PCS Season IV Prize!

O-Dogg poster? Check. Rafael Furcal bobblehead? Check. Dodgers iPhone cover? Check. Dodgers Rubik's Cube? Check. Authorship of a PCS puzzle? Check. Each of the Sons' first born? Check.

And Mr C isn't exactly running a prize deficit with the Sons either. He's collected a 2009 Dodger Media guide, as well as a few puzzles of his own.

So what is left to offer up here guys for landing the top two spots once again in PCS IV? Well, Sax has arranged a free subscription to a subscription to P&A magazine if you want it, uBragg. And if you don't, we have a PCS V puzzle waiting for you.

• Sax's note: Actually, I already bought uBragg the P&A magazine subscription, so it's too late now...

  Let us know in the comments or via email which one you want ubragg, and congratulations again to both of you!

• Orel's note: Actually, I already sent uBragg my firstborn, so it's too late now...

  Let us know in the comments or via email which one you want ubragg, and congratulations again to all three of you!

Ubragg Completes the Five-Peat!

Congratulations ubragg on fighting off Mr C for your fifth consecutive PCS championship. Count 'em: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (<-the fifth refers to this one, so a link seems unnecessary). After ubragg and Mr C came Steve K, Jason, and Quad. Here's how the entire standings shook (shaked?) out:

(800 possible points*)

Current Rank	Previous Rank	Puzzler	PCS Tour Points
1	1	UBragg	583
2	2	Mr C	532
3	3	Steve K	463
4	4	Jason	438
5	5	QuadSevens	380
6	6	BCCSweet	375
7	7	Josh S	307
8	8	Loney Fan	203
9	9	Dusto Magnifico	147
T-10	T-10	Spank	80
T-10	T-10	MLASC	80
T-10	T-10	Dusty Baker	80

Others receiving votes: greg finley 70, steve dittmore 60, neeebs 60, rbnlaw 50, timothy 50, fernie v 30, erin 20, sharon 20, mr f 20, mr doctor 10, the 10, matt 10, karina 10, paul 10.

*Two lowest puzzle scores removed.

Thanks all for playing again this year. Prizes to be announced soon!

Off-Day Puzzle #10: Solution

The answer to yesterday's puzzle is Matt Kemp.

As hinted by the limerick, look back at the last 31 puzzle solutions (yes, ubragg won 16 of them - so not even half! Slacker.), which span PCS Seasons II (starting with Puzzle #11), III, and IV, and look at "how each begins" - i.e., the first word. Doing so yields the following (arranging in limerick format encouraged but not required):

The word that you seek is the name,
Of who had the best single game,
      In the last two seasons,
      Inclusive of this one,
As measured by Hack’s stat of fame

Hack is a reference to Hack Wilson, whose stat-of-fame was his record 191 RBI's during the 1930 season. Matt Kemp had the Dodgers' best single-game RBI total over the past 2 years, with 6 in an 11-8 victory over the Reds this past June.

Congratulations Steve K, and mr c, Josh S, Jason, and ubragg. FINAL puzzle rankings to post soon!

Off-Day Puzzle #10: The Finale

Good luck!

Of the last 31 you have seen,
ubragging rights came with sixteen,
      Each time you learn who wins,
      Note how the text begins,
So you can prevent seventeen.

Puzzle Rules: The answer to the puzzle is a current or former 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:

• Email us with the first and last name of the answer, along with your reasoning (answers arrived at via luck or the wrong reasoning, even if correct, count for participation credit only). And please include your screen name somewhere in the email; and
• Post a comment simply saying you have emailed your solution attempt. I 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; I may confirm correct answers there.

You have until midnight PT tonight to submit your answer. Solution will be posted tomorrow. Good luck!

Hint #1 (10:00am): If you're confused with the 4th-to-last word of the resulting message, think about Tom Hanks' volleyball buddy.

Hint #2 (10:00am): You're gotta do it for all 31, not just the 16.

Hint #3 (2:00pm): Additional hint embedded in limerick.

*New to SoSG's PCS Puzzle Series? Here's how it works. Join the fun, all are welcome!

Off-Day Puzzle #9: Solution

Fame and success has brought Chad Billingsley more than fortune and admiration. It's also made him the answer to yesterday's puzzle.

The puzzle's title ("Now Batting...Josh Bard") refers to Shakespeare, and the lines are from Shakespeare's sonnets. Missing words are represented by pictured players, which you had to identify by sight, browsing team rosters, working backwards, or (if you were really crafty) looking up their MLB.com profile URLs using the numbers in the picture file names.

Filling in the clues gives us:

The offender's sorrow lends but weak [relief (Javy Guerra)] Sonnet #34

dot

null

And they are [rich (Harden)] and [ransom (Cody)] all ill deeds Sonnet #34

And they shall live, and he in them still [green (Shawn)] Sonnet #63

They that have power to [hurt (Frank Thomas, a.k.a. The Big)] and will do none Sonnet #94

comma

dash

And that fresh blood which [young (Eric Jr.)]-ly thou bestow'st Sonnet #11

[Mark (Reynolds)] how one string, sweet husband to another Sonnet #8

dot

To the clear [day (Darren O')] with thy much clearer light Sonnet #43

Doth spot the beauty of thy [bud (Norris)]-ding name! Sonnet #95

Yet who knows not conscience is [bo(u)rn (Michael)] of love? Sonnet #151

Combining the sonnet numbers with the supplied punctuation results in:

34.0346394, -118.4395151

...which looks suspiciously like GPS coordinates. Google those coordinates and you get the location of Billingsley's Steak House in West L.A. (Not affiliated with Chadley, as far as we know, but a good place to go if you like your beef bloody and your restaurants retro.)

Congratulations to the solverati, a highly secretive organization consisting of BCCSweet and Mr. Customer. Updated rankings will post soon. Next puzzle, Monday, Sept 19, at 7 a.m.!

photo by Yelp user Joan S.

Off-Day Puzzle #9: Now Batting...Josh Bard

the offender's sorrow lends but weak

dot

null

and they are andall ill deeds

and they shall live and he in them still

they that have power toand will do none

comma

dash

and that fresh blood which-ly thou bestow'st

how one string sweet husband to another

dot

to the clearwith thy much clearer light

doth spot the beauty of thy -ding name

yet who knows not conscience isof love

--------------------------------------------------------------------

Puzzle Rules: The solution to the puzzle is a current 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:

• Email us the solution, 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;
• 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. Good luck!

Not familiar with SoSG's off-day puzzle competition? Read up here. And join the fun!

Reminder: PCS Puzzle Tomorrow (Sept 1)

Tomorrow is technically NOT an off-day, as the Dodgers will be playing that make-up game in Pittsburgh at 1p PT. However, we've got a PCS puzzle all slated up--and this is from Orel as a special guest-star--so make sure you're here at 7a sharp!

Good luck!

PCS Updated Rankings!

Can Mr C catch ubragg as we approach the finish line? He closed a little ground this week (17 points, to be exact), but it still seems like a tall order to make up 76 points over two puzzles to break ubragg's 3-year dominance of the puzzle series. And remember, unlike previous years, this year there's no rolling 7-puzzle succubus. Instead, your final score is comprised of your top 8 out of 10 scores.

The only actual position changes in the top 10 are a flip-flop of #7 Josh S and #8 Loney Fan, and Greg Finley dropping out of a 3-way tie for 10th. BCCSweet's absence allowed Quad to create some separation from him and also allowed Josh to creep up a little closer from behind. Quad's also closing ground on Jason's #4 spot.

Here are the full rankings (as always, please double check):

(800 possible points)

Current Rank	Previous Rank	Puzzler	PCS Tour Points
1	1	UBragg	583
2	2	Mr C	507
3	3	Steve K	423
4	4	Jason	388
5	5	QuadSevens	370
6	6	BCCSweet	275
7	8	Josh S	217
8	7	Loney Fan	203
9	9	Dusto Magnifico	147
T-10	T-10	Spank	80
T-10	T-10	MLASC	80

Others receiving votes: greg finley 70, dusty baker 70, ditty 60, neeebs 60, timothy 50, rbnlaw 40, erin 20, sharon 20, mr f 20, fernie v 20, mr doctor 10, the 10, matt 10, karina 10, paul 10.

Next puzzle, Thursday, Sept 1, 7am, from Orel!

Off-Day Puzzle #8: Solution

Of all the puzzles in the PCS series, this was the first to invoke a demon, a satyr, a bat, and a panther. And it was the first to have Kirk Gibson as the answer.

So...where does the day go? Well, you may have noticed that there are a lot of possessives in the poem. There is in fact one per line. If you put the word 'day' to the end of each possessive noun (either before or after any trailing, pluralizing 's'), you get:

A demon(day)s soul rests on the brink,
Running deep as tattoos(day) ink;
But when’s(day) the time, that dreaded hour?
That coaxes forth the panther's(day) scour?
(The belfry(day)’s bat in madness knows,
The key plucked from a satyr(day)’s rose.)
Here _____(day)’s name ends the first week,
When sermon(day)’s voices cease to speak.
But buckle up, week two’s(day) begun!
So when’s(day) the end to all this fun?

So the poem runs through the days of the week Monday through Friday, then up through Wednesday again the following week. The missing day is Sunday. Of the '88 Dodgers w/ 25+ RBIs, only Kirk Gibson's name fits the pattern.

This puzzle is conceptually similar to the Dead Sailors puzzle two years ago. Alas, unlike this current one, the verses of the Dead Sailors poem actually made sense on their own, outside the context of the hidden puzzle). This one, well...not so much.

Congratulations to Mr C, ubragg, Quad, Steve K, Neeebs, Jason, and Josh S. Updated rankings will post soon. Next puzzle, Thurs, Sept 1, 7am!

Off-Day Puzzle #8: Where Does The Day Go?

Good morning puzzlers. Here's today's offering:

A demon’s soul rests on the brink,
Running deep as tattoos’ ink;
But when’s the time, that dreaded hour?
That coaxes forth the panther’s scour?
(The belfry’s bat in madness knows,
The key plucked from a satyr’s rose.)
Here _____’s name ends the first week,
When sermon’s voices cease to speak.
But buckle up, week two’s begun!
So when’s the end to all this fun?

Now...who's (last) name goes in the blank?

Hint #1 (8:55am): The title of the post is not totally irrelevant.

Hint #2 (10:17am): Today is referenced in the 4th line. Knowing that could help you solve the puzzle.

Hint #3 (1:39pm): With words as with women (or men): watch out for the possessive ones.

Hint #4 (2:10pm): Rebecca Black has a favorite line (though I'm not telling you which one).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Puzzle Rules: The solution to the puzzle is a player on the 1988 Dodgers with 25 or more RBI's.

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:

• Email us the solution, 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;
• 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. Good luck!

Not familiar with SoSG's off-day puzzle competition? Read up here. And join the fun!

Updated PCS Rankings - corrected

I'm reposting because I neglected to give BCCSweet his points for winning the last puzzle. So he passes Loney Fan to the #6 spot. Sorry for oversight, here are full corrected rankings (pls doublecheck as I'm becoming a little less diligent each week):

(700 possible points)

Current Rank	Previous Rank	Puzzler	PCS Tour Points
1	1	UBragg	500
2	3	Mr C	407
3	2	Steve K	373
4	4	Jason	338
5	5	QuadSevens	303
6	7	BCCSweet	275
7	6	Lonely Fan	203
8	8	Josh S	167
9	9	Dusto Magnifico	147
T-10	10	Greg Finley	70
T-10	n/a	Spank	70
T-10	n/a	MRLASC	70

Others receiving votes: dusty baker 60, steve dittmore 60, timothy 50, rbnlaw 40, erin 20, sharon 20, mr f 20, mr doctor 10, the 10, matt 10, karina 10, neeebs 10, paul 10, fernie v 10.

Next puzzle, Thursday, 8/11, 7am!

Off-Day Puzzle #7: Solution

Stat. The answer to PCS Season IV Puzzle #7 is WALTER ALSTON.

First step, obviously, is to complete the drop quote (or "letter drop") puzzle, by figuring out through trial and error how the letters in each column populate the squares above. If you get it right, your completed grid should look like this:

Hidden in the grid are all ten Dodgers with retired numbers, each of whom has an additional word in between his first and last name. Arranged in order by retired number, they read as follows:

• Pee Wee CONSIDER Reese
• Tommy PLAYERS Lasorda
• Duke FIRST Snider
• Jim INITIALS Gilliam
• Don SOSG Sutton
• Walter FANTASY Alston
• Sandy FOOTBALL Koufax
• Roy WEEK Campanella
• Jackie NINE Robinson
• Don UPDATE Drysdale

In order, the extra words read CONSIDER PLAYERS FIRST INITIALS SOSG FANTASY FOOTBALL WEEK NINE UPDATE.

Going back to last season's SoSG Fantasy Football (which is why, earlier in the week, I left the tag here so one could access all the updates from last season), the SoSG Fantasy Football Week 9 Update was actually written by yours truly, marking the only week of the season where Mr. LA Sports Czar had allowed me to do the update. And eight months ago, I am proud to say, I had embedded in my update post a secret message right out in the open. Planting the seeds, if you will, for the ripe fruit to be harvested at a later date...

Taking the first initials of the players mentioned reads:

• Wes Welker
• Akers
• Lynch
• Thomas Jones
• Evans
• Rodgers
• Adrian Peterson
• Larry Fitzgerald
• Sevi Ajirotutu
• Terrell Owens
• Ochocinco
• Nicks

Those players' first-referenced initials, in order, read out "WALTER ALSTON", the answer to the puzzle.

Congratulations to BCCSweet, QuadSevens, Jason, ubragg, and Mr. Customer for correct answers. Next puzzle, Thursday August 11 at 7a!

Off-Day Puzzle #7: Dropping Into Place

You know what to do.

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:

• Email us the solution (first and last name), 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;
• 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 a 7a on Friday July 29. Depending on how generous I feel (and how busy today gets at work), we may post hints during the day. Good luck!

Not familiar with SoSG's off-day puzzle competition? Read up here. And join the mayhem!

HINT #1 (10:08a): Okay, obviously you've got to start by solving the drop quote. From there, step two is to order what you've got. (Not sure how many more hints I can give after this!)

HINT #2 (2:40p): Step three is to figure out where to go next to find the treasure. And there, you'll find the answer. Good luck!

Updated PCS Rankings

Ah, the irony. As the first of only 3 people to solve Puzzle #6, Steve K was actually able to squeeze by Mr C for 2nd place...the very person who created Puzzle #6! (pause to allow chills to crawl up back). That's despite Mr C earning 57 points, his average score from the previous 5 puzzles.

All other top 10 spots remain the same. Here are the full standings:

(600 possible points)

Current Rank	Previous Rank	Puzzler	PCS Tour Points
1	1	UBragg	450
2	3	Steve K	363
3	2	Mr C	357
4	4	Jason	288
5	5	QuadSevens	228
6	6	Lonely Fan	203
7	7	BCCSweet	175
8	8	Josh S	157
9	9	Dusto Magnifico	137
10	10	Greg Finley	70

Others receiving votes: spank 60, dusty baker 50, steve dittmore 50, timothy 50, mr lasc 60, rbnlaw 30, erin 20, sharon 20, mr f 20, mr doctor 10, the 10, matt 10, karina 10, neeebs 10, paul 10.

Next puzzle, this Thursday, 7/28, 7am, from Sax!

Off-Day Puzzle #6: Solution

Hacks need not apply when Mr C's making the puzzle, as evidenced by the 3 solvers. The answer was Takashi Saito.

The key was to spin the concentric dials until you get the following:

Then, read the message downward and to the right starting with the dotted letter, which will clue you into once again using your high school Braille to discern Takashi's name in the Braille letters separated by the red columns.

Congratulations Steve K, UBragg, & Jason. And thanks Mr C for a brilliant puzzle I could neither conceive nor solve.

Updated rankings coming soon. Next Puzzle, Thursday, July 28, 7am, from Sax!

Off-Day Puzzle #6: Mr C's Puzzle

Today's Puzzle comes from Season III Runner-Up Mr C!:

(click image to enlarge)

Hint #1 (10:28am): There are no spaces in the starting column (under to the dot) when aligned correctly.

Hint #2 (12:35pm):

(click image to enlarge)

Hint #3 (4:20pm):In the proper alignment, the first column contains no consecutive vowels and consonants.

Puzzle Rules: The solution to the puzzle is a fairly recent 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:

• Email us 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!

Not familiar with SoSG's off-day puzzle competition? Read up here. And join the fun!

New PCS Rankings

(500 possible points)

Current Rank	Previous Rank	Puzzler	PCS Tour Points
1	1	UBragg	400
2	2	Mr C	283
3	3	Steve K	263
4	5	Jason	238
5	8	QuadSevens	210
6	4	Lonely Fan	203
7	9	BCCSweet	175
8	T-6	Josh S	147
9	T-6	Dusto Magnifico	137
10	10	Greg Finley	70

Others receiving votes: spank 50, dusty baker 40, mrlasc 40, steve dittmore 40, rbnlaw 30, erin 20, sharon 20, mr f 20, mr doctor 10, the 10, matt 10, karina 10, neeebs 10, marla world peace 10.

Next puzzle, this Monday, 7/11, 7am, from Mr C!

Off-Day Puzzle #5: Solution

By golly, for once in his life Jason Repko is the answer.

There were two levels to the puzzle:

1. First, the poem at the top hints that the title of the post is masked. If you hover over the title of the post or notice the url, you will see the hidden clue "Add "ORNKPKPPYIODHRJRYS" Down the Middle". This poem also tells you the following letters comprise a cryptogram.
2. If you add the letters down the middle, you get:
   NIOUU
   EIRKB
   EINJS
   WIKMD
   TNPRR
   EPKYO
   BHPRW
   NHPOE
   ISYWS
   ENIHE
   SPOHH
   OQDXT
   HOHLE
   TPRIR
   TNJHO
   OPRYN
   NNYMG
   TRSII
   

3. Next, notice the two outside columns of letters spell, reading upwards starting from the right column, "Ignore these words but not those inbetween". So, as hinted at by that message, you should ignore those words but not those inbetween.
4. The middle three columns form a simple crytogram, wiht the underlined letters indicating the start of a new sentence. The cryptogram code is: A → F
   B → L
   C → K
   D → Y
   E → V
   F → W
   G → Q
   H → T
   I → S
   J → N
   K → A
   L → C
   M → G
   N → O
   O → I
   P → H
   Q → B
   R → E
   S → R
   T → U
   U → X
   V → Z
   W → M
   X → P
   Y → D
   Z → J
   
5. Solve through horizontally and you'll get the message "Six seasons ago he had the third most hit by pitches on the Dodgers". That's Jason Repko!

Congratulations to BCCSweet, QuadSevens, Mr C, Jason, UBragg, and Steve K. Updated rankings to post soon.

Next Puzzle, July 11, from last season's runner-up Mr Customer.

Off-Day Puzzle #5: A Bunch of Letters

"What's in a name?" someone once asked,
Depends on if the name is masked;
For if you forget how I'm so clever,
This cryptogram will take you for-ever:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

N I U U
E I K B
E I J S
W I M D
T N R R
E P Y O
B H R W
N H O E
I S W S
E N H E
S P H H
O Q X T
H O L E
T P I R
T N H O
O P Y N
N N M G
T R I I

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hint #1 (8:30am PT): By 'name', I mean 'title', which contains a hint.

Hint #2 (9:58am PT): Cryptogram part of the puzzle reads left to right.

Hint #3 (10:00am PT): You must make two alterations to the grid of letters before trying to solve it as a cryptogram.

Hint #4 (11:25am PT): To be more specific about Hint #3 - step 1 is to add some letters, and step 2 is to remove others. Only then can you solve the cryptogram...

Hint #5 (11:39am PT): Last word of cryptogram is "Dodgers".

Hint #6 (1:25pm PT): Of the 72 letters in the grid, half are part of the cryptogram. The other half are part of a separate, non-cryptogram message.

Note #1 (12:37pm PT): Hmmm...I was just notified that in Firefox, a helpful part might not be visible (underlining in the gaps). Use Chrome or IE if possible. In the meanwhile I'll see if I can fix. UPDATE (12:40pm PT): Problem fixed.

Puzzle Rules: The solution to the puzzle is a fairly-recent 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:

• Email us 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!

Not familiar with SoSG's off-day puzzle competition? Read up here. And join the fun!

ubragg's Schedule Magnet, In Action

Here's proof that ubragg sent validating that he received his 2011 Dodgers schedule magnet, as a result of his entry in the PCS Season IV puzzle #3:

Thanks for the photo, ubragg! Next puzzle, Thursday June 23 (yikes, that's tomorrow!) at 7a!