Thursday, May 24, 2012

PCS 5.4: Over/Under

It doesn't fit! It isn't right!
11 players start tonight.

I note that, much to my dismay,
We'll play to inning 6 today.

It still feels wrong, the game's beginning.
Was that an out on strike 7 swinging?

My jaw fell slack, my eyes grew wide.
Out number 10 retired the side.

"I can't explain these rules!" I kvetch.
What's this about a 2nd inning stretch?

They had a fight, the benches cleared
But 27 players per team appeared.

A fellow fan was heard to say
"Do all 26 teams play this way?"

A man, who chanced to overhear
replied, "165 times each year".



Puzzle Rules: The solution to the puzzle is a Dodger. Comment freely in the thread, but if you have the solution, please don't give it away to everyone in the comments section. Instead, do the following:

  • Send us an Email with "PCS" somewhere in the subject line, containing the first and last name of the players, along with your reasoning. Submitted answers without the reasoning, or those submitted with the incorrect reasoning, will count for participation only, even if the answer itself is correct. And please include your screen name somewhere in the email; and
  • Post a comment simply saying you have emailed your solution attempt. We may not be able to reply to your original email promptly, so please be patient and check back on the comment thread for the latest news; we may confirm correct answers there.
You have until midnight PT tonight to submit your answer. Answer will be posted tomorrow morning. Good luck!

Hint #1: With respect to the title, in each couplet, think of correct number as "par"

Hint #2: The first couplet could read:

It doesn't fit! It isn't right! 
(+2) players start tonight.

62 comments:

ubragg said...

Answer sent!

Eric Karros said...

Ubragg's wins, all but conceded,
20 min was all he needed.

I only hope I save some face
And make a run at 2nd place.

Eric Karros said...

I'm not sure I truly appreciated Ubragg's puzzle amazingness until I became a contestant.

FYI Stubbs, I have no idea what the solution is but I love the poem!

Todd Etter said...

answer sent... but not quick enough! :)

Eric Karros said...

Correction: I hope to make a run at 3rd place

Steve K said...

I'm just hoping to answer it once I get some hints!

Steve K said...

I'm just hoping to answer it once I get some hints!

Steve K said...

Every time I use the "Back" button on my Mac, it posts my comment a second time.

ubragg said...

Thanks EK! And you are right, this is a damn fine baseball poem in its own right. Great work Stubbs!

Steve K said...

Ubragg, I like that you still check out the comments after you've solved the puzzle in 22 minutes. For some reason, though I imagine you with a maniacal laugh, saying "Those fools!"

Franklin Stubbs said...

We have confirmation of 4-for-4.

1. ubragg
2. BCCSweet

ubragg said...

Ha, thanks Steve. Every puzzle is a new start, and I know it is just a matter of time before someone breaks the streak. Doh. I shouldn't talk about the streak....

My money is on BCCSweet to go on a run at some point this season.

Franklin Stubbs said...

Yeah, that's right. I rhymed "kvetch" and "stretch". What's it to ya?

Eric Karros said...

Is BCCSweet 4-for-4 in 2nd places?

Regardless, we are clearly dealing with a 3-tier system.

You gotta wonder how many majors BCCSweet would have racked up if he played in a different era. Same goes for Mr C before his retirement.

FYI my computer simulation currently has Mr C edging out BCCSweet. We'll see if that changes as BCC builds more history.

Franklin Stubbs said...

Sure, why not?

Hint #1 posted.

ubragg said...

Whatever happened to Jose, the PCS Season 1 champ? I feel like I never got to face him in his prime either.

Franklin Stubbs said...

Yes, BCCSweet has claimed 2nd place on all four puzzles this year.

Eric Karros said...

answer sent!

QuadSevens said...

First stab sent!

Franklin Stubbs said...

EK comes correct, giving us the same top 3 as in PCS 5.1!

1. ubragg
2. BCCSweet
3. Eric Karros

Franklin Stubbs said...

Quad, not quite there. You've got a response coming back.

Eric Karros said...

Yeah I remember Jose, wonder where he went.

Besides him (and Mr C and BCC Sweet), others I remember who seemed to have the potential to challenge Ubragg but perhaps not the longevity or drive were Keven C and BWrightson.

Todd Etter said...

I think I now know how Federer feels about Nadal. Nice job again, ub!

Steve K said...

Crap! Q7 is here! He's the one person I can occasionally beat. (no offense!)

Steve K said...

I've won a couple of these things. Kind of like a blind dog finding a bone. It makes me feel like I could challenge the kings... until the following puzzle knocks me back to reality.

Franklin Stubbs said...

@EK

BCCSweet versus Mr. C is a tough call, because Mr. C was the Dave Kingman of the PCS. It was either a home run or an out.

QuadSevens said...

No offense taken Steve. I'm waiting on hints here too. And imagining this crazy version of a baseball game. =)

Steve K said...

Submitted my no-way-it's-right-but-I'm-sending-it-anyway answer...

How do we get DB in here to check my hyphen usage?

Franklin Stubbs said...

Steve is on the exact same wavelength as Q7, oddly enough. Not quite right, but you've got a response coming back.

Steve Sax said...

I think ubragg is juicing

QuadSevens said...

I'm english muffining.

Franklin Stubbs said...

I've consumed enough caffeine to kill a marmot.

Steve K said...

Got it. (Sorry Quad!)

Franklin Stubbs said...

Hint #2 posted.

Franklin Stubbs said...

Steve K is in!

1. ubragg
2. BCCSweet
3. Eric Karros
4. Steve K

Franklin Stubbs said...

There was a typo in the 3rd couplet, but it had no effect on the ultimate solution.

(Damn you, dyslexia!)

Mr. LA Sports Czar said...

Fuck it.

QuadSevens said...

Answer sent! Just missed you Steve!

Steve K said...

That's downright eerie.

Jason said...

Answer sent.

Solved in 20 minutes. If I actually hadn't been out drinking last night I might have woken up on time and actually beaten UBragg.

Ah, whom I kidding? It's all the drinking that killed just the right amount of brain cells to keep me from over-thinking this puzzle.

Franklin Stubbs said...

Jason and Quad are both correct!

1. ubragg
2. BCCSweet
3. Eric Karros
4. Steve K
5. QuadSevens
6. Jason

Eric Karros said...

Side discussion topic: is it harder to throw a no-hitter in regular baseball or in baesball with these new bizarro world rules?

Franklin Stubbs said...

10 outs an inning for 6 innings would make it pretty damn rare. A perfecto would be nigh-on-impossible giving every batter 7 strikes, as well.

QuadSevens said...

At only 6 innings, it seems easier until you realize that there are 10 outs per half inning. A no hitter in bizarro world is definitely harder.

On the other hand, even with 11 players per lineup you're almost guaranteed to bat around every inning. This would provide more at bats per game and could make offensive records easier to break.

QuadSevens said...

With 10 outs per inning, do you have 2 clearnup hitters now?

Fred's Brim said...

What about on a team with 27 Uribes?

QuadSevens said...

How many of them are emo?

Franklin Stubbs said...

The two extra fielders would probably cut down on BABIP, somewhat.

QuadSevens said...

Imagine the shift possibilities!

Eric Karros said...

With 10 outs per half-inning and 7 strikes, I wonder how many pitchers a typical team would carry on a roster of 27.

Fred's Brim said...

7 strikes would mean guys pitching to contact/no more strikeout pitchers. Where would you put two extra fielders? 4 guys in an arc around the outfield and a shortfielder up the middle/in shallow center? That would cut down on a six-ton of hits

Franklin Stubbs said...

Well, pitch counts are right out.

Eric Karros said...

And stretching in the middle of the 2nd?? Half the stadium won't even have arrived by then!

spank said...

Tito!

QuadSevens said...

The middle of the second would be after 30 outs. That would be like the top of the 6th in our world. Some people might have already gone home by then. (Probably all Angels fans)

Eric Karros said...

Ah, good point Quad. Especially with 7 strikes in play, it will probably be after more than 3 hours.

Hideo Nomo said...

Who said the extra guys are fielders? I imagine two pitchers and two catchers, with two simultaneous batters. One batter would run counter-clockwise and the other clockwise.

I haven't had a lot of sleep lately.

ubragg said...

Nomo, you may have known this when you posted, but there is actually a game (sorta) like that! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_Baseball

Hideo Nomo said...

I didn't know! Cool!

Franklin Stubbs said...

Has this thread be completely metabolized by the side discussion, or is anyone else still trying their luck on the actual puzzle?

Eric Karros said...

I have at times wondered what basketball (or soccer) would be like on a triangular court/field with 3 teams each defending a goal.

If they score they get a point, if they're scored on they lose a point.

So 2 teams could band together and overwhelm the 3rd team as the game (and overall standing, I imagine) dictates.

Franklin Stubbs said...

Ah, the old Molotov-Ribbentrop maneuver. It always ends in tears.