Ray Blumenthal graduated from De Paul Academy in 1948. While at De Paul, he was a four-year varisty basketball player, winning the North Section championship in 1948. As a teenager, Ray played with the Alderman Hoellen / Freeman teams. The Korean War called him away from softball but he kept his skills sharp by playing baseball and basketball for Camp Zima in Yokohama, Japan. Once his military service ended, he played with some of the best teams on the North side, including the Tom Greenes and the Fleck Republicans. He was a fixture on the Ron “Beetlebomb” Brasch teams at Clarendon and other parks. He played in tournaments at Clarendon, Welles, and Kelly parks in Chicago and in Blue Island and Harvey. He also played in the legendary Daddy O Daylie League. In 1963 he won the state championship with a team sponsored by Lords Warehouse. He was known as a “dump” hitter who could drop the ball between the infield and outfield. As a result, he had a high on-base average. From the late-1940s to the early-70s, Ray played with or against numerous players who are now members of the Hall of Fame. Ray passed his love of sports to his four children, fifteen grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. Many of them played softball, baseball, and basketball as well as other sports in grammar school, high school, college, and beyond.
