He was raised in Flatbush, near Ebbets Field, the home of the Brooklyn Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB).

[10] The Cubs optioned Block to the Tulsa Oilers of the Class A1 Texas League before the start of the 1942 season.

[13] Block enlisted in the United States Coast Guard during World War II and served at Ellis Island and on the USS Monticello.

[18] In June, Los Angeles optioned Block to the Nashville Volunteers of the Class AA Southern Association, where he succeeded Pete Elko as their third baseman.

[14] In 1951, Representative Emanuel Celler announced that he would hold hearings in the United States House Judiciary Committee to examine MLB's anti-trust exemption.

[27] Star players, such as Lou Boudreau and Pee Wee Reese, indicated their support of the reserve clause.

Minor league veteran Ross Horning testified about his experiences in baseball, which he said were more common for rank-and-file players.

[28] Block testified about his experiences and how the reserve clause prevented him from getting an extended trial in the major leagues.

[29] Celler's final report suggested that the U.S. Congress should take no action, allowing for the matter to be settled in the federal judiciary of the United States.

The Supreme Court of the United States upheld MLB's anti-trust exemption and the reserve clause in Toolson v. New York Yankees, Inc. in 1953.

[30] He worked for Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Company[31] before becoming chairman of his own firm, CB Planning Services Corp.[32] In December 1955, Block led a six-member syndicate which attempted to purchase the Detroit Tigers from Walter Briggs Jr.[33] Though they made a good-faith $250,000 deposit to signify their interest,[34] their offer to purchase the club was received by Briggs after the deadline.

He was involved with B'nai B'rith and served on the board of directors for Israel Tennis Centers and the American Committee of the Maccabiah Games.

[36] In 1997, Block and four other players from before 1947, Dolph Camilli, Frankie Crosetti, Al Gionfriddo, and Pete Coscarart, brought a class action lawsuit against MLB alleging that the league was profiting off of their likeness without compensating them.