Anyone Playing The Immaculate Grid??

[tommy]

The Grid! I've been playing a month or so. In case you haven't heard of it, it's definitely for sports fans. Each day there is a 9-box "grid" and the challenge is to fill out as many of the 9 boxes as you can, correctly. There are three teams listed down the left side and three teams along the top of the box, and where each intersection of teams occurs, you have to think of a player who has played for both teams at some point in his career. Can be guys playing now or oldtimers or anything in between. Easy, right? Some of the boxes are, sure. But filling out all 9 is always a difficult achievement. Sometimes they replace the name of a team with something like, in baseball, "3000 career strikeouts" or in basketball "All-NBA" and you have to name a player from the team in question that has achieved that milestone. It's easier to see what I mean than to explain in words. Each day there is a new grid for NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL and when it's done you can see the "answers" -- the most popular correct answers and also ALL the possible correct answers for each square.

Here's the link -- try it, it's fun!

https://www.immaculategrid.com/

[martydoesntfoul]

I play baseball, basketball and football and generally am not very good at it. The other day I miraculously completed football and basketball and was one away from three perfect grids but fell short on the last baseball square. I kind of feel like it was my Jan van de Velde moment. Oh so close to glory, but don’t think I’ll ever be there again.

[CrazyNotCrazie]

I occasionally try baseball. I do ok, not great. 35 years ago I would have dominated. I don’t follow baseball nearly as closely now plus there are more teams. I should try some of the others.

In order to add a degree of difficulty, people try to get the lowest total percentage by picking more obscure players (ie don’t pick Babe Ruth for Yankees and Red Sox).

[CDu]

I occasionally try baseball. I do ok, not great. 35 years ago I would have dominated. I don’t follow baseball nearly as closely now plus there are more teams. I should try some of the others.

In order to add a degree of difficulty, people try to get the lowest total percentage by picking more obscure players (ie don’t pick Babe Ruth for Yankees and Red Sox).

Yeah, actually having knowledge from 35 years ago can be a plus. The most chosen are usually guys from the last 15-20 years and Hall of Famers. So if you can pull names like Jim Eisenreich or Steve Buechelle from memory you can get a lower score.

[bundabergdevil]

That was hard.

[Matches]

Thanks to the OP for the link. These are incredibly fun and also extremely hard. The baseball one in particular is paralyzing because there are SO many years of history from which to draw. Today’s has Braves and Phillies. There have been literally hundreds of players who have played for both teams, but the only one I could think of offhand was from almost 40 years ago.

[bundabergdevil]

Did reasonably well at the most recent men’s basketball but that is the only one I have any hope of ever coming close to completing.

[JBDuke]

Moved to the Off Topic board.

[JasonEvans]

I only try basketball. Don’t have enough team knowledge in other sports. I like grids with more accomplishments and not so many, “guess who played for these two teams.” I find that stuff harder.

I was particularly proud of this start to my grid the other day. My youth as a Hawks fan served me quite well!

[tommy]

Basketball was easy today. Only one left on baseball — angels/white Sox? Tough. Never gotten two sports done fully on same day.

Problem for me is this: I just can’t/don’t follow nearly as many players and teams in the modern era as I’ve gotten older. I used to know a lot of the players in all 3 sports. I know many less now especially in baseball and football. I know all the older guys from when I was growing up (like those 3 Hawks, Jason!) and the much older guys via Strat-O-Matic as a kid, which I played a LOT. But in the older days players didn’t change teams nearly as often as they do. Lots of guys never changed teams, so they’re not so useful for the Grid.

[Blue in the Face]

I'm pretty good at the milestones and awards categories. Boxes of two teams are a lot harder for me unless one is the Yankees, or to a lesser extent the Mets or Red Sox. I think my "rarest" box was a 0.3% picking Joe D for some combo of achievements.

[DU82]

Basketball was easy today. Only one left on baseball — angels/white Sox? Tough. Never gotten two sports done fully on same day.

Problem for me is this: I just can’t/don’t follow nearly as many players and teams in the modern era as I’ve gotten older. I used to know a lot of the players in all 3 sports. I know many less now especially in baseball and football. I know all the older guys from when I was growing up (like those 3 Hawks, Jason!) and the much older guys via Strat-O-Matic as a kid, which I played a LOT. But in the older days players didn’t change teams nearly as often as they do. Lots of guys never changed teams, so they’re not so useful for the Grid.

When in doubt, go with Hall of Famers. Hoyt Wilhelm. (I used him for the Angels/Orioles box, so I went with '70s player Brian Downing. Although I could have put Frank Robinson in the Angels/Orioles box as well. Depends when I think of the combo.)

It helps when the HoFer has played for many teams, such as the old knuckleballer. Rickey Henderson fits, as does Robby Alomar. You'd be surprised how many top players DID change teams at the end of their careers, such as Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Steve Carlton, Phil Niekro and others (often returning to their first city, but in the other league as Babe and Hank did, or as Willie did, to an expansion team in his old city. Others like Carlton tried to keep playing past when they probably should have retired.) My formative years are the '60s/'70s, so I remember a lot of players/trades from that era.

Like many, I try to get as low a similarity score as I can. The really old HoFers don't score high too often. (Mel Ott was at 2% on the 40 HR season/500 career box.) Also, if the franchise has moved, picking a player from the former location is usually good from this standpoint.

Today's didn't help much, as the 40+ and 500 HR slots are limited. I note that the newer players (such as Ohtani) will usually be the most common.

[Matches]

You'd be surprised how many top players DID change teams at the end of their careers, such as Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Steve Carlton, Phil Niekro and others (often returning to their first city, but in the other league as Babe and Hank did, or as Willie did, to an expansion team in his old city. Others like Carlton tried to keep playing past when they probably should have retired.)

Also, if the franchise has moved, picking a player from the former location is usually good from this standpoint.

That’s good to know. I wasn’t sure about that and hadn’t been bold enough to try it. Should help a ton with The OkC Thunder and the Natspos in particular.

And yea, I’m big on trying to identify stars who had their Jordan-on-the-Wizards phase. NBA last week had BOS-PHO, and the only answer I could come up with was Shaq!

[JasonEvans]

How much would you pay for me to set one of these up every day?

[DU82]

That’s good to know. I wasn’t sure about that and hadn’t been bold enough to try it. Should help a ton with The OkC Thunder and the Natspos in particular.

And yea, I’m big on trying to identify stars who had their Jordan-on-the-Wizards phase. NBA last week had BOS-PHO, and the only answer I could come up with was Shaq!

I've only played the baseball version, so I had to check the basketball rules. The previous franchise locations DO include the ABA, so don't forget to pick Art Heyman from the New Jersey Americans playing in Teaneck (Home of FDU, but also where I grew up!) He'll match the Knicks, Sixers and the Kings, as he played in Cinci for the Royals.

The rate stat questions do not need a minimum of games, so if there's somebody out there with only five games in a season, but averaging 10 rebounds, use him.

[CameronDuke]

How much would you pay for me to set one of these up every day?

This would be awesome.

[Matches]

Today’s MLB grid has “Chicago Cubs” and “Rookie of the Year” but will not accept Henry Rowengartner as the answer - so obviously that’s rigged.

[rsvman]

Today’s MLB grid has “Chicago Cubs” and “Rookie of the Year” but will not accept Henry Rowengartner as the answer - so obviously that’s rigged.

Maybe they are looking for Chris Bryant? But as far as I know, there have only been four Cubbies that won rookie of the year. I don't think Henry Rowegartner is one of them.

Spoiler alert:



Jerome Walton
Kerry Wood
Geovany Soto
Chris Bryant

[Matches]

Maybe they are looking for Chris Bryant? But as far as I know, there have only been four Cubbies that won rookie of the year. I don't think Henry Rowegartner is one of them.

I beg to differ. It’s literally the name of the movie!

[JasonEvans]

But as far as I know, there have only been four Cubbies that won rookie of the year. I don't think Henry Rowegartner is one of them.

RSV thinking he is about to knock this easy trivia question out of the park...