Rottblat was started in 1964 as a men’s intramural softball league. The tradition, started in 1967, calls for a softball game with the number of innings equal to how long Carleton has existed (well over 100) to be played once during spring term. The game must begin at sunrise in order to be able to maximize playing time. It has changed from a serious sporting event to a more leisurely tradition in which players are expected to bat and field with their favorite beverage in one hand. The tradition got its name from Marvin Rottblat who was a Carleton graduate that ended up playing for the Chicago White Sox in the 1950s.
Sources:
Image: Unknown Creator. “Centennial – 100-inning Rotblatt game; 9258_079.jpg.” c. 1966/1967. Carleton College Archives. https://archivedb.carleton.edu/index.php?p=digitallibrary/digitalcontent&id=81550. Accessed February 26th, 2021.
Information:
“The Birth of Rotblatt | Sesquicentennial | Carleton College.” May 18th, 2016. Carleton College Website. Accessed March 3, 2021. https://apps.carleton.edu/150/stories/athletics/?story_id=1419535.
Demetriades, Lucas. “Rotblatt.” June 13th, 2019. Carleton College Website. Accessed March 3, 2021. https://www.carleton.edu/admissions/blog/rotblatt-2019/.
Hillemann, Eric. Interview, Class of 1966 “Rotblatt” Mini-group (Eric Carlson, Bob Greenberg, Bob Moore, Rick Chap, Rick Heydinger), June 18, 2016. Carleton College Archives. https://archivedb.carleton.edu/index.php?p=digitallibrary/digitalcontent&id=84510&q=rotblatt
Rawitsch, Don G. 1972. “A Definitive History of the Marvin J. Rotblatt Memorial Softball League.” Carleton College Archives. Accessed March 10, 2021. https://archivedb.carleton.edu/index.php?p=digitallibrary/digitalcontent&id=79528&q=rotblatt
