Big Top Carnival
It's a Clown Puzzle, Bro
Steps
- Identify the pairs of images in the balloons and clown faces.
- Note that the balloon images are baseball-related terms or expressions. The lengths are given
and terms are given in alphabetical order to aid in identification. Note that the title of
this puzzle is also a subtle baseball reference in that it is a play on Bryce Harper's
viral response
to a ridiculous interview question from his rookie season in 2012.
- Note that the clown face images are nicknames for MLB players. Last name lengths are given as
confirmation, and signpost that last names will be important later. Also note that the last name
initials range uniquely from A to W, as another aid to identification and a hint to a later step.
- Identify the primary fielding position for each player, as suggested by the flavortext.
baseball-reference.com is a useful source
to determine the position played most by each player.
- Use the standard scorekeeping position code to index into the corresponding baseball term, and
sort by the players' last names (as suggested by the unique initials).
- The resulting message is JUNIOR CIRCUIT BALLPLAYER, which is a clue to the final answer of
AMERICAN LEAGUER.
Details
Steps 1-3
| Balloon Image | Balloon Length | Clown Image | Clown Length | Last Name |
|---|
| ACE | 3 | BLUE MOON | 4 | ODOM |
| BATTERY | 7 | CRIME DOG | 7 | MCGRIFF |
| CAN OF CORN | 9 | (HUMAN) CRAB | 5 | EVERS |
| CHOPPER | 7 | YAHTZEE | 6 | FOSTER |
| CLOSER | 6 | BIG WHEEL | 7 | PARRISH |
| DUCKS ON THE POND | 14 | IRON HORSE | 6 | GEHRIG |
| DUGOUT | 6 | YOGI | 5 | BERRA |
| DYING QUAIL | 10 | MR. BASEBALL | 6 | UECKER |
| GREEN LIGHT | 10 | PENGUIN | 3 | CEY |
| INTERFERENCE | 12 | SPACEMAN | 3 | LEE |
| JACK | 4 | OCTOPUS | 9 | ALFONSECA |
| KEYSTONE | 8 | FLYIN' HAWAIIAN | 9 | VICTORINO |
| LUXURY BOX | 9 | QUIZ | 11 | QUISENBERRY |
| MEATBALL | 8 | PUFF | 7 | NETTLES |
| PEPPER | 6 | SANDMAN | 6 | RIVERA |
| PICKLE | 6 | PANDA | 8 | SANDOVAL |
| RHUBARB | 7 | WILD THING | 8 | WILLIAMS |
| SHOESTRING | 10 | CAVEMAN | 5 | DAMON |
| SKIPPER | 7 | INKY | 10 | INCAVIGLIA |
| SLIDER | 6 | HERBIE | 5 | HRBEK |
| SNOW CONE | 8 | CHIPPER | 5 | JONES |
| TAPE MEASURE | 11 | FROOT LOOPS | 9 | TETTLETON |
| WHEELHOUSE | 10 | BISON | 4 | KEMP |
Steps 4-5
| Last Name | Position | Position Code | Balloon Image | Message |
|---|
| ALFONSECA | P | 1 | JACK | J |
| BERRA | C | 2 | DUGOUT | U |
| CEY | 3B | 5 | GREEN LIGHT | N |
| DAMON | CF | 8 | SHOESTRING | I |
| EVERS | 2B | 4 | CAN OF CORN | O |
| FOSTER | LF | 7 | CHOPPER | R |
| GEHRIG | 1B | 3 | DUCKS ON THE POND | C |
| HRBEK | 1B | 3 | SLIDER | I |
| INCAVIGLIA | LF | 7 | SKIPPER | R |
| JONES | 3B | 5 | SNOW CONE | C |
| KEMP | CF | 8 | WHEELHOUSE | U |
| LEE | P | 1 | INTERFERENCE | I |
| MCGRIFF | 1B | 3 | BATTERY | T |
| NETTLES | 3B | 5 | MEATBALL | B |
| ODOM | P | 1 | ACE | A |
| PARRISH | C | 2 | CLOSER | L |
| QUISENBERRY | P | 1 | LUXURY BOX | L |
| RIVERA | P | 1 | PEPPER | P |
| SANDOVAL | 3B | 5 | PICKLE | L |
| TETTLETON | C | 2 | TAPE MEASURE | A |
| UECKER | C | 2 | DYING QUAIL | Y |
| VICTORINO | CF | 8 | KEYSTONE | E |
| WILLIAMS | P | 1 | RHUBARB | R |
