Michigan announces Go Blue 150

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on

Celebrating the 150th year of Michigan Athletics.

MGoBlue release

 

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan athletic department announced today (Monday, Aug. 3) a year-long celebration in honor of the 150th anniversary of Michigan Athletics. The commemoration will be highlighted atMGoBlue.com/goblue150 and on athletics' social media channels throughout the 2015-16 academic year, as well as at select home sporting events and department events. The MGoBlue.com series will begin Wednesday (Aug. 5) with a feature story on the iconic Ferry Field gate and its architect, Albert Kahn.

 

In conjunction with the 150th anniversary, the athletic department is pleased to announce the addition of @umichathletics to its existing Twitter portfolio. To engage in conversation, use #GoBlue150. To provide feedback and story ideas, fill out the online form or email[email protected].

Over the course of the academic year, fans will be able to engage with the following digital content:

• In partnership with the U-M Bentley Historical Library, "From the Archives" will showcase images and videos from Michigan Athletics' storied past.

• Future Fridays will focus on the future of Michigan Athletics, from catching up with student-athlete alumni to hearing from the next generation of Michigan Wolverines.

• Written features will tell the compelling -- and often little-known -- stories from our rich history.

• Throwback Thursday (#TBT) and Michigan Monday (#MM) will highlight all 31 of our athletic teams from their social media accounts with historical pictures.

• The 150th celebration website will include a Michigan Athletics timeline with key points in each program's history and corresponding imagery and stories.

In addition to online content, one home event for each varsity team will be branded as a 150th celebration, beginning with an all student-athlete alumni reunion prior to football's home opener vs. Oregon State on Sept. 12 and closing with a yet-to-be determined baseball game -- Michigan's first varsity athletic team -- in the spring.

Michigan Arrogance

August 3rd, 2015 at 7:40 PM ^

it was a much different game than we know today. the ball was about half-way b/t the size of a modern baseball and a golfball. the gloves we more like padded driving gloves (fingerless). no strikes were called, IIRC as the pitcher would get a warning if a good faith attempt were NOT made to pitch a hittable ball. fields had no fences and often had trees, train tracks or other objects in the the middle of play.

Bando Calrissian

August 3rd, 2015 at 9:29 PM ^

It all depends on which rules they were using (there were multiple variations going around, with rule books that drastically changed year-to-year), but this is basically it. 1860s baseball was a hitter's game, not a pitcher's game--pitching was underhand, and designed to get the ball to the batter without deception or intent to cause him to miss. Players didn't really wear gloves until the 1870s. Knowing what I know about 19th century baseball, I tend to think scoring was so high for a few reasons: no gloves (more errors), players who weren't playing the game from teeball age (less coaching, fewer engrained strategies and techniques), unconventional playing conditions, and sheer inexperience mixed with experimentation.

There are a number of teams who play by these rules today, including a number around the Ann Arbor area. While it's sometimes not exactly what was played back then, not to mention a lot of added theatrics and gimmicks (player nicknames, goofy uniforms that aren't usually period, etc.), it's a good enough attempt to approximate the early game.