Stan Hack was signed by William Veeck, Sr. in 1931. Over the next few years, he worked his way through the minors, into the majors and established himself as both a star and one of the most popular Cubs players of all time. Nicknamed Smilin’ Stan for his pleasant demeanor, 21-year-old Bill Veeck (the son William Veeck, Sr.) came up with a “Smile With Stan” promotion where fans were given mirrors that had Hack’s picture on the reverse. However, in proof that the Wrigley faithful sometimes use giveaways in ways not necessarily intended (this is why Cubs rooters can’t have nice things), fans instead used the mirrors to reflect sunlight into the opposing batters’ eyes, and the umpires threatened to force the Cubs to forfeit the game if the fans didn’t stop. Similar promotions were banned in the future.
After baseball, Bob Klinger drove a concrete truck for Pacific Readymix, eventually becoming owner/operator of his own one-truck firm, Eureka Readymix. He worked at this for about 15 years until retiring in 1964. In retirement, he took up golf, a sport at which he was pretty good, recording six holes in one.
