General Information
Streator is very much a baseball town.
Streator had a semi-pro baseball team called the Streator Reds. The Streator Reds have a baseball history dating to the 1880s, having played major league teams in exhibition games. In 1908, The Streator Reds beat the World Champion Chicago Cubs in an exhibition game after the world series. The Cubs went on a Barnstorming Tour at the end of the season and played local all-star teams.
Elmer Blasco was creator of baseball’s golden glove award. Born in 1920, he attended local grade schools and graduated from Streator Township High School in 1938. After graduating from the University of Illinois, and joining the army during WWII, Elmer would eventually begin working for Rawlings in 1950. Mr. Blasco, Rawlings’ manager of advertising, public relations and sales back then, could not help but notice that most players – and in some cases, full starting lineups – were all wearing Rawlings fielders’ gloves. Blasco suggested that Rawlings honor “the finest in the field” with a special, defense-specific award as almost every award then celebrated offense and pitching, but neglected the one skill set widely considered the key to winning championships in any sport. The following year, in 1957, Rawlings and the baseball industry began to celebrate “The Finest in the Field®” with the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, the coveted symbol and prestigious award program recognizing defensive excellence at baseball’s highest level. Inaugural winners that year included Nellie Fox, Al Kaline and Willie Mays.
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JUNE 27 - JULY 1, 2018
Walldogs Arrived in Streator
In conjunction with the celebration of Streator's Sesquicentennial, the Walldogs took over the entire town of Streator, IL for 5 days adding a multitude of murals to building walls in the downtown area depicting Streator's rich historical heritage. Over the past year my wife and I have traveled to Streator twice to take shots of our car in front of several of the murals. We still have several to locate and shoot, so we will return again in the near future.
Streator had a semi-pro baseball team called the Streator Reds. The Streator Reds have a baseball history dating to the 1880s, having played major league teams in exhibition games. In 1908, The Streator Reds beat the World Champion Chicago Cubs in an exhibition game after the world series. The Cubs went on a Barnstorming Tour at the end of the season and played local all-star teams.
Elmer Blasco was creator of baseball’s golden glove award. Born in 1920, he attended local grade schools and graduated from Streator Township High School in 1938. After graduating from the University of Illinois, and joining the army during WWII, Elmer would eventually begin working for Rawlings in 1950. Mr. Blasco, Rawlings’ manager of advertising, public relations and sales back then, could not help but notice that most players – and in some cases, full starting lineups – were all wearing Rawlings fielders’ gloves. Blasco suggested that Rawlings honor “the finest in the field” with a special, defense-specific award as almost every award then celebrated offense and pitching, but neglected the one skill set widely considered the key to winning championships in any sport. The following year, in 1957, Rawlings and the baseball industry began to celebrate “The Finest in the Field®” with the Rawlings Gold Glove Award, the coveted symbol and prestigious award program recognizing defensive excellence at baseball’s highest level. Inaugural winners that year included Nellie Fox, Al Kaline and Willie Mays.
JUNE 27 - JULY 1, 2018
Walldogs Arrived in Streator
In conjunction with the celebration of Streator's Sesquicentennial, the Walldogs took over the entire town of Streator, IL for 5 days adding a multitude of murals to building walls in the downtown area depicting Streator's rich historical heritage. Over the past year my wife and I have traveled to Streator twice to take shots of our car in front of several of the murals. We still have several to locate and shoot, so we will return again in the near future.
