The Ballad of the 100-Inning Game

By the dawn’s early light, on a fine 1967 May 16 morn at somewhat past four,
20 boys of Carleton came together on Lower Lyman Lake Field to go where none had gone before.  

Ten to a side, playing 10 innings apiece at each of the 10 fielding positions,
These intrepid 3-year Rotblatters added to Carleton’s centennial traditions.  
Back and forth the game went, hours falling away with each rapidly passing inning,
While the keg went virtually untouched, so great was the devotion to winning.  

By mid-afternoon, earlier than expected, led (not really) by High Commissioners Mosiman & Mortenson,
The Sots had put away a fitting 100-81 win.  
While bats weakened with each extra inning, Sot Silverness led the winners batting .4285,
With Geyer & Burger close behind, but Wortmann, Kloek, Arkes, Miller, and Marshall all took a dive.  

The Dirty Old Men tried to rally, with Earl Whitney’s impressive .5111 leading the way,
But at only .3750, the mighty Schmickrath had an ordinary day.
Bagger Winberg hit .4130, but of Borens, Sigelman, and Hart,
Plus Welles, Empson, Shuman, & Wilson, a pitiful .1627 brought up the bottom with many not far apart.

Giant Marshall’s 4 homers were the best by far, out of mere 17 total over the century inning,
Schmick did lead with 13 ribbies, & Wortmann spun a shutout for 10 innings, earning Pitcher the Winning.
Bagger was unlucky as Losing Pitcher, with a low 2.70 ERA,
But scorekeeper Theo Lutz kept meticulous stats, and he saw it that way.  

In the end a tradition was started, still upheld at Carleton even if not in exactly the same way,
As twenty Rotblatt 100-inning men became legends that day.


-unearthed by Hal Hart, November 2006

Bad poetry not authorized by Marvin “Rotty” Rotblatt (b. 1927 in Chicago),
U. Illinois “Western Conference / Big Nine” All Star lefty and strikeout leader (1948),
Chicago White Sox (1948, 1950-51), alleged to be history’s shortest Major League pitcher,
He who addressed a bearded Mr. Gropen “Which one of the Smith Brothers is he?”on his antic-filled visit,
And our league’s namesake inspiration due to his Major-League-high career ERA befitting a slow-pitch league.