100. Can't You Be Serious?

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Hello hello! For you Cubbies fans (I'm not sure who actually reads this), Justin Steele got his first win of the season in incredible fashion yesterday by throwing his first-ever complete game! I still think the Cubs might be sellers at the deadline, but maybe they'll just stand pat? This July is already better by a mile, compared to both May and June combined.

And, now, onto Mikey G's 100th meta puzzle!

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1. Puzzle #99 answer: WAYNE GRETZKY

Correct entries: 81! A true Level 1, we did it!!

Shortest explanation: It's about as simple as it gets here: take MIKEY G'S LAST NAME - hey, that's mine! That's GRACZYK (it does indeed rhyme with "basic," though I believe the original was pronounced GRAH-chik), and following the straightforward directions after that gets us to #99 himself, WAYNE GRETZKY, our meta answer. (This puzzle is based on one of my all-time favorite Dell offerings, "How Well Do You Follow Directions?").

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2. I will not pontificate too long here, but it is wild that this will now mark meta #100, the first of which went live in December '20. I ambled into a bookstore in '19 and, though I have long since loved puzzles, thought to myself, "You know what? Let me get back into crosswords a bit." 

I was hooked almost immediately and, while searching online to expand my passion, I stumbled upon the MGWCC: Matt Gaffney's meta crossword contest. I had never even heard of a meta but remember the rush when I unearthed my first correct answer (MARTINA NAVRATILOVA). The rest was history.

(I also liked that my first solved meta dealt with what I surmise is one of the creator's alternate passions, since he puts in tennis a lot in his puzzles. Outside of puzzles, I love reading, punning, and my beloved Cubbies, so expect those references to show up as often as I can fit them in!)

Ultimately, though, a creator is useless without the solvers, so I thank all of you for the love and joy you have brought me, both in solving my creations but also as we tackle other creations together (and many reading this are also cruciverbalists in their own right). I am a solver first and hope to keep on cracking these conundrums for many years to come!

Okay, I am dismounting the soapbox. This century-mark puzzle should clock in at about a Level 2 or 2.5.

Good luck, and may all your solves be beautiful!

Mikey G

The answer to the meta is a 13-letter phrase that describes the chances I'm being serious.