Please read the overview and all the descriptions of the suspects before the party. Sometimes we hide clues in these descriptions.

Overview

Sometimes embarrassing things are deliberately left out of the history books. They are covered over and forgotten. The truth is that the 1919 World Series wasn’t the only black mark in baseball history – there was a far worse event in 1944.

At the tail end of the war, good baseball players were in short supply as they were all overseas doing their duty for their country as part of the war effort. So, as some of you may know, women baseball players were enlisted to fill the gap. What you might not know is that there was still one male baseball team and they played against the women’s teams. They were the Boston Odd Sox. The team was comprised of baseball players who couldn’t do their military service for various (mainly physical) reasons.

The Odd Sox were competing against the Chicago Cheeky Chicks. The Odd Sox needed to win this game in order to reach the finals. The Chicago Cheeky Chicks were the worst team in the League having not won a single game.

But there were rumors afloat that the Odd Sox were under control of some powerful gambling entities and that they were going to throw this game. A lot of money was resting on it. Most, but not all of the players were in on it as they stood to make an extra year’s wages in just one game.

In the first two innings the Cheeky Chicks had performed as admirably bad as usual and the Odd Sox, despite their efforts not to win, were in a slight lead. The problem was that the girls all kept hitting the ball so that it landed on the bases and, thus, it couldn’t be easily ignored by the person manning the base.

And the girls – all flat-footed and overweight – didn’t run very fast so despite ball fumbles and other tactics, the Odd Sox couldn’t not get them out without totally revealing to their fans that they were trying to lose the game. Things were getting desperate for the Odd Sox and it was time for them to bat.

Although they tried to miss hitting the ball, the pitcher Petticoat Peterson kept pitching so that her ball hit their bat no matter where they moved it to.

Although they tried to miss hitting the ball, the pitcher Petticoat Peterson kept pitching so that her ball hit their bat no matter where they moved it. Then in the last and final innings, Petticoat Peterson ran off the field and locked herself in the bathroom and claimed she had been given a laxative. The game was called off and because the umpire was the cousin of a police officer, the police were called in to investigate.

Now you might assume the Odd Sox were responsible, but apparently there was some pretty strong in-fighting going on amongst the players in the Cheeky Chicks. And with fans, managers, gamblers and others involved, no one knew for sure who did it. So now let’s relive this moment in history and find out who really did it.

The suspects

The Boston Odd Sox

Righty Mathews

(right fielder) He is called “Righty” because he bats with his right hand whereas everyone else on the team is left-handed. He carries the team emblem (a skunk) wherever he goes. He couldn’t go into the army because he had a knee injury from falling off a roof as a child. He is currently unemployed. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Bat. Carry a stuffed toy marked to look like a skunk (or a picture of one). Wear odd socks.

Shoey Jacobs

(left fielder) He is called “Shoey” because he wears a different pair of shoes to every match. He has more shoes in his cupboard than Imelda Marcos. He couldn’t go into the army because he was flat-footed. He works as a waiter at a high-class restaurant. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Make each of your shoes look different to each other in some way. Carry a spare pair of shoes for the game. Wear odd socks.

Double-Take Edwards

(pitcher) He is cross-eyed. He couldn’t go into the army because of this. He can do fantastic, sneaky curve balls and is a great pitcher as long as you point him in the right direction and as long as he chases after the correct one of the balls he sees. He is the sound man for a radio station. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Carry a ball. Wear odd socks.

Sleepy Joe

(catcher) He has very big hands and when he’s awake, he’s a great catcher. He couldn’t go into the army because he suffers from a rare disease which makes him fall asleep at odd times. He works as a legal clerk for the county office. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Wear a catcher’s mitt and carry a pillow. Wear odd socks.

Doorbell Dunstan

(first base) He is quick on the mark if he knows what’s going on. The problem is that he often doesn’t hear the bat hitting the ball so he doesn’t know a player is heading his way. He wasn’t accepted by the army because he is deaf. He is a university microbiology student. He is a close friend of Sleepy Joe. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Carry a hearing funnel. Wear odd socks.

Go Go Grimblat

(center fielder) He doesn’t miss much and he’s one of the stars of the team. Unfortunately his skills come in equal weight with his arrogance and he is a bit of a pain. He wasn’t in on the scam because he is too much of a big mouth. He has a slight hearing impediment and that he is why he wasn’t accepted for military service. He is a car salesman. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Wear odd socks.

The Chicago Cheeky Chicks

Peachy Cream

(left fielder) She is a reluctant player and not a particularly good one as a result. She is very proud of her long beautiful nails. Her father is very rich so she doesn’t have to work. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Carry nail polish. Wear pink socks and false fingernails.

Moldy Cheese

(right fielder) She works for her parent’s cheese factory and that accounts for her smell. She is very keen on the game and a reasonable player. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Wear pink socks. Carry cheese.

Lippy Lovell

(short stop) She wears really brightly colored lipstick which she hopes will distract the opposite team and make everyone not notice how bad she is at baseball. She sells makeup at parties but she doesn’t have to work, as her family is wealthy. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Wear bright lipstick. Wear pink socks.

Bouncy Betty

(first base) She is called “Bouncy Betty” because whenever she hits the ball it bounces a lot. She works at a Diner. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Wear pink socks.

Clumsy Carol

(second base) She always wears shoes which are a size or two too big for her. These add to her already innate clumsiness. She works in an antique shop. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Wear shoes, which are too much big. Wear pink socks.

Slammit Suzie

(catcher) She loves hearing the ball slamming into her mitt when the batters miss the ball. Unfortunately this rarely happens because the pitcher is so bad. Her father owns the candy store she works in. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Carry a catcher’s mitt. Wear pink socks.

The optional characters

Authorities (optional)

Arnie Ezekiel (police officer) He is a tough no-nonsense cop. He loves the power that comes with his position. Dress suggestions: Wear a mock police uniform. Carry some crime scene tape (make some out of paper with masking tape attached at the ends). Carry a notepad and pencil.

Mabel Finn (police officer) She loves solving puzzles. That’s why she became a police officer. She’s also great at cryptic crosswords. Dress suggestions: Wear a mock police uniform. Carry some crime scene tape (make some out of paper with masking tape attached at the ends). Carry a notepad and pencil.

Dr Peter Pepin (police medical specialist) He loves the thrill of finding needles in haystacks. He won’t give up till he finds what he wants. He is a scientific whiz-kid. He knows all the tricks of his trade. Dress suggestions: Wear a lab coat and wear white gloves. Carry some clear plastic bags to collect evidence in.

Dr Aphra Ardath (medical doctor) She has been the family doctor for the Petersons for many years. She believes you can never have too many tests. She is a bit of a hypochondriac. Dress suggestions: Carry a black bag and any medical items you can obtain (eg thermometer, stethoscope).

Witnesses (optional)

Boston Odd Sox (optional)

King Kordon (third base) He is one of the fastest men alive and a great batter and as well. He is very popular and a hero to many. He didn’t know about the plan to drop the game. He had been in the army but was returned home after he received a bullet in his shoulder. His fans love seeing his bullet and scar and he loves showing them. He doesn’t know Petticoat at all so that’s why he isn’t a suspect. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes and a hero’s medal. Wear odd socks.

Shorty Williams (second base) He often catches runners by surprise because he is so tiny they often don’t see him. He wasn’t accepted by the army because he is flat-footed and too short. He doesn’t know Petticoat at all so that’s why he isn’t a suspect. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Wear platform shoes. Wear odd socks.

Other Chicago Cheeky Chicks (optional)

Sunshine Sarah (third base) She is the star of the team, but unfortunately her valiant attempts aren’t enough to save the team. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Wear a big sun on a chain or stuck on your uniform. Wear pink socks.

Christine Cowpat (reserve player) She is from a farm and has spent a lot of time running across the paddocks. As a result she is very good at running, but unfortunately she isn’t very good at hitting or catching. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Carry a small cow ornament. Wear pink socks.

Other 10 witnesses (optional)

Lora Lonnagen (umpire) She was an umpire for the game and she definitely wasn’t in on the scam. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Wear odd socks.

Reardon Jones (Boston Odd Sox Manager) He used to play with Babe Ruth and he has high hopes for the team. He definitely wasn’t in on the scam. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Wear odd socks.

Mrs Paula Dingle (Chicago Cheeky Chicks Manager) She loves to eat jam tarts and has a very strong sweet tooth although she was a good player in her day. She loves Petticoat, so that’s why she isn’t a suspect. Dress suggestions: Baseball clothes. Wear pink socks. Carry some sweet food.

Dario Dalpozzo (Chicago Cheeky Chicks Fan) He has been to every game they have ever played and he is madly in love with Lippy. Dress suggestions: Baseball fan clothes. Wear pink socks.

Ruth Babe (Boston Odd Sox Fan) She is a big fan of baseball. That’s why she changed her name to honor the baseball hero. She loves watching the male players especially. Dress suggestions: Wear odds socks and carry banners in support of The Boston Odd Sox.

Bert Gifford (Slammit’s boyfriend) He is Slammit’s new boyfriend. She is madly in love with him. Dress suggestions: Wear conservative 1940s clothes (eg check trousers).

Mrs Una Camembert (Moldy Cheese’s mother) She is very proud of Moldy as she thinks she is such a dedicated player. She just wishes she was as devoted to cheese-making. Dress suggestions: Wear conservative clothes. Carry some cheese.

Don Cream (Peachy Cream’s father) He loves baseball. When he was young, he played with “Iron Horse” Lou Gehrig and “Battling Bambino” Babe Ruth. He was very sorry that they could only have one child and it was a girl. Dress suggestions: Wear conservative clothes and a tie.

Cazzie Egan (Bouncy Betty’s little sister) Bouncy is her big sister and she likes watching her play baseball. Dress suggestions: Wear children’s clothes and ribbons in your hair. Wear pink socks.

Edgar Doyle (Slammit Suzie’s father) He owns and runs a candy store. He loves giving lollipops to the kids. Dress suggestions: Wear colorful clothes and a tie. Carry lollipops.