In response to the message sent  31 Dec 1980 0729-EST from ZILCH@MIT-DMS 

Your "baseball" is listed in Singmaster's booklet as "the Worm" (though
I must admit I like your name for it), with a 28-qtw solution (23 if
you count half-twists=1). I prefer the pattern named the "Snake":

DUD
DUD
DUD

BBB RFR FFF LBL
BLL FFR FRR BBL
BLB RRR FRF LLL

UUU
DDD
UUU

which is known to be soluble in 20 qtw (16 if htw=1). Meanwhile, your
cube-in-a-cube has a 24-qtw (20-htw/qtw) solution in Singmaster, though
I generally find it easy enough to make in 34 qtw using the commutator
operation [spoiler warning!] nicknamed "rFUfuR": rFRfUfuFuRUr.

	-- Don.
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