Off-Day Grand Slam Finale Puzzle #13: Solution

Of the last 13 puzzles, ubragg has taken 8 and Mr C the other 5.

The solution to yesterday's puzzle reads "MEET ME OCTOBER 27 AT 10PM AT THE BAR IN THE SCANDIC SOLSIDEN HOTEL".

"Hey, you in the back! Listen, you don't wanna go in that bathroom quite yet. Just trust me. My name is Stoover."

The maze is a huge Rubik's Cube. Each room is one of the 27 cells of the cube, and each has at least one and up to three of its walls colored (except the "Dark Room") representing the colored sides on the exterior of the cube. Note that a Rubik's Cube has 6 sides, 27 smaller cubes (rooms), 54 smaller square-shaped exterior surfaces, and 162 total cell surfaces (interior and exterior). Each of these different types of entities will come into play. Also note this puzzle was a major pain in the butt to make.

The first step is to wander through the rooms and record your observations. Namely, the locations of the colored walls, any letters etched in the walls, the words that burn in the fires, and any doors.

If done correctly one can determine the initial state of the cube:

Here's another representation of the cube's initial state, unfolded into 2-D form to show all 6 sides/54 exterior cell surfaces:

And here's a mapping of each room's doors and locator ID's (which are the post titles, which though irrelevant to the puzzle solution can help track the rooms):

The center cell is the "Dark Room," which is dark because there is no exterior surface. It's also the only one of the 27 cells that does not move when the cube is twisted. The poem in the Dark Room tells you you must solve the Cube in 3 twists. Using the I,II,III; 1,2,3; and a,b,c conventions above, those 3 moves are:

1. Twist top layer I to the right
2. Twist East layer c downward
3. Twist bottom layer III to the left

The Dark Room poem further hints that you must read three exterior surfaces before each of your three moves:

1. Before the 1st twist, read the floor
2. Before the 2nd twist, read the South wall
3. Before the 3rd and final twist, read the East wall
4. And after the 3rd twist, when the cube is solved, read the words in the fire.

Focusing first on the 1st three twists, the relevant surfaces read as follows:

(click image to enlarge)

A clear message is emerging: "MEET ME OCTOBER 27 AT 10PM AT THE B..."

Finally, to complete the message as per step 4, you must take the final state of the puzzle and read first letter of each of the words in the firewood and read them as indicated in the poem:

Put it all together to get the full message:

"MEET ME OCTOBER 27 AT 10PM AT THE BAR IN THE SCANDIC SOLSIDEN HOTEL".

The Scandic Solsiden Hotel! - 30 minutes from Trondheim airport, and a short walk from Pirbadet, Nidaros Cathedral, and Stiftsgaarden wooden palace. Make your reservation here!

And finally, on the off-chance anyone is interested, here's the overall key I used to track each rooms' fire-words, doors, and surfaces:

Congratulations to UBragg, QuadSevens, Mr C, and Jason. Well done to all!

Coming tomorrow: Look inside the mind of Quad, Mr C, and Jason (they have one each), as they have each submitted their puzzle-mapping worksheets. Anyone else who has one, successful or not, please submit and I'll publish (Mr F - I know you have one, let's see it! UBragg - I'm not sure if you have one, as you may have done it in your head, but if you do, please submit as well)

Thanks everyone for another fun puzzle season, hope you enjoyed. Final Rankings to post soon!

Five Things We Learned From Yesterday's McCourt Trial (Sept 20 Recap)

The McCourt vs. McCourt divorce trial reconvened yesterday, and here's what we've learned in yet another day of Lifestyles of the Rich and Reprehensible:

• 1. The University of Maryland Law Degree does not emphasize reading the fine print (let alone reading in general). How else to explain Jamie McCourt's testimony on the stand Monday, as chronicled by the LA Times:

  Jamie McCourt stuck to her story all afternoon Monday. Under cross-examination, she repeated that she believed the disputed agreement she and her estranged husband signed in 2004 permitted Frank McCourt to present himself as the sole owner of the Dodgers but did not mean the baseball team would be his in the event of divorce.

  “That is as fictional as Harry Potter,” said Steve Susman, one of Frank McCourt's attorneys, outside court.

  Under fierce questioning, Jamie did not back down from her assertions that she neither read nor understood the agreement and that no one had properly explained it to her.

  Susman, who emphasized that Jame once practiced law, walked her through the agreement and the cover letter that accompanied it, with Jamie deflecting numerous questions by saying she did not understand the language or could not recall discussing it.

  I can only assume Jamie had other students and professors read and explain her case law to her during her three years at University of Maryland earning a law degree. (Which may explain why this program doesn't show up in law school rankings until page 3, #49th-best school. Fear the turtle? More like Fear the Tort-Law.)

  

• 2. Vegetables are also getting caught in the McCourt crossfire. I'm not talking about the four McCourt kids, either. It turns out even vegetables high in vitamin C, dietary fiber, vitamin B6, potassium, and manganese (while being low in saturated fat and sodium!) aren't nutritional enough to avoid being maligned by the McCourts:

  Jamie also shed more light into the dynamics of the McCourt marriage by discussing a handwritten note from March 31, 2004, the day the agreement was signed. It turns out Jamie had an acronym for her husband’s apparent frequent yelling.

  The McCourts flew from Massachusetts to California that day, and Jamie wrote in her note that “Frank freaked out because we had to land in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for no apparent reason. That means YAM.”

  And what did YAM mean?

  “That means he is yelling at me,” she said.

• 3. Cedar Rapids, Iowa, is not sending its annual Christmas card to the McCourts. Not that the McCourts are worried about corn processors, but still.

• 4. If Jamie McCourt was insinuating today on the stand that she had been steamrolled by Frank--well, she should know how that feels:

  LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jamie McCourt's driver struck a pedestrian as the former Los Angeles Dodgers CEO arrived at the courthouse Monday to testify in her divorce case.

  The pedestrian was taken by ambulance to a hospital after the driver of the Land Rover hit a woman on a sidewalk.

  Witness Debra Amos says the SUV was backing out of the driveway when it struck the pedestrian, who works at the downtown building.

  Jamie McCourt was sitting in the front passenger seat and her attorney was in the back seat when they arrived at the courthouse. It was unclear if they were in the vehicle at the time of the accident.

• 5. And in positive news, the Dodgers didn't lose on Monday. So there's that.

Philly Fan Goes Gaga

At tonight's Braves / Phils game, Matt Diaz helped security subdue a costumed fan.

Only to realize later who he wrassled.

Hope he didn't Poke-Her Face.

Off-Day Grand Slam Finale Puzzle #13: The Trondheim Maze

Although you don't know where or when in Trondheim to go, you book the next flight out. Upon landing at the airport, you and Jasmine retrieve your luggage, then wonder what to do next.

"Did you book a hotel?" asks Jasmine.

"No. I didn't want us to lose focus on our mission," you reply nonsensically. You prefer to not reveal your real reason for not finding accommodations in advance: a hope for more camping action.

"So then what do we do? Where in Trondheim are we supposed to go?"

Just then, a woodchuck in a bright orange sweater-vest approaches you. "Come with me," he says.

Jasmine looks at you nervously, not knowing how to react. Sensing her hesitation, the woodchuck adds: "Don't worry - my name is Stoover."

Apparently that does the trick, as Jasmine follows him as he heads for the terminal exit. You follow. The Norwegian air is frigid. Soon you're both climbing into the backseat of Stoover's Scandinavian-made automobile.

Thankfully, Stoover cranks up the heat before firing up the engine. Once you've left the airport grounds and are headed to town, Stoover breaks the silence. "I know why you're here," he says. "If you just do as I say, you'll be okay."

Continues Stoover: "Now, I'm going to have to ask you to put on these blindfolds." He turns around and hands you and Jasmine each a piece of black cloth. "Please. Now."

Jasmine is clearly frightened, and you are too. Neither of you move.

"Please," the woodchuck repeats. "Trust me. My name is Stoover."

Jasmine takes one of the blindfolds and fits it over her eyes. You do the same. Satisfied, Stoover continues driving for about twenty minutes without speaking.

The car then stops. You hear Stoover get out of the car and open the passenger side door on your side. "Get out and follow me."

Still blindfolded, you do as he says. Once out of the car, you shiver in the cold Trondheim breeze. Walking slowly so that you can keep up, Stoover leads you for about 50 feet, then you clearly hear him open a door. He walks in, you and Jasmine follow, and the door shuts behind you. Although apparently indoors, you're still extremely cold. If you weren't blindfolded, you're sure you could see your breath.

"Now," says Stoover, "count to 50 then you can remove your blindfold. And good luck."

Although you don't hear the door open again, you no longer hear Stoover. He seems to have disappeared. You do, however, hear Jasmine counting under her breath. 14, 15, 16...

"I think he's gone," you whisper. "I'm taking off my blindfold."

"No" replies Jasmine. "He said to count to 50 first. We should do as he says." You find yourself surprised by the conviction in her voice. "His name is Stoover."

"Very well," you reply, and patiently wait for her to get to 50, at which time you both remove your blindfolds.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Note: nothing above this line is relevant to the solving of the puzzle. It's merely a narrative about an orange sweater-vested, Volvo-driving woodchuck used to segue into the puzzle.)

You find yourselves in an approximately 7' x 7' x 7' room. It's lit by an eerie pink light. The walls seem to be made of ice. It's like a cubic igloo. Glancing around, you notice the color is caused by the fact that two of the four walls are translucent: the West wall, which is colored white, and the South wall, that is colored red. The mix of the red and white light passing through the walls results in the pink hue. Strangely, the south wall also has a large letter "R" etched into the center of it. There is no sign of Stoover.

You also see a door in the East wall. And perhaps most peculiarly, you see a few pieces of firewood arranged in the center of the floor in front of you.

After you've gathered your bearings for a few minutes, Jasmine asks: "What do you make of all this?" She frowns and adds, "I'm cold."

You try the door, but it's frozen shut. As you sift through the firewood looking for an idea, you suddenly remember: "the matches!"

Reaching into your pocket, you pull out the matches and light the firewood. You and Jasmine take a few moments to bask in the comforting warmth. Then, as you observe the flickering flames dancing before you, you do a quick double-take. Sure enough, this is what you see:

"Jasmine! Do you see that? It must be important! Let's write it down so we don't forget." As soon as you jot it down, the word disappears, though the fire continues to burn.

As the heat from the fire further overtakes the room, you decide to try the door in the east wall again. Eureka! The heat apparently helped loosen the icy door seal, and it pops open. "C'mon Jasmine, let's go!"

• Go through the east door.

Hint #1 (8:01am): Think of a classic puzzle/toy popular in the 80's

Hint #2 (11:25am): Think of a classic puzzle/toy popular in the 80's involving a cube

Hint #3 (11:25am): This hint is embedded in the appropriate room (the "dark room")

Note (9:24am): Correction made to part of text in the "dark room" (thanks UBragg). I don't think the original error should have substantial impact on anyone, but it should be mentioned.

Puzzle Rules: The answer to the puzzle is a time and place in Trondheim.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 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!

Additional Notes:

• This puzzle, the Finale, is worth 150 points!
• Any comments regarding this puzzle please make only in this post thread, not in the other ones that are a part of this puzzle, as I likely will never notice the other ones. I have tried to disable comments in the other posts to enforce this but may have missed a few.

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

Monday Notes, Gleeful Edition

• One season ends, another begins (tomorrow). FINALLY
• Look out, Don Mattingly. Two Dodgers players to get crack at managing (Ken Gurnick, Dodgers.com)
• Guess who was representin' on the field of Dodger Stadium the other night? The Pride of Pasadena, Dusty Baker! On-field Ceremony for Strike Out AIDS Event 9/17/2010 (Dusty’s Trips to the Yard)

Why Doing Multiple Fantasy Leagues is Lunacy...

In the damned if you do, damned if you don't category, here is a screencap of two of my fantasy leagues. (You might have to click it to read it better). Notice that Rivers was leading me to victory in one, while tearing me down in the other.

I'd also say that doing one fantasy league is an exercise in futility.

And if the team names above are any indication, my friends and I have not evolved since seventh grade.

Game 150 Thread: Sept 19 vs. Rox, 1p

Clayton Kershaw (12-10, 2.85) vs. Jason Hammel (10-8, 4.45 ERA).

COMMENTS: Bit of a paradox today: Expectations couldn't be lower for the Dodgers, yet hopes couldn't be higher for Kershaw — especially after his last start, a CG shutout of the Giants. Tell you what, Clayton: Toss a perfect game today and we'll forgive the rest of the Dodgers' season. Deal?

Sax here. As a glutton for punishment, I'm heading back to the Stadium again today.

Scoreboard Watching: Sept 18 Games of Note

The Padres are leading 8-4 over the Cardinals in the ninth; assuming they win, they will be back tied with Frisco pending its game later today. Yovani Gallardo of the Brewers squares off against SF beanstalk Tim Lincecum (5p first pitch). Let's go, Milwaukee!

Game 149 Thread: Sept 18 vs. Rox, 1p

John Ely (4-7, 4.62) vs. Jhoulys Chacin (8-9, 3.53).

[Photo by Orel; words from Sax] Yes, the Dodgers may be playing the role of doormat for our NL West "rivals" (and I use that loosely given how pathetic we've been of late, against a division we usually dominate). But today, Sax heads to the Stadium with two five-year-olds in tow, ready to show them how the Dodgers have heart. Don't let the Rockies tread on me, Blue!

[Okay, these words are from Orel] Today's game is on tape delay on TV (4p), so don't check this thread if you want to avoid spoilers. Will the Dodgers mount a late-inning comeback? O, the suspense!

Game 148 Thread: Sept 17 vs. Rox, 7p

Hiroki Kuroda (10-12, 3.32) vs. Ubaldo Jimenez (18-6, 2.75).

COMMENTS: With the upper rack of the NL West bunched together tighter than sphincters at a purity ball, the Gints, Pads and Rox are looking to take advantage any way they can. The slutty Dodgers have cooperated, giving it up to SD (3-0 against L.A. so far this month) and SF (4-2). (I hope they at least bought us a few drinks beforehand.) If the Rockies don't do some major scoring this weekend, it's their own damn fault!

photo by Kevin Moloney/New York Times

Dodgers Decide Not To Pack A Wallach In 2011

With the Dodgers slumping down the stretch into fourth place, and the hitting about as awful as it has been in years, what better time to herald the news that Dodgers hitting coach Don Mattingly will succeed Joe Torre as Dodgers manager in 2011:

Don Mattingly will replace Joe Torre as Dodgers manager, effective for the 2011 season.

Torre, the fifth-winningest manager in MLB history, is in the final year of a three-year contract. Mattingly has been the Dodgers hitting coach since the All-Star break of 2008.

"Over the past three years, I've had the opportunity to work with Don closely and have gotten to know him both personally and professionally and I'm convinced that he's the right person to lead the Dodgers," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said in a news release. "His work ethic is unparalleled, his baseball knowledge is vast and his leadership skills have been established during more than three decades in professional baseball.

"Donnie has also learned alongside the best in the business. Joe Torre has been a great friend, a strong leader and an incredible presence for this organization and I cannot thank him enough for his service to the Dodgers. I respect his decision to step aside and I look forward to the day where I can watch him take his rightful place in Cooperstown among baseball's legends."

Mattingly, 49, was a six-time All-Star as a first baseman for the Yankees and American League MVP in 1985. He has never managed at any level, but when he joined the Dodgers with Torre three years ago, there was no secret that he would be groomed to replace Torre.

"The opportunity to manage the Los Angeles Dodgers is truly an honor," Mattingly said in the release. "There are few organizations in the world with the history, tradition and track record of success as the Dodgers. I'm looking forward to continuing what I came here to accomplish with Joe and that's to win a World Championship."

I don't think that Albuquerque Isotopes manager Tim Wallach is the only Dodger fan shaking his head in disbelief right now. And I suppose I can also deduce that Joe Torre has reached the decision that he's not coming back next year (as Dodgers manager).

Now This is Just Sad

First off, sorry for the radio silence. I recently discovered my house has a backyard, so I've been spending time outside, staring at my now bare lemon tree.

I've talked about the joys of Goldstar before. Great deals abound. But this one just made me depressed...

FREE? FREE?!?!?. The saddest part, those games will still be empty.

Now that the Dodgers season has successfully hit rock bottom, let's turn our sports passion to a team that truly needs some friends. Let's turn our hearts and zero hard-earned dollars to the Clippers. At least until the new NBA Jam hits the shelves.

Friday Notes, Ugly-Ass Edition

Right on, TBLA.

• Voice of reason speaks on voice of insanity. Peter O'Malley says Frank McCourt needs to sell the Dodgers (Bill Shaikin, LA Times)
• Plaschke nails it! That's right, you heard me. Of course, it's as obvious as voting for a Vin Scully statue, but it's still nice to see in print. McCourt's now all alone after O'Malley's public stand (LAT)
• Adios, Bob Schaefer. Bob Schaefer Airs the Dirty Laundry (MSTI)
• Maybe we shouldn't be looking forward to next year as much.... The Big Blue Wrecked Crew: 2010-11 Dodger offseason primer (Dodger Thoughts)

Game 147 Thread: Sept 16 @ Giants, 7p

Ted Lilly (8-10, 3.58) vs. Jonathan Sanchez (10-8, 3.29).

COMMENTS: Claude Monet had a beard that even Casey Blake would envy. But that isn't the reason why we've led this GameThread with one of his key impressionistic works. No, with only 16 games left for the season, this is one of few chances left for impending free agent and late 2010 gun-for-hire Ted Lilly to show his stuff.

In eight starts with the Dodgers, Lilly is 5-2 with an ERA+ of 115 (just north of his career average, and basically on pace with his first half of the season with the Cubs). So I'm guessing Lilly pads his resume with a nice outing tonight, winning the series for the Dodgers, whose bats will finally wake up in the rubber match to leave San Francisco reeling.

Vin Scully Is A Peach...Jolly Rancher Fan

Yahoo! Sports' Big League Stew just posted a wonderful interview with Dodgers legend Vin Scully, which effectively balances reverence with some of the more personal, whimsical questions I've seen in a Scully profile piece. Some highlights:

David Brown: I heard you like Jolly Ranchers candies. Are they the things that really get you through broadcasts?

Vin Scully: No, what it is, working alone, you're talking a lot — especially when you're doing three inning simulcast [on the radio] and then six more on television. And I often thought, "I can't drink any water" because the inner tide would cause me to have to rush off to the men's room. And that would not be too good.

And I thought, "What I need is something to moisturize my throat without actually drinking any fluid. So I had some hard candy — whatever it was — and what I do is, it sits quietly [in its wrapper] until the third out. I'll put it in my mouth — I don't keep it in there, just a couple of swallows and then I'll take it out — and then maybe three outs later, maybe nine outs later, I might do it again. And I've found that it helps a great deal. [...]

DB: I've heard stories about thousands of fans bringing transistor radios to the games to listen to you as they watched in person. Wasn't that disorienting, to hear your voice out there?

VS: No, not really. It always bothered the engineer, who was controlling the broadcast. I never heard it, in all honesty. I was just too busy jabbering. The transistor radio was probably the greatest single break that I had in Southern California. It enabled me to talk more to the fans — and to elicit a response. We sang happy birthday to Frank Secory the umpire; I had a lot of fun asking them ... at one time, the balk rule said you had to come set for "one full second." Well, I had a lot of fun with the crowd, saying "OK, well let's see what you think a second is." Then they would respond. So we had a lot of fun. [...]

DB: And you briefly managed a game one time?

VS: Two pitches. It was [then-Dodgers manager] Walter Alston who called. They had won the pennant the night before. It was a Sunday and several [players] had overindulged or had been over-served. All of the sudden the phone rang in the booth and it was the manager (from the dugout). We were good friends and he was laughing and said, "Look, you've always wanted to manage — it's your team." I said, "Really?!" We were in commercial, and he says, "Yeah. The only thing is, you have to give it to me right away (snaps fingers), you can't wait. Right away!"

Well, I had a good pal, Ron Fairly, who was my mother's favorite player — he was left-handed and red-headed — so he fell right into her category. Anyway, I told the crowd that I was the manager and they got a big kick out of it, that they would know in advance (what the team was going to do). So I had Ronnie going, stealing second, and the first pitch was fouled off and he was tired, over-served, whatever, and I'd talk to the crowd and say, "Gosh, I hate to do this. But I'm going to run him again." Every time Ron would look at the third base coach, his head would snap and the crowd would roar, because they knew — for the only time in their lives — exactly what was going on. The second time I ran him, the ball was in the dirt and he he slid or collapsed into second base for a stolen base.

At that point, I was looking to [stop] because I didn't want — I think it was the Braves — to think I was making fun of them. I respect the ego of the major league player. So I told Alston over the air, "OK, Walter, I've taken you this far. It's your team now." [...]

DB: Do you have any idea how many frequent flier miles you've accumulated? How many times you've flown on an airplane?

VS: No, no. I know, with American Airlines, I'm over 3 1/2 million. But all of the others, I have no idea.

DB: Do you get your own plane when you're over 3 1/2 million?

VS: No [laughs]. I think they sent me a plastic paperweight when I got to 3 million.

Make sure to click on the first link to read the whole thing; it's well worth your time. Nice job, David Brown!

If We Only Had Money, This Might Not Be Such An Absurd Idea

Oh, how I'd love to have Adrian Beltre back at third base. And since he'll be hitting the market at the end of the season, following a breakout year with the Red Sox, there will be many suitors for the Scott Boras-repped 3B. According to the Providence Journal, the Red Sox should put re-signing Beltre under strong consideration:

Adrian Beltre endured one of the worst seasons of his career a year ago, hitting just eight home runs and slugging under .400 for the first time since he was a 19-year-old rookie with the Los Angeles Dodgers. His difficulties had a lot to do with why he wound up in Boston this season. He wanted the chance to improve his statistics in order to get better contract offers than he received last offseason.

Beltre has bounced back. Beltre, in fact, has spent much of the season at least on the fringe of the discussion for the American League’s Most Valuable Player award. After his numbers took a small step backward in July and August, he’s now hitting again in September: He’s getting on base at a .458 clip and his slugging percentage is .738 in his last 11 games.

Perhaps most importantly, he’s played himself into position to do just what he and agent Scott Boras hoped they’d be able to do once his one-year contract expired: Cash in.

Not many teams can afford to buy a ticket to the Beltre sweepstakes, but several big-spending teams — the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim among them — likely will be in the market for third basemen this winter.

The Red Sox, meanwhile, have a handful of in-house options at third base — Jed Lowrie, for one, and Kevin Youkilis if a new first baseman can be found at a reasonable price. But there aren’t any corner infielders on the free-agent market who can match what Beltre has done for the Red Sox this season. [...]

Baseball players might peak at the age of 29 or 30, but there certainly is a history of corner infielders producing well into their early 30s — and a three-year deal for Beltre would only last until he was 34 years old. A player as durable as Beltre has been — before a groin injury last season, he’d played in 140 games every year since 2002 — probably is going to hold up better than most, too.

That doesn’t mean the Red Sox should go ahead and throw buckets of money at Beltre without thinking long and hard about it. That does, however, mean it’s probably less risky to sign Beltre for three years at age 31 than it was to sign Lowell for three years at age 33.

Oh well, a Dodgers fan can always dream, right? And at this point, what's a bit more debt, huh Frank?

More Thursday Notes

• Another long-time Dodgers instructor recently passed. From the Boston Herald (no link):

  Richard T. "Dick" McLaughlin of Scottsdale, Ariz., formerly of Quincy, a former player and instructor in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization, died Sept. 6 at his home. He was 70. [...]

  Mr. McLaughlin was signed as an outfielder and played almost exclusively in the Dodgers organization for 12 seasons. He then served as a scout for five years, a minor league manager from 1976-80 and a third-base coach for the Dodgers' AAA affiliate from 1981-86. He retired in 1998 after serving as an organizational instructor for many years. He later served as an organizational instructor for the Texas Rangers from 1999-2001 and was the only major league bunting instructor of his time.

• Even with the team out of the playoff picture and attendance woefully sparse, it's nice to know that the McCourts can bring an income by renting Dodger Stadium out for Hollywood shoots. Moneyball films scenes in Dodger Stadium (LAT)

Thursday Notes, Mixed Bag Edition

• The scout who played a major role in Andre Ethier coming to the Dodgers has died. Longtime scout LaMacchia dies at 89 (Ken Gurnick, Dodgers.com)
• Ladies, MeanieBreanie is looking out for you:

  This might not be newsworthy to you but your lady SoSG readership might appreciate this. FOX Sports just came out with their list of baseball’s sexiest players. There are 4 Dodgers who made it:

  1. Brad Ausmus
  2. Matt Kemp
  3. Andre Ethier
  4. And my personal favorite in the eye candy department - Scott Podsednik. [...]
  

  I strongly disagree on the A-Rod pick as does one of my good friends. Her quote “God, he is so UGLY”.

  Baseball's sexiest players (FOXSports.com)

photo via VSIMH

Post-Game 146 Thread: Clairvoyance

GIANTS 2, DODGERS 1

As I scribed in the Game Thread which posted six hours ago (and which was written the night before!),

Cain needn't worry about the dangerous pitch in the dirt if no Dodger can get on base in the first place. Expect Cain to outduel Bills in a squeaker.

And here we are, Cain getting his 12th win of the season over a valiant seven-inning, one-run, 2 BB, 7 K performance by Chad Billingsley, because the Dodgers siimply refuse to hit. Tonight's four-hit performance, including one from Bills himself as well as a meaningless solo shot by Andre Ethier in the ninth, meant the Dodgers never mounted much of a threat on the basepaths all game long. At least we got 4x the number of hits we got last night, I suppose. (Who is our batting coach again? Don Mattingly, potential heir to the Torre throne? Oh yeah, right.)

But here's another piece of clairvoyance for you, free of charge: if the Giants, who were hitting .214 in September prior to tonight's game (tonight's 7-for-31 team performance won't boost that by much), believe that scoring two runs in two games against a fourth-place sub-.500 team is going to propel them in the playoffs, they're going to be sorely mistaken. Might as well start stocking away food for the long winter ahead, eh Kung Fu Panda?

Game 146 Thread: Sept 15 @ Giants, 7p

Chad Billingsley (11-9, 3.65) vs. Matt Cain (11-10, 3.19).

COMMENTS: Matt Cain tends to use the upper part of the strike zone more than most other pitchers. That said, he has a decent amount of wild pitches, including a league-total 12 in 2007. So why do we think that against the Dodger staff tonight, he'll be aiming low? Cain?

This Dodgers team--who stands to further crush their archrival's postseason hopes by beating them in the second game of the three-game series--only eked out a single hit yesterday, depending instead on a stellar shutout pitching performance from Clayton Kershaw to give them the victory. Cain needn't worry about the dangerous pitch in the dirt if no Dodger can get on base in the first place. Expect Cain to outduel Bills in a squeaker.

this GT's horrible pun brought to you by Josh S.