The Odd Truth: June 27, 2005

The Odd Truth is a collection of strange but factual news stories from around the world compiled by CBSNews.com's Meredith Stoffel.

Benched For Being Good

CANAL WINCHESTER, Ohio - A baseball team of 11 and 12-year-olds kicked out of a league in a Columbus suburb is fielding offers from all over to play.

The Columbus Stars were removed from their league last month because they were too good.

Other teams began complaining — and canceling.

Michael Mirones, board chairman for the Canal Winchester Joint Recreation District, pulled the Stars from the league and returned their $150 entry fee. He suggested the Stars play in a travel league against better teams.

Now the Stars have received offers from teams all over central Ohio and in other states.

Clay Branch, a parent in a youth league in Atlanta, said he offered to arrange for the team to play in Georgia.

"I'd never heard of anything like that, and it blew my mind," he said. "I wish we were closer."

The Stars already have a couple of games coming up against teams in central Ohio.

Prank Backfires, Man Swallows Key

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. - Arthur Richardson thought he'd pull a prank and pretend to swallow a friend's truck key.

Unfortunately, the prank backfired when Richardson plopped the key in his mouth and gravity took over.

Richardson went to a doctor, who X-rayed his stomach and got a clear picture of the key. The doctor said the key posed no danger, but Richardson's friend needed to use his truck.

So Richardson and his friend took the X-rays to a locksmith, who used the pictures to fashion a new key. And it worked in the truck.

John Somers, owner of Al's Lock and Safe, said he'd never made a key before from an X-ray image.

"I have done all sorts of lock work, I've done all sorts of safe work," Somers said. "This is truly a first in my career."

Athlete Robbed While On Radio

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil - Brazilian soccer star Roberto Carlos was in the back seat of his car and doing a live radio interview when two gunmen on a motorcycle pulled over and demanded valuables, a radio station said.

"They just robbed my car," the player said during the interview. "That's never happened to me before. What a scare!"

Roberto Carlos said the thieves apparently didn't recognize him and didn't take anything from him. But he said they stole a wristwatch and cell phone from a journalist in the car.

"We know this can happen anywhere," the player said.

Principal's Indecent Act

SELMA, Ind. - Hot for teacher -- and principal, too. A Selma, Indiana, middle school principal won't be fired for a sexy dance she performed with male students at a talent show. Principal Alice Mehaffey was dressed in short-shorts as she danced to "YMCA" and "Macho Man." During the routine, a boy dressed as a cop handcuffed the educator, while she tore the T-shirt off another boy. The local school board decided not to take any disciplinary action against Mehaffey. Punishment will be left up to the district superintendent. The grandmother of a Selma Middle School student says everyone makes a mistake. But the woman says she hopes the principal has learned a lesson and will clean up her act.

Not Your Typical Summer Camp

OAK RIDGE, Tenn. - These days summer camp is more than swimming, hiking and scary stories around the campfire. For students like seventh-grader Alyssa McCartt, who wants to be a crime scene invesitigator, camp is about going to the scene of crime. The popularity of the CSI shows has led to camps with an emphasis on forensic science. The murder scenes are recreations and there are no corpses. But the kids get to learn about things like fingerprinting and collecting tiny bits of evidence with tweezers or cotton swabs.

Panty Theft Faces Prison Time

WARSAW, N.Y. - It could be a long stretch before panty thief David Dudas gets a hold of anymore women's underwear. He's facing seven to ten years in a New York state prison after admitting to a series of panty thefts. Authorities say they found more than 150 pairs of women's panties in a search of Dudas' basement. Dudas has already served three years in prison for a 1999 panty theft conviction.