Graham

disappointed by the negativity here in the comments section. if you solved the puzzle, and enjoyed solving the puzzle, what does it matter whether or not you get credit for it? and if you're on a streak, and that's important to you, how big of a deal is it really to futz around for a few minutes to get the credit you deserve? the joy of finishing this incredibly clever thursday was, to this emu, more than worth the slight pain of acquiring a gold star. i also frankly don't get the general dislike of thursday "gimmicks" in this comment section. on one (or sometimes two) day(s) a week, we as solvers get to do something slightly different. if care is put into the twist – and it almost always is – we're just getting more puzzle bang for our buck. there are many thousands of more straightforward puzzles of every difficulty in the archives for those so single-mindedly inclined.

I think the quotation marks in 28A ["Coach"] contradict standard clueing usage. Why would one not prefer [Coach]? Quotation marks are not appropriate for a straightforward synonym. I feel, perhaps a little cynically, that they were added only to confuse the solver. That's not cool.

I can't believe how many people hate this puzzle! Fabulously clever and deviously simple. What do the kids say? Get good.