The Pantagraph newspaper reported: "Bloomington's bid for victory in the Three-Eye league opening here Sunday was nipped by Yank Terry, a young right hander out of the semi-pro ranks, who limited the Cards [as the Bloomers were also called] to four scattered hits and was airtight in the pinches to hurl the Tots to a 1-0 triumph before 2,000 shivering fans." The Opening Day clash in the cold and rain was a classic pitchers' duel. Terre Haute mustered only four hits off "Lefty" Elston, but two errors in the fifth inning cost the Bloomers the game. 

Lancelot Yank Terry (his real name) broke into the big leagues in 1940, winning 1 game in 4 appearances for the Boston Red Sox. He returned to the Majors in 1942, and during the lean war years, he won 19 and lost 28 for the Red Sox. In 93 career appearances (including 55 starts), he finished with a 4.09 ERA. 

During the Great Depression, the Three Eye, much like low minor leagues throughout the nation, struggled to remain in operation. The 1932 season was halted in mid-July and the league was shutdown the following two years. In 1935, the league reformed with six clubs (Decatur, Fort Wayne, Peoria, and Springfield were the other four). 

The Bloomers, led by player-manager "Ol' Stubblebeard" (inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1964--see profile on the Cooperstown page), captured the pennant with a 75-44 record. The Tots finished the season in third place with 57 wins and 61 losses.

In the bottom of the eighth inning, Bloomington scored 6 runs on 6 hits (including 3 doubles), 2 walks, and a stolen base to hand the visiting Tots their first loss in 7 games. Bloomers center fielder Lou Scoffic (third from left) finished the day with 3 singles, a home run, and a walk. Scoffic had the proverbial "cup of coffee" the following season, appearing in 4 games for the St. Louis Cardinals. 

An estimated 4,000 (some 3,300 paid) attended the contest at newly refurbished Fans Field on the far south end of Bloomington. "One thing that made a great hit here Sunday was the fact that Business Manager Joe Mathes did not raise the [ticket] price for opening day," commented Pantagraph sports editor Fred Young. "Every other club in the league whooped the ante up to one dollar for opening day but Mathes insisted that the fans get a break, and 40 cents was the price for both bleachers and grandstand--the same as every other day of the season. It was a popular move and will make Mathes many staunch supporters, for after all it is the great masses that patronize the sports events."

Bloomington's Bill Cox, recently sent down from the Cardinals American Association affiliate in Columbus, pitched 9 solid innings. St. Louis mustered only 7 hits and 1 run against the righthander. In the first inning, Cox hit leadoff man Pepper Martin in the back. Right fielder Jack Rothrock then walked, advancing Martin to second base. Frisch sacrificed Martin to third base, and he scored on a Joe Medwick grounder. After this shaky start, Cox tightened up, thanks in part to wholesale substitutions by Frisch, who was eager to rest his star players. From 1936 through 1940, Cox appeared in 50 big league games (12 as a starter) for the Cards, White Sox, and Browns. He finished a disappointing career with a 2-9 record and a 6.56 ERA.

According to Pantagraph sports editor Fred Young, this was the first time in five exhibition matches that the hometown Three Eye club had bested the N.L. Cardinals. "Barnum didn't have the greatest show on earth. Burleigh Grimes and his young men put it on yesterday at the old south side park," noted Young.

The photograph above shows Bloomington shortstop Bing Cosbey (correct spelling) attempting to beat out a second-inning grounder to Frisch. At first base is Ripper Collins. In 1935, Bloomington wore the uniforms of the parent club.

Unfortunately, the 1,200 in attendance watched Grimes struggle through his poorest start of the season. The future hall of famer surrendered 7 hits in the first 3 innings, and the Senators bested the hometown Cardinals 5-2. After Springfield scored 1 run in the second inning and 3 more in the third, Grimes called it a day. It was his second defeat of the season.

Clyde Smoll, the Cardinals starter, surrendered 2 runs in 7-plus innings of work. He left the game in the eighth after turning an ankle. In 1940, Smoll enjoyed a cup of coffee with the Philadelphia Phillies, winning 2 and losing 8 in 33 appearances (9 as a starter). He finished his short-lived big league career with a 5.37 ERA. Springfield center fielder Roy Cullenbine smacked 2 hits and scored 1 run. His exemplary fielding caught the eye of Pantagraph sports editor Fred Young. "This boy Cullenbine is a marvelous outfielder and can really go and get 'em. He had six hard chances Thursday and made several picture catches," Young noted. From 1938 through 1947, Cullenbine's career included stints with the Tigers, Dodgers, Browns, Senators, Yankees, and Indians. For seven consecutive seasons (1941 through 1947), the journeyman outfielder finished in the top five among league leaders in walks. In 10 seasons, Cullenbine tallied a remarkable 853 base on balls.

The August 1 game also doubled as a fundraiser for the cash-strapped Community Athletic Association, the Bloomington group that operated Fans Field. The Cardinals donated the day's gate receipts (about $500) to enable the association to meet mortgage obligations on the aging ballpark.

In mid-September, the Bloomington Cardinals and Springfield Senators faced each other in the post-season playoff. After Springfield skipper Bob Coleman refused to replay the contested sixth game, Three Eye League President L. J. Wylie declared Bloomington league champions (a full recounting of this epic tussle will appear on this site sometime soon).

The first photograph above shows fans lining up to purchase tickets (forty cents for general admission seats) and the second shows a packed grandstand during the game.

In a lackluster effort, the hometown Bengals dropped their home opener 10-4. "This makes nine consecutive defeats for the home boys, and the horrible suspicion is beginning to arise in Bloomington that the club at present constituted will not win the pennant this year," noted a clearly frustrated Fred Young, sports editor for The Pantagraph . The usually upbeat Young had little good news for his loyal readers. "Sims' club lacks pitching, batting, power and inspiration, and you can expect a carload of new ballplayers in town almost any hour now."

The Bloomington franchise was failing to attract fans, and its attendance hovered near the league's bottom. "There were several disappointments in store for the few patrons who did respond to the noble call for boosters, among which was the size of the crowd which would hardly have been credit to a wash day engagement," added Young.

The Three-I League continued to struggle during the Great Depression. The Class B loop suspended play for 1936 and only six teams started the 1937 season. Bloomington (21-38) and Terre Haute (15-38) then disbanded in early July, and the Moline Plowboys (74-41) finished atop the surviving four-team league. Tincup's Reds ended the season with 46 wins and 65 losses.

As mentioned above, the Three-I League struggled throughout the Great Depression. In 1937, Bloomington and Terre Haute dropped out in July and only four clubs (Clinton, Decatur, Moline, and Peoria) finished the season. Still, the Class B circuit could claim several big league prospects, such as Moline righthander Kirby Higbe. Pitching for the pennant-winning Plowboys, Higbe led the league in wins (21), winning percentage (.808), and strikeouts (257). That season, he broke into the big leagues with 5 innings of relief for the Chicago Cubs. In 1941, he won 22 games for the N.L. champion Brooklyn Dodgers. He retired in 1950 with 118 wins and 101 losses and a lifetime 3.69 ERA. 

On July 3, the Bloomington Bengals and Terre Haute Tots folded and the Three-I League finished the season with only four clubs. Kadis pitched in the final game of Bloomington's Depression-shortened season. On July 1, he struck out 23 batters during a 14-inning contest in Terre Haute. Montreal then optioned the promising lefthander to Durham of the Class B Piedmont League. But what of Kadis' life and career after Durham? Like much of the storied Three Eye, his story is lost to time. 

An Opening Day crowd of 3,500 watched the hometown Bloomers fall 6-3 to the Moline Plowboys. Moline Righthander John Colmer surrendered 11 hits and 3 walks, yet the hard luck Bloomers could only score a run apiece in the first, second, and fifth innings. "It looked mighty good to see that wonderful crowd out at the old ballyard Sunday," reported Fred Young of The Pantagraph. "The only sad part was the fates could not have been more kindly to the home patrons but that's the way of baseball and you never can tell." Young noted that Colmer "tightened up like a leech when the home guard threatened." 

In 1938, Bloomington was making a final effort to revive a flagging franchise. The Bloomers brought in former big league catcher Bob O'Farrell (see profile on the Players page) to manage the team. In addition, Milwaukee of the American Association now acted as the parent club, affording the Bloomington front office greater access to resources, especially young talent. Despite those measures, the club finished the 1938 season in seventh place with 56 wins and 65 defeats. The following season, with O'Farrell long gone, the club finished a dismal 49 and 73. That proved to be Bloomington's final season in the Three Eye. 

Bloomington was the only home team to lose this Opening Day: The Springfield Browns clobbered the Clinton Owls 13-7; the Evansville Bees defeated the Cedar Rapids Raiders 10-6; and the Commies of Decatur bested the Waterloo Red Hawks 10-9. In the 1938 season, Bob Coleman's Evansville club captured the league pennant, finishing the season with 77 wins and 47 losses. Moline finished in third place with a record of 67-59. The Plowboys were led by Lou "The Mad Russian" Novikoff, who finished league play tops in batting (.367) and hits (186). 

This series was the highpoint in an otherwise disappointing season. The Bloomers finished the year in seventh place (56-65), trailing the sixth-place Raiders by 1 game. Twelve days after this series, Lou Boudreau joined Cedar Rapids as an untested rookie straight from the University of Illinois. The future hall of famer played his first professional ball game on June 14, 1938 in Evansville.

Elsewhere in the Three Eye, Springfield hurler Emil Bildilli won his fifth game of the season. On June 2, "Hill Billy" threw a nine-inning shutout against the Waterloo Red Hawks. In 1938, he led the Class B loop in wins (18, tied with Evansville's Floyd Giebell), winning percentage (.818), and strikeouts (185). He finished the year with the St. Louis Browns, winning 1 and losing 2 in 21-plus innings of work. From 1937 through 1941, the Brownies called up Bildilli for brief stretches. In 1940, he appeared in 28 games (11 as a starter), finishing 2-4 with a 5.57 ERA. 

The first photograph shows right fielder Karl Alto clout a fourth inning home run off the Raiders Loy Hanning. The bleachers along the third base line are visible in the background. After Bloomington scored 5 runs in the fourth inning, Cedar Rapids skipper "Cap" Crossley yanked Hanning. In 1939, Hanning appeared in 4 games for the Browns. He returned to the Browns in 1942 for his second and last cup of coffee. The second photograph offers a nice look into the Bloomers dugout. According to The Pantagraph, a good-sized weekday crowd was on hand, though the sparse attendance visible in these two photographs contradicts that assertion.

This outing was representative of the Bloomers frustrating season. Bob Coleman's Bees, on the other hand, dominated the Class B loop, capturing the Three Eye pennant with a 77-47 record. Evansville enjoyed a comfortable lead over the second-place Decatur Commies (68-59) and third-place Moline Plowboys (67-59). This was Coleman's second pennant with Evansville and third overall (In 1922, he led the Terre Haute Tots to a league title). He would manage six more pennant winners during his long and productive relationship with Evansville (1941, 1949, 1952, 1954, 1956, and 1957).

The first photograph shows Bloomers catcher Chico Hernandez at the plate. During the 14-inning game, the Cuban connected for a double and a triple in 5 at-bats. In 1942 and 1943, he appeared in a combined 90 games (84 behind the plate) for the Chicago Cubs. During his brief big league career, he batted .250 with 61 hits, 9 doubles, and 16 RBI. In the second photograph, the Bees Johnny Zontoni rounds third base to the score the first run of the evening. The fleet-footed center fielder enjoyed a good night both at the plate and the field. He had 2 hits and 2 runs and 7 chances in deep center. Bloomers third baseman Carl Dorely watches to make sure Zontoni touches third. 

"Brick" Young excelled at basketball and baseball at Illinois State Normal University and then Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington. In 1915, he graduated from the latter institution with a law degree, though he never practiced law during his long and varied career. Young was sports editor of Bloomington's daily newspaper for the better part four decades (1922 through 1957), and from that position he earned a regional (if not national) reputation. During the Three Eye season, nary a day would pass without an article on the local club in particular and the league in general.

His career, though, extended far beyond the pages of The Pantagraph. He was a principal organizer and the first commissioner of the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW), today one of the strongest NCAA Division III athletic conferences in the nation. In addition, Young was also a nationally recognized official, especially in football. During his career, he worked the legendary 1940 NFL championship game (a 73-0 Chicago Bears mauling of the Washington Redskins) and several Army-Navy contests at Yankee Stadium. He also officiated Big Ten football and basketball games for a record 35 years. 

This team photograph, snapped on July 24, appeared in The Pantagraph five days later. Pictured in the front row, left to right, are front office secretary C. F. Boyer, Curtis Mitchell, Bud Adams, Stanley Galle, Manager Connolly, Joe Skurski, Gordon Foth, Emil Mallatia, and Mike Kash. The back row featured Andy Skurski, Lem Stewart, Johnny Schmitz, Harold Vitalie, Louis Ahlf, Marvin Hamilton, Frank Malseed, and Jim Hayes. 

Mervin Thomas "Bud" Connolly, the 38-year-old skipper, led all Three Eye third baseman in games played (116), fielding percentage (.958), putouts (126), assists (280), and double plays (23). A native of the San Francisco Bay area, Connolly signed out of high school with Portland of the Pacific Coast League. Portland then farmed him to the Tacoma Tigers of the Class B Pacific Coast International League (also known as the Western International League). In 1925, Connolly had a cup of coffee with the Boston Red Sox. In 43 games (34 at shortstop), he batted .262 with 28 hits, 7 doubles, and 21 RBI. He then returned to the minor leagues, and played for Columbus of the American Association, Montgomery (Alabama) of the Class B Southeastern League, and others. In 1940, Connolly remained in the Three Eye and led the Madison (Wisconsin) Blues to a sixth-place finish.