Lately, Answer Guy's been postulating about the origin of "puck". Just what you've been doing remains to be seen. But not for long.

George Hudson: Who gives a puck? Not helpful, George. L. Thurston: Cuz it rhymes with ... Duck! Thom Cho: "Puck" is the name of a mythological figure in English folklore who liked to create mischief. The little devil. He has roots in Norse mythology where he was a demon or malignant spirit who liked to play jokes. Like Don Rickles. Roy Mumme: Don Rickles, "The Merchant of Venom," uses "hockey puck" as a pejorative appelation for those he ridicules. Told ya. Hockey's "puck" is probably an alteration of English "poke" -- from Middle English "poken", akin to Dutch "poken", "to strike, to pierce with a stick." Rule 46: Butt-ending, a major penalty and a game misconduct (plus an automatic $100 fine.) It's apparently unrelated to the Old Norse "puki", "devil, mischievous spirit, hobgoblin", as in Shakepeare's character "Puck" in A Midsummer's Night Dream. Pity. Georgianna Ziegler: MND is one of Shakespeare's plays for which no one source has been found; he seems to have made it up from bits and pieces of folk/fairy-lore and from Ovid, Chaucer and Plutarch. The Larry, Moe and Curly of yore. For web material on MND's sources see: http://daphne.palomar.edu/shakespeare/playcriticism.htm#MND Done. Commonly, the "Puck" was an amoral spirit or imp which played arbitrary tricks on people. Puck refers to this reputation in Act II scene 1 ... Puck: "Thou speak'st aright ..." Darn tootin.' "I am that merry wanderer of the night." Ditto. "I jest to Oberon and make him smile. When I a fat and bean-fed horse beguile. Neighing in likeness of a filly foal." I wanna party with you, cowboy. "And sometime lurk I in a gossip's bowl, In very likeness of a roasted crab." Sneaky. "And when she drinks, against her lips I bob. And on her wither'd dewlap pour the ale." Hold it right there, bub. "The wisest aunt, telling the saddest tale, Sometime for three-foot stool mistaketh me; Then slip I from her bum, down topples she." Very tragical mirth, but it gets 'em every time.

It will really be tragic if Answer Guy can't figure out the next question: "It's still winter. So where does 'spring' training come from?" E-mail answer.guy@espnmag.com.