One of the things I learned trying to get a card from each year going back to 1900 is that there were not many, if any, cards produced in 1942 and 1943. Luckily for me, the Cubs produced team picture packs in 1942 and Chico Hernandez was on that Cubs team. Chico was a star catcher for the Bloomers in 1938 - catching all 121 games and being named a Three-I League All-Star. My friend and McLean County Museum of History Librarian, Bill Kemp, wrote a nice piece about Chico and how he made baseball history.

https://mchistory.org/research/articles/cuban-chico-hernandez-star-of-1938-bloomers

Technically Ol’ Stubblebeard, Burleigh Grimes was a Bloomington Cardinal. The last legal thrower of the spitball, Grimes was a player/manager for the Cardinals in 1935. He did well enough that year to be promoted to the Card’s Louisville farm club in 1936. Ol’ Stubblebeard! A Hall of Fame nickname for a Hall of Fame pitcher.

Found a neat signed index card by George Cutshaw. I like that the person who mailed it to him had some questions prepared and I’ve since seen other signed index card with this info. George was a Bloomer in 1908 and 1909 and went on to have a nice big league career. I like that he called out that he had 6 singles in a game in Chicago as a Brooklyn Dodger. That was August 9, 1915 at West Side Field in Chicago. I’ve also include George’s 1914 B-18 Blanket and a link to an image of George when his wife and he visiting Bloomington in the late-50s. My friend and librarian at the McLean County (IL) Museum of History, Bill Kemp, shared the photo with me.

https://www.idaillinois.org/digital/collection/p16614coll82/id/44404/rec/2

This 1919 photo of Paul Zahniser arrived today! Pretty excited. He was a Bloomer in 1919 and 1920 and had a lengthy pro career, including spending parts of 5 seasons in the Big Leagues. Two of those seasons were with Walter Johnson and the Washington Senators, owned by former Bloomington Red, Normal, IL native, and Hall of Famer, Clark Griffith. This is my first photo of a future big-leaguer in a Bloomers uniform. Plus, I believe that’s Fan’s Field, home of Bloomington pro baseball for almost 40 years. I love seeing the fellas in hats and ties.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=zahnis001pau

I was able to pick up this killer 1921 type-1 of Ray Schmandt. He was a Bloomer for parts of the 1915 and 1916 seasons. I also have his 1922 American Caramel card. Ray had a nice pro career and was on the pennant-winning 1920 Brooklyn Robins.

https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=schman001ray