The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1919-08-19
Barons Lose Last to Travellers
Fans Should Be Permitted To
Keep Foul Balls They Catch
Such Souvenirs Would Be highly Treasured-Stevs
ONeill Rated as One of the Really Great Catchers.
Jim Vaug han Has Alibi
BY JAMES j. CoRRErr

In many major league circles this is
subject for debate between magnates
and patrons:-
Should the fans be permitted to keep
the foul balls that are batted into the
stands?"
My feeling is that the club owners
! would gain whole lot more in the good
will by letting them keep the balls than
they would suffer in rather inconsequen-
tai financial loss.
Yet many owners take the position that
all foul balls should be thrown back int
the playing field and some have gone to
the extreme of instructng their ushers
to use every means to retrieve the horse
bids. AS result the fans and the ushers
frequently have squabbles that certainly
do not help to cement enduring friend
ship between spectators and mogul.
Club owners claim that losing fouls
means big money loss to them. They
exaggerate Not more than six fouls
are hit into the stand in an average
game. That's about 50 worth of baseball
material, or the price of IL admissions.
Certainly, if the club owners knew how
greatly the fan prizes for souvenir pur-
poses a baseball that was used in big
league game they wouldn't try to de
prive him of it.
Not so long ago 1 talked with one of
the 33rd degree fans in New York on
the foul ball situation. /And this is what
he said:
"One of the greatest treasures L have is
a baseball that was fouled into the
stand in the Polo grounds some years
ago by Chrfsty Matthewson I caught
the ball off his bat. An usher hurried
over and tried to take it away from me.
I told him I'd gladly pay the price of the
hall for the nriVi1apa of kePninp If But
he snarlingly told me no. So I decided
to keep the ball at all hazards. and
though a rather disagreeable situation
with the usher resulted / kept that ball.
And no one could buy it from me for
hundred times its material cost"
7 am sure that if the magnates only
could see the situation from the fans
viewpoint-realize how highly each fan
treasures a baseball that actually was
fouled to him by one of the truly guests
of the national pastme, they would lift
the ban and hoist the notice:
"All foul balls batted into the stands
are the property of those who recover
them
AS TO STEVE O'NEILL
Over a long stretch of time, when fans
discussed 1.-The greatest catcher in each
big league Ray Schalk usually was the
unanimous American League selection.
WITH Bill fNilllleT, the NdlIOudl Led 3 uc
nominee. But now Cleveland fans and
those in many other cities in Ban John
sons circuit. are asking you to consider
one Steve O'Neill.
O'Neill is really a remarkable back
stop, one who has improved with the
passing years. Right now he is at the
top of his form. hitting splendidly field
ing faultlessly, throwing with wonderful
speed and accuracy to the bases and
IF oil bic too wit
perb Judgment.
He's game clear through, he thinks
like lighting. acts as he thinks and he
is flawless in mechanical play" is how
ti7c 'eland fans regard the younester
W ned the Indians in 1912 and has
heo he regular backstop almost since
that time.
HOW VAUGHN EXPLAINS 1T
After nearly six years OF silence big
jim Vaughn of the Cubs has come along
with an alibi for his Indifferent big
league work through 1910, 1911, 1912 and
part of 1918.
Vaughn was secured by the Yankees