Brain Game: A Good Sport

Poor Lola. She hinted yesterday that this week's Brain Game rotation had been sports-heavy. And you know what? She's absolutely right. In my defense, this is the one time of year when all four major American team sports - baseball, basketball, football, and ice hockey - are either in preseason, regular season, or postseason. I just got caught up in all the excitement. Having said that, I certainly owe all you non-sports-fans a puzzle. And since Lola was kind enough to remind me gently, today's puzzle is all hers:

Lola's "likes" have something in common that her "dislikes" do not. (I don't really know Lola's preferences, so this is just for fun.)

Lola reads horror stories, but not historical fiction. She enjoys singing songs, but not attending plays. She eats jalapeño peppers, but not Italian sausage. She likes Herbert Hoover but not Calvin Coolidge. With all of these in mind... Would Lola prefer finger painting or molding clay?

Here is the SOLUTION.

THE SOLUTION:

Lola would prefer finger painting.

Unlike her "dislikes," each of Lola's "likes" contain the same pair of letters repeated three times:

horror stories

singing songs

jalapeño peppers

Herbert Hoover

So, naturally, Lola would prefer

finger painting