# Lateral Thinking Puzzles - third time is best! **URL:** \ **Category:** Thread Games\ **Created:** [July 18, 2023, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214 "2023-07-18T13:39:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 95
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1881 "2024-04-23T19:50:10Z")
Are they criminals? Are they sportsmen? ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1882 "2024-04-23T20:01:35Z")
By “triumvirate,” do you mean a group of three people who share some sort of _political_ power? Or just a trio of any sort? If a regular trio, were they and this third person involved in arts / entertainment? ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1883 "2024-04-23T21:05:20Z")
Are they fictional characters? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1884 "2024-04-23T22:49:19Z")
> [@MonkeysBrother](#): > > Is the third person famous, i.e. an easily recognizable name? Or is it the name of the triumvirate that we might recognize? Yes to the first. No to the second. > [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](#): > > Are they criminals? > > Are they sportsmen? No Yes > [@Fretful\_Porpentine](#): > > By “triumvirate,” do you mean a group of three people who share some sort of _political_ power? Or just a trio of any sort? > > If a regular trio, were they and this third person involved in arts / entertainment? Not political. Sports (see above) > [@dirtball](#): > > Are they fictional characters? No ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1885 "2024-04-23T23:15:11Z")
Is the third person Babe Ruth? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1886 "2024-04-23T23:18:16Z")
No. It is not ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1887 "2024-04-23T23:22:12Z")
Were the three of them all on the same team? Were they all playing at the same time? Was it (American) football? Baseball? Basketball? Hockey? Soccer? Were they primarily known for their offensive play (i.e., helping their team to score points)? Were they primarily known for their defensive play (i.e., preventing the other team from scoring points)? Some of one and some of the other? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2024, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1888 "2024-04-23T23:44:18Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Were the three of them all on the same team? > Were they all playing at the same time? > Was it (American) football? Baseball? Basketball? Hockey? Soccer? Yes, yes, baseball > [@Chronos](#): > > Were they primarily known for their offensive play (i.e., helping their team to score points)? > Were they primarily known for their defensive play (i.e., preventing the other team from scoring points)? > Some of one and some of the other? None of the above ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1889 "2024-04-24T00:18:51Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > No. It is not Is the third player super famous? Do they all have some kind of similarity? ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1890 "2024-04-24T00:24:30Z")
I don’t follow sport at all, and baseball is a total mystery to me. But is it Tinker to Evers to Chance? (Its the only thing about baseball I know, and I don’t really understand it. ) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1891 "2024-04-24T00:34:19Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Is the third person Babe Ruth? Excellent guess in baseball trivia in general. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1892 "2024-04-24T00:39:37Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Is the third player super famous? > > Do they all have some kind of similarity? Yes to both ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1893 "2024-04-24T00:40:10Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > But is it Tinker to Evers to Chance? Nope. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1894 "2024-04-24T00:48:20Z")
Is it: Lou Gehrig Micky Mantle Willie Mays Shoeless Joe Jackson Ty Cobb ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1895 "2024-04-24T00:51:43Z")
Are you just naming all the baseball players you can think of? lol Maybe I should add the requirement that a valid answer must explain what the triumvirate did. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1896 "2024-04-24T00:56:14Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Are you just naming all the baseball players you can think of? I figure if I get the third player, I can maybe start figuring out what they did. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1897 "2024-04-24T00:58:02Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > I figure if I get the third player, I can maybe start figuring out what they did. OK deal. What is significant about the triumvirate? Lou Gehrig ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1898 "2024-04-24T01:05:48Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Howie Shanks and Benny Bengough are part of a triumvirate. Who was the third person? Were these two and Lou Gehrig the first three batters in the batting order on the Yankees? On some certain year? ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1899 "2024-04-24T01:06:21Z")
Nope. ---
**Author:** ![dirtball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dirtball/32/18772_2.png) [@dirtball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dirtball)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2024, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214/1900 "2024-04-24T01:47:25Z")
Did they do something noteworthy off the field? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=94) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lateral-thinking-puzzles-third-time-is-best/987214.md?page=96)