Primer Dugout (and link of the day) 5-25-2021

Pittsburgh Press, May 25, 1921:

When the season opened, [Cleveland owner Jim Dunn] announced that patrons of the Indians’ park could keep as souvenirs all balls fouled into the stands.

All went well for a time, but the other day, during a game with Boston, McInnis hit a ground ball that went so close to third base that it was difficult to decide whether it was fair or foul…Umpire Nailin ruled it foul. A dozen or more boys and men, however, did not care whether it was foul or fair…when it bounded into left field the ball hunters pursued it, having a wrestling match in the sun garden for its possession.
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When Elmer Smith hit a high foul fly to right in the following inning, a boy made an effort to catch it just as Right Fielder Leibold also was making a super-effort to do the same thing.
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Now Dunn says that, unless the fans stop this sort of thing he will recall his original offer, and order the arrest of the first offender who takes a baseball.

When I was a kid, my dad and I had season tickets for the indoor soccer teams in Cleveland and Canton. We had an understanding - if one of us was in the arena concourse and the ball found its way out there, we’d grab the ball and immediately run to the car. The other, upon noticing that the ball hadn’t been thrown back and the other person hadn’t returned, would head to the car and we’d make a getaway.

This has nothing to do with baseball, but I had forgotten about it until just now. It never actually happened, but we were ready for our heist if the opportunity had arisen.