11-year-old Robert Cotter caught a foul ball one day at a Philadelphia Phillies game and, like any fan, refused to give it back; Even when team officials demanded it! The consequences were severe. The team had the boy arrested, not only for keeping the property, but also after accusing him of sneaking in to the game without paying for his ticket. Cotter was forced to spend an entire night in jail until being freed the next day when a sympathetic judge found that it was “entirely reasonable” that a kid could keep a foul ball at a baseball game. And besides, the judge noted, he made a really good catch. “I never heard of Connie Mack or Philadelphia Athletics President Tom Shibe throwing small boys into prison because they took a ball that was batted into the bleachers. They were boys. I don’t know whether you or Shetzline were ever boys, for if you were you would know how they cherish the ball they get, and you would permit them to have the ball instead of throwing them into a cell overnight. Why, I would have done the same thing myself if I had been in this boy’s place. I wouldn’t brand this boy a thief just to help Mr. Shetzline save a $1.50 ball. If Mr. Shetzline wanted his test case, there is the decision." Judge Charles L. Brown. The Yankees sent Robert Cotter a ball signed by Bob Shawkey with a letter lauding Cotter for his: "Battle against injustice." MLB Baseball then enacted the "Reubens Rule" when Reuben Berman, a New York Giants fan who, on May 16, 1921, refused to give back a foul ball and was thereby removed from the Polo Grounds. Berman sued the Giants for mental and physical distress and won the court case plus $100. Robert Cotter, 75 years after his arrest that was requested to meet with the Phillies. The Phillies finally made things right with Robert Cotter by inviting Cotter, then a grandfather and father of six to a game. The team gave Cotter two signed baseballs, one by the entire 1998 team and one by Phillies Hall of Famer Robin Roberts. The Phillies also declared Cotter their: "Fan Of The Century."