Enigma Puzzle #11

[enigma]

Four players sat around a table, talking baseball and playing a little 5-card stud.

The boards around the table looked like this:

                    3c 2s 9d 2h

 



7d 4d 5d 2d                            Qs 5c Jh Ad





                    3d Js 5h 2c

First to act was the pair of deuces. "Hitters may get all the press, but pitching, pitching is what wins in the end and wins is what it's all about," he said, raising the pot.

Ace-high thought for a bit. "Nah, wins, losses, it don't matter - baseball is a business, and homeruns is what's best for business. Nothing gets a crowd into the game like a long fly to the bleachers." After speaking, he re-raised.

The third man to act peeked at his hole card, the jack of clubs. "Homeruns, hah! That's the problem with the game today - no respect for the contact hitter, hits are the key to a solid lineup," he muttered while folding his hand.

The last man at the table thought out loud, "Well, I'm a pitcher. And I can't control whether I get any run support or not, or whether the boys behind me can catch. About the only thing that matters to me is the strikeout, I reckon."

Yawning, the deuces asked, "You in?"

"Nah... I raise," said the four-flush.

"Call" said the deuces.

"Call" said the ace-high.

"Well boys, I got the flush," said the last man, flipping up the king of diamonds.

"Dangit, beats my two pair," said the deuces, showing the three of spades.

"Beat twice in one hand," muttered the ace-high, not even bothering to show the ace of spades.

That was the last hand of the evening, and the pair of jacks, as the first one out of the last hand was left to clean up. As he thought about the last hand, he grinned to himself - "I guess we really do get what we earn in the end."

Laughing, he turned out the lights.

---

To solve the enigma - what was his name?

[albionmoonlight]

2/3?

[General Mike]

Joe Momma?

[Glengoyne]

Jack

[Danny]

I tried Pete Rose, the all time hits leader.

[Eaglesfan27]

I tried Ty Cobb, Pete Rose, and Tony Gwynn.

[Danny]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

I tried Ty Cobb, Pete Rose, and Tony Gwynn.

At least we are on the same page.

[enigma]

Pete Rose? Gambling? Surely you jest!

[enigma]

the puzzle has been solved. the answer was Stan Musial.

[Danny]

Damn, too bad I didnt just start going down the all time hit leaders list.

[Maple Leafs]

Explanation?

Was it Musial because he was fourth in hits and fourth in the game?

[Danny]

I'm guessing the new enigma just typed in the hits leaders we missed and doesn't no what makes it Musial

[QuikSand]

Well, absent an explanation...

The pitcher (west) trumpting strikeouts held a king (K = strikeout). I thought that was a heavy clue ... but I couldn't do anything with it.

I was hoping for a HR-loving player to hold a 3 (that might be Earl Weaver, he of the much-ballyhooed 3-run HR philosophy) but it didn't match.

I hope someone has a fuller explanation other than "I typed in every guy who had a lot of hits."

[QuikSand]

Guess not, eh?

[Danny]

I still don't understand how the answer can't be Pete Rose

[Maple Leafs]

Perhaps a new rule... If you can't explain why the answer is right, you should not take over the Enigma.

[QuikSand]

The lackluster effort with the "harmonica" puzzle (Enigma #1) made me think the same thing. Alas - unless the passwords become more sophisticated, it doesn't look like it takes all that much.

It seems to be a tough balance... #10 seemed almost too easy (since it could be solved just by working from one of the several clues) but #9 seemed too hard (since getting the final answer from the several results seemed too complex for us).

But I like the idea that this is still going...

[Maple Leafs]

Originally Posted by QuikSand

The lackluster effort with the "harmonica" puzzle (Enigma #1) made me think the same thing. Alas - unless the passwords become more sophisticated, it doesn't look like it takes all that much.

There's a difference between guessing the answer and knowing the solution. I'm suggesting that anyone who gets the answer through guessing hold off on taking over the enigma until they can figure out a basic idea of how they were supposed to get there. It's like they say: if you can't explain it to someone else, you really don't understand it.

It would be the honor system, of course, but are people really that eager for the prestige of winning a contest anonymously?

[QuikSand]

How much more proof do you need?

I agree with you, though... just tough to enforce, especially given the anonymity built into the whole thing.

[QuikSand]

Well, I guess we still don't have a full explanation for this.

Here's an abbreviated version of each players' holdings, with numbers substituted in for the card values:

"wins" 3 3 2 9 2

"homers" 1 12 5 11 1

"hits" 11 3 11 5 2

"strikeouts" 13 7 4 5 2


Anyone see a pattern that explains the whole thing?
(This was not my puzzle, by the way)

[QuikSand]

Anyone?

[Radii]

"I guess we really do get what we earn in the end."

"wins" 3 3 2 9 2

"homers" 1 12 5 11 1

"hits" 11 3 11 5 2

"strikeouts" 13 7 4 5 2

could any of those somehow equate to a famous player's career earnings? Also perhaps face cards equal 10 and not 11, or perhaps aces are 11...

cy young/Hank Aaron/Nolan Ryan/Stan Musial? but the rest are all-time stat leaders, Musial is not. And I have no idea how to look up career earnings, all I can find is that Musial was the first $100,000 man in the national league.

[Pumpy Tudors]

All I can come up with is that "Musial" held a jack. The jack is the fourth-highest card rank in poker (behind ace, king, and queen, of course). Stan Musial is fourth on the all-time hits list.

[enigma]

I am not the enigma that posted this puzzle.

However, if the person that DID post it wants to share the solution, and maintain their anonymity, they can PM me, and I'll pass it along.

[dacman]

I think I'm on to something but I don't have time to explain as I have a meeting.

edit: Pumpy Tudors is on the right track

[Radii]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

All I can come up with is that "Musial" held a jack. The jack is the fourth-highest card rank in poker (behind ace, king, and queen, of course). Stan Musial is fourth on the all-time hits list.

That would make the others Hank Aaron(#1 Homers), Steve Carlton(#2 Strikeouts) and... Don Sutton or Nolan Ryan(12th in wins, tied w/ 324).

Doesn't make any more or less sense than my off the wall suggestion, that's for sure.

[enigma]

Here's the answer to #11:

"wins" 3 3 2 9 2

3 x 3 x 2 x 9 x 2 = 324 wins = Nolan Ryan. Or Don Sutton if you like...

"homers" 1 12 5 11 1 = 1 x 12 x 5 x 11 x 1 = 660 homers = Willie Mays

"hits" 11 3 11 5 2 = 11 x 3 x 11 x 5 x 2 = 3630 hits = Stan Musial

"strikeouts" 13 7 4 5 2 = 13 * 7 * 4 * 5 * 2 = 3640 strikeouts = Tom Seaver