Baseball mascot's head stolen

AVON LAKE, Ohio, Sept. 22 (UPI) -- The Lake Erie Crushers, an Ohio Frontier League baseball team, said someone stole the head of their mascot, Stomper the bear, from a storage closet.

The team said the head of Stomper, the team's mascot since 2009, was taken from a storage closet at the Crushers' Avon Lake facility, causing the mascot to miss the last two home games and the playoffs, WEWS-TV, Cleveland, reported Wednesday.

"It affects everyone's time at the ballpark," said David Helm, vice president of business operations for the Crushers. "He was always dancing, signing autographs … It takes away from the experience fans can have."

"He's more recognizable than any of the players and all of the staff," Helm said. "People really love him."

Officials said they have ordered a new head for Stomper and it is expected to arrive in about two weeks. They said the thief or thieves are encouraged to return Stomper's head with no questions asked.