxaca   OTRO [exactly,  but not in St. Louis, Mo.]   
   
   
RATING:   
Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun   

[Thomps2525]

Does anyone agree with me that the clues are often more clever than the "theme answers"? Today, for example, "head lock" and "navel observation" are cute clues. Another clever clue I saw once was "Spirit of '76." The answer was AGEDLIQUOR. But yet another puzzle with OTT? It's sad that Mel Ott has become more well-known as a crossword answer than as a Giants outfielder!

[magus]

Yes, I agree about some themes being pedestrian while the fill may be most creative.  I do not think that this one falls into that category.   

As for Mel Ott, while it is true that those who do Xwords see his name more often in puzzles than in sports pages, the vast majority in our country don't do Xwords.  Of those who follow baseball but do not do puzzles, he's known as a Hall of Famer and not much more.  That he was a slight man who lifted his front leg while hitting hundreds of homers for the N.Y. Giants is known by relatively few.  And, appearing in Xwords ain't bad.  When MAGUS finds its way in, it never refers to me.