Off-Day Puzzle #10: Solution

Puzzle #10 had two levels, both appropriately theme-related because I'm so damn creative, and allusions to both answers hidden in the puzzle's text.

The first level was the more obvious one, whch required locating all the names on the list to help fill in the hole in the grid. Some of the players' names extended into the yellow (blank) area, allowing one to fill in all 16 of the missing letters. The completed grid looks like this:

(click on image to enlarge)

The sixteen squares in the yellow "hole" read "LEAD SINGER OF HOLE," which of course is Courtney Love. (Hole had an album called "Live Through This," which is clued in the text of the message (called the "flavortext", among puzzle afficionados).)

The second level was a bit more hidden, requiring one to read all the unused squares in the grid (which are highlighted here):

(click on image to enlarge)

Reading left to right, top to bottom, one gets the following message: "YOU HAVE FOUND AN EXTRA HIDDEN CONTEST. EMAIL US THE AUTHOR OF HOLES." Holes, a Newbery Medal winning children's book that was turned into a movie starring Shia LaBeouf, was written by Louis Sachar. (One of the later stories in the Holes series was titled "Small Steps" (clued in the flavortext with "not giant leaps").)

Congratulations to the puzzle solvers (in order of completion): MSTI, daniel, quadsevens, neeebs, Gil Gamesh, SoSG Karros, LoneyFan, Berkowit28, steve, erin, fanerman, and jose. As for the four bonus puzzle solvers (quadsevens, steve, fanerman, jose), extra congratulations, and instructions will be posted shortly on how the bonus prize lottery will be determined...stay tuned!

New PCS Rankings out shortly! Thanks for another fun round, everybody!

Dodgers Leading League in SGl Percentage

Earlier Spice Girl-related content at SoSG: Victoria Beckham Coming to Los Angeles, Caption Contest, Wannabe Original? Too Bad

And for you scouting types who like to compare form:

top photo by Jill Weisleder/Dodgers

Manny "Translating" for Angel Berroa

Via Trolley Dodger, a hilarious video of Manny Ramirez "translating" for Angel Berroa, on the post-game show last night. As Orel posted in last night's GT comments, it isn't a strict Spanish/English translation, to say the least...not that it mattered....

If you blink, you'll miss it: Berroa even mocks Juan Pierre!

Off-Day Puzzle #10: Holes Up The Middle

Any Dodger fan familiar with the 2008 Dodgers groans in agony when watching Jeff Kent fall over to one of his sides like a toppled tree, knees creaking like an old floorboard, as he tries to stop a grounder up the middle. [Editor's note: to be fair, this joke was a heck of a lot funnier before it was announced that Kent, who had been playing on torn cartilage for over a month, had what might be season-ending arthroscopic knee surgery on Tuesday. SoSG Sax has added funerals, along with birthday parties and barmitzvahs, to the list of events at which I can perform comedy.]

And the last time I saw Kent's helpless defensive attempt, while thinking to myself, "how can I live through this?", I suddenly realized that instead of lamenting a porous middle infield, I can instead utilize the deep vault of Dodger history to help solve the problems of today's team.

And that brings us to today's Off-Day Puzzle #10. Can you use the following 38 second basemen and shortstops, from Dodgers past and present, in order to fill the gaping hole in the center?

(click on image for larger view)

BERROA, Angel
CABRERA, Jolbert
CORA, Alex
DESHIELDS, Delino
DUNCAN, Mariano
ELSTER, Kevin
FALLON, George
FREY, Lonny
FURCAL, Rafael
GAGNE, Greg
GARCIAPARRA, Nomar
GILLIAM, Jim
GRIFFIN, Alfredo
GRUDZIELANEK, Mark
HERNANDEZ, Jose
HU, Chin-Lung (*)
IZTURIS, Cesar
KENT, Jeff
LAROCHE, Andy
LEFEBVRE, Jim
LOPES, Davey
MAGOON, George
MAZA, Luis
NEAL, Charlie
OFFERMAN, Jose
OLIVER, Nate
OZUNA, Pablo
REED, Jody
REESE, Pee Wee
ROBINSON, Jackie
ROCHELLI, Lou
RUSSELL, Bill
SAX, Steve
VIZCAINO, Jose
WILLS, Maury
WRIGHT, Glenn
YOUNG, Eric
ZIMMER, Don

Puzzle construction notes: Last names only. Also, Chin-Lung Hu has an asterisk not because of his amazing 73 HR single-season record, but because his location has already been identified in the grid (we want to make sure you found the right Hu).

Puzzle rules: Comment freely in the thread, but if you have the solution, please don't give away the answer to everyone in the comments section. Instead, do the following:

• Email us with the puzzle's two-word answer (and please include your screen name somewhere in the email), and
• Post a comment simply saying you have emailed your solution attempt. Due to firewall issues, I may not be able to reply to your original email promptly, so please do be patient and check back on the comment thread for the latest news; I will confirm correct answers there.

Deadline is midnight PT, and the solution will be posted at 12:01 AM tomorrow. Thanks, and good luck!

Bonus! In addition to the prizes we're awarding to the Puzzle Championship Series, this particular puzzle, like Puzzle #9, also comes with a special bonus prize. But that's all I'm saying about the bonus prize; when you see the bonus clue, you'll know. Email us if you know what I'm talking about (no giant leaps necessary), and so long as the person whose name is drawn (from the list of correct bonus prize answer submitters) is willing to send us his/her mailing address, he/she will be eligible to receive a wonderful Dodger-related bonus prize item. (Just ask neeebs, it's fun for the whole family!) Good luck.

SoSG not responsible for items lost in the mail. Big props to P&A Magazine for the puzzle concept.

UPDATE #1 (11a PT): We have six correct answers, but no one has found the bonus...

UPDATE #2 (12:15a PT): Quadsevens has found the bonus! As such, I'm not going to hint on the bonus just yet. We have seven correct answers as well.

UPDATE #3 (3:45a PT): Steve also got the bonus! 10 correct answers, as well. Nice work, everyone...and there's still time left!

SI's Heyman Throws Colletti A Job Security Bone

...so long as one of his unnamed "sources" isn't Ned Colletti himself, that is. From "Mediocre Dodgers still have a chance to fix their season":

Embarrassed or not, Dodgers owner Frank McCourt is said to have been angry at several tough junctures this season. In many moments behind the scenes, McCourt is said to often cite disappointing free-agent deals and what he claims are just-as-disappointing revenue figures. You could see it on his face out here Monday night. Though he was sitting in his box next to the eminently entertaining Tommy Lasorda, McCourt barely cracked a smile during his team's 5-2 victory over the Padres, their neighbors to the south whom the ex-Padre Maddux beat for career victory No. 354.

McCourt is said by colleagues to be fixated on the expensive free agent deals that went awry for Jones, starting pitcher Jason Schmidt and a couple others rather than the deals that worked, such as $500,000 for closer Takashi Saito, a pittance for lights-out reliever Hong-Chih Kuo, and the July 31 acquisition of Ramirez, part of perhaps the most impressive trade-deadline haul in baseball.

McCourt is said to be especially apoplectic about Jones, who was activated the other day. But don't expect Jones to have the chance to put Ramirez's tips to use and make a run at one RBI per million (he has 14 RBIs and makes $18 million). While mentioning Jones' knee issue, Torre told the Los Angeles papers that he only plans to use those who can "help" us. Which seemed to let Jones out.

While GM Ned Colletti is said to have absorbed the abuse of what colleagues describe as McCourt's "hair trigger" managing style, sources indicate that McCourt has told friends he is sticking with his GM beyond this season whether or not the Dodgers overcome the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks to steal the winnable West.

Let's be clear: if we don't make the playoffs this season, Colletti is gone as those deals for Schmidt, Jones, and Pierre will be too much for the mercurial McCourt to swallow. Ned had better hope for that Hollywood ending.

Or, maybe Ned can just hope for more valentines like the one written today by TJ Simers! Oh, wait a second, it was sarcasm. Or was it? Now, I'm confused.

Pitching Matchups for This Weekend

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 7:05 p.m. (ESPN)
Derek Lowe (11-11, 3.69) vs. Dan Haren (14-7, 3.24)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 12:55 p.m. (Fox)
Chad Billingsley (13-10, 3.13) vs. Brandon Webb (19-6, 3.19)

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 1:10 p.m. (Prime)
Greg Maddux (7-11, 4.18) Clayton Kershaw (3-5, 4.50) vs. Randy Johnson (10-9, 4.21) Max Scherzer (0-2, 2.65)

Dodgers with Their First 3-HR Game Since...Yesterday?

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
HR: DeWitt (7, 4th inning off LeBlanc, 1 on, 0 out), Berroa (1, 4th inning off LeBlanc, 0 on, 0 out), Blake (19, 7th inning off Adams, 0 on, 1 out).

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
HR: Ramirez, M (30, 1st inning off Baek, 1 on, 1 out), DeWitt (6, 4th inning off Baek, 0 on, 0 out), Ethier (19, 6th inning off Falkenborg, 0 on, 0 out).

photo by Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

Crasnick's Free-Agent Grades Flunk Jones; Dodger Fans Hope Against Repeat Year

From Jerry Crasnick's latest column, grading last year's free-agent classes on their 2008 seasons to date: Andruw Jones' F grade doesn't mean he has to do the 2008 season over again next year, right?

Andruw Jones, CF, Dodgers
.161 BA, 3 HR, 14 RBI, .514 OPS
Contract: Two years, $36.2 million | Grade: F

The Dodgers knew they had a reclamation project on their hands when they signed Jones. But they were hoping for a little more than a .161 batting average, a .254 slugging percentage and 14 RBIs in 205 at-bats.

"He's a total bust," said a National League scout. "What else can you say?"

A West Coast scout who's watched Jones crush some balls in batting practice this season is convinced he has something left in the tank. But a year this horrid makes you wonder if Jones isn't finished at age 32. Compared to Jones, Roberto Alomar enjoyed a graceful descent into oblivion.

"Andruw is one of those fabulous athletes who never struggled," the scout said. "He would just do things because he could do them. He didn't have to analyze them. Then his mechanics got bad, and he got heavy, and he spent so much time hitting on his back leg that he hurt his knee."

The Dodgers just recalled Jones from Triple-A Las Vegas, where he spent some time at first base. For some reason, we suspect James Loney won't have to worry about losing many at-bats down the stretch.

And look at the other centerfielder who got away, the Angels' Torii Hunter:

Torii Hunter, CF, Angels
.283 BA, 19 HR, 71 RBI, .824 OPS
Contract: Five years, $90 million | Grade: B

Was $90 million a stretch for a player who entered this season with a career .793 OPS? We'll buy that. Hunter, an inveterate free swinger, ranks seventh among big league center fielders in slugging and 12th in on-base percentage this season. If he really were the big bat the Angels needed to complement Vladimir Guerrero, general manager Tony Reagins wouldn't have had to go out and acquire Mark Teixeira before the deadline.

That said, Hunter has done his part to help the Angels salt away the AL West. He played through heartache after the death of his grandmother back home in Arkansas, and stepped forward as the team's resident energizer, media go-to guy and goodwill ambassador. Hunter has already begun working on Teixeira to spurn free agency and sign a long-term deal to stay with the Angels. If he can enlist Scott Boras in the effort, then we'll start paying attention.

Although the defensive metrics show that Hunter has lost a step at age 33, he's still a presence with the glove. After Hunter robbed Texas' Marlon Byrd and Hank Blalock of home runs in consecutive games last weekend, Kevin Baxter of the Los Angeles Times wrote that he's turned center field at Angels Stadium into "the place home runs go to die."

Aaron Rowand, picked up by the Giants this off-season for a staggering 5-year, $60M deal, got a B-. And so did tonight's starting pitcher, the Dodgers' Hiroki Kuroda (which I think is a little low):

Hiroki Kuroda, RHP, Dodgers
7-10, 3.87 ERA, 2 CG, .246 BAA
Contract: Three years, $35.3 million | Grade: B-

You'd probably rank Kuroda higher if you saw his masterful 3-0 complete game against the Cubs on June 6, or his one-hit shutout over Atlanta a month later. If you watched him get pounded by Arizona and San Francisco in July, this grade might be considered generous.

Scouts say the same thing about Kuroda that they said about Daisuke Matsuzaka a year ago: He has so many pitches in his repertoire, sometimes he appears to have trouble winnowing down his options.

"His stuff is real good," said a National League scout, "but once he gets some guys on base, it's kind of like he falls apart. He either gets you out 1-2-3 or gives up a bunch of runs. As somebody once described it, he's one of those guys who 'doesn't struggle well.'"

The statistics bear out that observation: Opponents are batting .212 against Kuroda with the bases empty and .300 with runners on base. He either needs to work on his stuff out of the stretch or concentrate less on the surrounding traffic and more on the catcher's mitt.

Nevertheless, Kuroda has thrown a quality start 62 percent of the time -- the same ratio as Carlos Zambrano, Ted Lilly and Matt Cain. His 7-10 record won't wow anyone, but the Dodgers have scored a total of 23 runs in his 10 losses.

And keep in mind that Kuroda has had to adjust to a whole new culture and learn new hitters and ballparks on the fly. Matsuzaka has been better his second time around, and the Dodgers have reason to believe it will be the same for Kuroda in 2009.

Game 140 Thread: Sept. 3 vs. Padres, 7p

Hiroki Kuroda (7-10, 3.87) vs. Wade LeBlanc (MLB debut).

COMMENTS: Kudrow-da vs. LeBlanc? So no one told me the Dodgers' were gonna be this way! Eight losses, what a joke, post-season D.O.A. And then we got unstuck from second gear. And with four straight wins, with two this month, one thinks, "could this be our year?" Well, I'll be there in blue, when the bats hit some more. I'll be there in blue, like I've been there before. I'll be there in blue, if we don't play Andruw...

Dodgers enter tonight's game two games behind Arizona, following the Snakes' walk-off win this afternoon over St. Louis and its pathetic bullpen.

In Case You're Sitting Around At Lunch Today...

In Arizona: The Cardinals' Kyle Lohse (13-6, 3.89) vs. the Snakes' Doug Davis (6-8, 4.59), 12.40p.

St. Louis, 5.5 games back of Milwaukee for the NL Wild Card, looks to take the rubber match against the Snakes, who are 1.5 games ahead of the Dodgers in the NL West race. Comment away!

Yoda Is Following Me, Part II

It's been three months since I first suspected I was being tailed by a Jedi Master, and I think I've finally shaken him. While being stalked I've at times felt confused, intrigued, and quite honestly a little flattered. But mostly I've been quietly frightened. I've tried to drop a few subtle photographic clues in my posts that either nobody picked up on or that nobody vocalized for fear of upsetting The Green One (understandably). But I haven't noticed him for awhile now, so I'm tentatively optimistic that he's found more worthy prey. Here's hoping there isn't a Part III to this series.

Above photo taken not by me but by getthebubbles. Hopefully he's Yoda's new stalkee.

___________________________________________________________

Shea Stadium Yoda Hint: He's in the 2nd to last photo. And like the puzzles, once you see him you'll have no doubt.

Andre Ethier Has Arrived

Although it was pure coincidence Andre Ethier was a double short of hitting for the cycle the same night Juan Pierre injured his hamstring lower back, the timing was too good not to notice. At the start of the season, Joe Torre announced he was starting Ethier over Pierre. Yet through June, Pierre got 66 starts, most of them at Ethier's expense.

Pierre's July visit to the disabled list finally gave Ethier a chance at regular playing time. Fast-forward to August: a bad month for the Dodgers despite a good month for Ethier. As in .292/.346/.615 w/7 HR good. Currently he leads the Dodgers with 19 home runs. If Dodger fans don't get a chance to see what Ethier can do with an entire season of at-bats in 2009, then some other team should. He deserves to be an everyday player.

It's not just Ethier's bat that impresses. He's got plus-speed (see tonight's triple) and an above-average arm good for eight outfield assists this year (for comparison's sake, Ichiro has ten).

Need another reason to like the guy? Okay, he helped feed the homeless earlier today. Seriously. And he updated his blog just as we, um, didn't predict.

If Ethier were on another team, I'd probably hate his guts. But he's ours. And he's good. Let's hope management thinks the same.

photo by Juan Ocampo/Dodgers

Andy LaRoche Post-Mortem, One Month Later

When the Dodgers traded Andy LaRoche as part of the Manny Ramirez three-team swap back in late July, many Dodger fans groaned; here was Ned Colletti, once again giving up the future for some grasp at the present. LaRoche, like Matt Kemp, James Loney, Chad Billingsley, and (non-homegrown prospect) Andre Ethier, was one of those players that was just on the cusp of being something special for the Dodgers, but we had not seen any of those glimmers of potential cultivated into solid everyday play at third base, due primarily to untimely injuries and surprising upstarts (like Blake DeWitt).

Now that LaRoche has played almost as many games with the Pirates as he had with the Dodgers, though, let's look at the stats (through Aug 31):

	Dodgers '08	Pirates '08
G	27	24
AB	59	74
H	12	10
HR	2	2
RBI	6	5
BA	.203	.135
OBP	.319	.229
SLG	.322	.257
OPS+	67	29

Through the end of August, LaRoche had only one multi-hit game with the Pirates (in 24 games). Sadly, this was his only multi-hit game of the entire 2008 season.

LaRoche has a career batting average of .190, an OBP of .311 (Juan Pierre's career OBP, for comparison, is .346), and an OPS+ of 59. Perhaps LaRoche continues to have potential, but a move to a smaller market (to join his brother on the team) has not helped him find that big breakthrough.

I was always kind of neutral on LaRoche, with my only negative comments based on his funny-looking goatee and his short-lived inexplicable switch from "LaRoche" to "La Roche" on his uniform. I hoped he would have done better in Pittsburgh, but it seems that this season, that is unlikely to come to fruition.

And meanwhile, we've got Manny.

Game 139 Thread: Sept. 2 vs. Padres, 7p

Clayton Kershaw (2-5, 4.56) vs. Cha Seung Baek (4-9, 4.99). 2.5 games behind.

COMMENTS: Three wins in a row, and suddenly Dodger fans have a new hope, right? Not so fast, as the Dodgers start young and feisty Clayton Ker-Zakk, who was most recently pummeled by both Filians and (Jabiimi) Nationalists, compiling a 15.63 ERA over 6.1 innings over his last two outings. The Padawans, meanwhile, start Cha Seung Bacca,who--wookiee here!--has been pitching pretty well for the Padres as he vies for a slot in next year's starting rotation.

Put another way, the Padres are bringing Sexy Baek. So we'll see if us motherf'ers know how to act. (Take 'em to the bridge!)

Bring That Man Some More Bigelow Green Tea, Stat

Fresh off of that woeful 0-8 start to our last roadtrip, Dodger manager Joe Torre has apparently developed a new sense of cattiness about Dodger Tub of Lard Andruw Jones:

Andruw Jones was activated from the disabled list and took batting practice at Dodger Stadium, but that might be as close as the outfielder gets to game action for a while. Manager Joe Torre said Jones was still suffering from a sore right knee that he recently irritated on a rehabilitation assignment at triple-A Las Vegas. Although Jones played several games at first base with the 51s, Torre said he didn't envision using Jones in place of James Loney.

"We're looking for people who can help us," Torre said.

And just think: Bigelow Green Tea contains only 1/2 to 1/4 the amount of caffeine found in coffee. Just think what Torre is like after a Red Bull!

Dodgers' Season Not That Weird

Aren't these 2008 Dodgers weird and streaky? While they seem quite worthy of their 0.500-ish record, it sure seems like they get there in a backwards fashion. A mere two weeks after sweeping the Phillies, they get swept by the Nationals. Not to mention that their current 3-game winning streak follows a 1-10 stretch, which itself followed a 6-1 stretch. What gives?

Well, maybe not as much as you think. I put this perceived weirdness to the test, taking a simple look at the Dodgers' record against six categories of opponents (Real Bad, Bad, Not Great, Decent, Good, and Really Good), based solely on their current winning percentage (as opposed to their winning percentage at the time of each game). Here's the result (through yesterday's games):

So while there's some minor backwards correlation (the Dodgers seem to fare slightly better as teams go from not great to decent to good, and do better against bad teams than real bad teams), in general it's not really far off from what you'd expect. They do the best against bad teams, and the worst against really good teams.

Now, regarding their perceived streakiness, I took a look at their winning % after a win vs after a loss, as well as after a 2-win/loss streak and after a 3-win/loss streak. Here's the result:

	Win %
Overall	0.493
after 1 W	0.507
after 1 L	0.471
after 2 W's	0.455
after 2 L's	0.486
after 3 W's	0.571
after 3 L's	0.421

Acknowledging there's not enough data to reach a firm conclusion, I won't try to do so. But judging from the fact that their win % is lower than their overall win % after both single losses, 2 consecutive losses, and 3 consecutive losses, I think there may be some validity to their perceived streakiness, at least when it comes to losing*.

*note that in spite of any validity to perceived winning or losing streakiness, I stand by my assertion that any correlation between higher or lower win % and a preceding win or loss streak isn't caused by the preceding winning or losing, but is a result of either 1) how good the team is relative to its opponent at the time the games are played (including injuries, suspensions, or, as some have noted, who's pitching or site of game, etc), or 2) randomness.

Game 138 Thread: Sept 1 vs. Padres, 5p

Chris Young (4-4, 4.74) vs. Greg Maddux (6-11, 4.22).

COMMENTS: NL West 2008: The Race to See Who Sucks Less continues! As we turn the calendar page to another month, the Dodgers hope to turn the page on their crappy August and really give the Diamondbacks something to worry about: a team that sucks less!

The last-place Padres had a rough August of their own, twice getting swept by the Giants and both sweeping and getting swept by the Diamondbacks. So who the hell knows what they're thinking, except that they own the Dodgers. Why are we dancing around the obvious? I know it, you know it. Nothing is safe when the Padres are in town.

However, the Dodgers do have a few things going for them today. Young is coming off the disabled list after straining his forearm August 10. And that's on top of taking an Albert Pujols liner to the face, breaking his nose and fracturing his skull, in May. The fact that Young isn't curled up in a ball somewhere is a miracle in itself.

The other side of today's matchup is equally as intriguing: Maddux going against the team he's pitched for almost all season. If there's a lineup Maddux knows inside and out, its the Padres. Will he be able to turn inside information into a win? I'm just happy it's September and we still care.

MLB Again with the Lucasfilm-Affiliated Promotion

First it was Indiana Jones lurking in MLB's online schedules. Now it's Darth Vader, and Major League Baseball is making money promoting non-baseball-related video games. Koona t'chuta, Bud Selig?

Derek Lowe: An Appreciation

Brad Penny was supposed to be the ace. Chad Billingsley has become the ace. But no Dodger pitcher has done more with less than Derek Lowe this season:

• In 12 of his 29 starts, the Dodgers have scored two runs or less. Yet Lowe has managed to even his record at 11-11.
• Lowe has gone fewer than five innings only twice.
• Most importantly, Lowe has started against the Diamondbacks four times, facing Dan Haren once and Brandon Webb three times. The Dodgers won three of those four games, including yesterday's Torre-mandated must-win contest.

I had assumed after 2007, when Lowe set Dodger career-highs in ERA and WHIP, that this year would his last with the team. Lowe is exiting his prime (he turns 36 next season) and could be playing for his last big contract (if you believe in the walk-year effect), so the Dodgers signing him to another long-term deal seems unlikely.

If 2008 is indeed Lowe's last year as a Dodger, he's done a lot to earn the thanks of Dodger fans. Let's hope he can finish things off in style and help make September better than August.

UPDATE:

The Dodgers may not give Lowe much run support, but other teams can be downright hostile:

top photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images
bottom photo by Paul Connors/AP

August Was a Cruel Month

DODGERS IN AUGUST

record: 13-16
longest winning streak: 5 games
longest losing streak: 8 games
extra-inning games: 4
extra-inning losses: 4
average runs scored per game: 4.0
average LOB per game: 8.1
starting ERA: 3.96
bullpen ERA: 4.55