C.C. needed a pinch hitter and looked down the bench and all she saw was a Husker Gary just called up from the Nebraska League. So here I am taking my first swings at bat in the LA Times League.

Jeff's fun puzzle contained the theme in the clues and then the superfluously unnecessary answers. Very nice.

20A. Redundant position?: CLOSE PROXIMITY. Is there a far proximity?

25A. Redundant alert?: ADVANCE WARNING. Would spotting a zero on Dec. 8th would be late warning?

42A. Redundant habit?: REGULAR ROUTINE. A rut or a groove?

48A. Redundant guesses?: ROUGH ESTIMATE. Don't trust any estimate but Splynter's

Let's start on my initial first puzzle (huh?)

Across

1. Summoned, with "for" : RANG. Lurch - "You rang?"

5. Skedaddle : SCAT. You kids get out of my yard!

9. Travolta facial feature : CLEFT.

14. Symphony member : OBOE

15. Okla., from 1890 to 1907 : TERR. The shameful Trail of Tears ended here

16. Pick up : LEARN. Granddaughter is LEARNing to drive in my PICKUP

17. Carnival sight : TENT

18. Slight advantage : EDGE

19. Plus : ASSET

23. "The Time Machine" people : ELOI

24. Low in a lea : MOO

32. Traffic stopper : SIREN. A red light or a well turned ankle!

33. Beauties : GEMS

34. South American vacation spot : RIO. A city to blame it on

35. IRS employee : TMAN. Not even they understand the tax code

36. Pay : WAGES

38. Pizzeria fixture : OVEN. Me when I was 18!

39. Poetic time of day : EEN

40. View from Toledo : ERIE. Look, you can see Klinger's house by the lake.

41. Sitcom set at Mel's Diner : ALICE

46. Nothing but __: perfect hoops shot : NET

47. Kiss and cuddle, British-style : SNOG

55. Trunks : TORSI

56. Prefix with stat : RHEO. Home of the OHM

57. All-night party : RAVE. I'm cashin' in at 11 pm

58. Oscar night VIP : EMCEE

59. Detective Peter of old TV : GUNN.  Best TV theme ever?

60. Canadian tribe : CREE. Helped wimpy me fish in Saskatchewan.

61. Hamlet in "Hamlet" and others : LEADS.

62. Auto pioneer : OLDS. They literally don't make them like than anymore.

63. Driven drove : HERD

Down

1. VMI program : ROTC. Now coed

2. Victim in Genesis : ABEL. No advance warning for this attack either.

3. Taboo : NONO. Also a baseball no-hitter.

4. Settles a score : GETS EVEN. Bama did that on Jan. 9

5. Apply, as a brake : STEP ON

6. Comedian __ the Entertainer : CEDRIC

7. Golden Fleece vessel : ARGO. Always a home port for you here Jason!

8. "Jurassic Park" menace, briefly : TREX. Great movie!

9. Dins : CLAMORS

10. Tissue abnormality : LESION.

11. Houston-to-Tampa direction : EAST. My first Florida groups flew from Houston to Oralando over the gulf. Next time I'll look for Tin!

12. Glenn of The Eagles : FREY

13. Explosive letters : TNT. Trinitrotoluene.

21. Stylish vigor : ELAN

22. Mosque officials : IMAMS

25. Anouk of "La Dolce Vita" : AIMEE. Ah, the sweet life!

26. Sturm und __ : DRANG

27. Halloween vandal, perhaps : EGGER

28. Teeny : WEE

29. "The Empire Strikes Back" director Kershner : IRVIN. Not a clue.

30. Reunion attendee : NIECE. Of course in France, she'd be a Nice niece.

31. Departed : GONE

32. Silver fineness meas. : STER. Sterling

36. Ire : WRATH

37. __ Jordan: Nike brand : AIR. Their re-release caused riots in malls

38. Member of a small ruling class : OLIGARCH. Common pejorative word in elections

40. Poetic laments : ELEGIES

41. Speck : ATOM

43. New : UNSEEN

44. Belgian seaport : OSTEND. Find it?

45. Marriages : UNIONS.

48. 1960 Olympics city : ROME

49. Sea predator : ORCA. New cautions are now taken at Sea World. They call them KILLER whales for a reason.

50. Consequently : ERGO. Ergo, C.C. had to settle for Gary

51. Rabbi's house of worship : SHUL. Ok.

52. Container weight : TARE

53. Penultimate fairy tale word : EVER. Like the Kardashian marriages?

54. Future flower : SEED

55. Address bk. entry : TEL. House wall phone may be going bye bye.

This was fun to do and beat the 2o line limit! I hope to get better in the future.