14.- The Michiga oDaily - Wdnesday, July 30; 99W
I
Blu
T he early days of Michigan base- But in 1893, rule changes t
ball are somewhat shrouded in - such as moving back
legend and obscurity. Without an mound - molded basebal
organized conference - the Big Ten similar to the modem game
wasn't established until 1896 - games With the inception of1
were played against nearby clubs and Michigan began to play a
schools. Sometimes, even high schools schedule. But in 1907, the I
acted as opponents. letic department disagreed
And without a conference, record- Ten's rule amnendments and
keeping was just as sketchy.
Although five season records arer
missing from the 1870s, the first
recorded Michigan game was
played in 1866 against the Ann
Arbor Baseball Club. The_
Wolverines won, 33-11.
The stories and legends still
exist, however. In 1882, Moses
"Fleetwood" Walker transferred
from Oberlin and became the first m
black baseball player at Michigan. . x
After graduating from the
University, Walker went on to
play professionally for the Toledo
Blue Stockings. The Blue
Stockings joined the American of the conference until 191
Association - considered part of the During those non-Big
major leagues at the time - making two of the most notabl
Walker the first black baseball player to Michigan baseball history1
compete for a major league team. Wolverines - Branch
This occurred 65 years before Jackie George Sisler.
Robinson broke the color barrier in As president and genera
Major League Baseball. the Brooklyn Dodgers it
Before the 20th century, baseball was Rickey was a known as a g
considerably different than it is today. for signing Robinson.
W hile George Sisler left that the White Sox won. A
Michigan for professional won the Series, Fisher -
success, another Wolverine advice - headed up to An
left the pros to come to Michigan. a vacancy on the coachi
Ray Fisher coached the Wolverines turning his back on the n
for 38 seasons. But before that, he Fisher was banned from th
pitched for the Cincinnati Reds in 1919. The ban was lifted ye
That season, the Reds faced the Chicago Fisher was given a lifetin
White Sox in what was dubbed the major league games.
"Black Sox Scandal." The Series saw For Fisher, it was a very
eight Chicago players banned from he lived until he was 95.
baseball for losing intentionally. And for 38 of those yea
Fisher pitched in one of the games Michigan baseball.
e diamonds are forever:
74 t et*edl, 4(Gt4 a4t cutt e t16 c
By Sharat Raju
n the pro level But before his success as a baseball came as a professional. Sisler consistent-
the pitching executive, and before he was a Hall-of- ly put up Ty Cobb-like numbers, batting
1 into a style Fame inductee, Rickey coached the .41979 in 1922 - mere points higher
. Wolverines while attending law school than Cobb's .41962 in 1911. Cobb even
the Big Ten, at Michigan from 1910 to 1913. praised the former Wolverine, calling
more regular In 1912, Rickey's team finished with Sisler "the nearest thing to a perfect
Michigan ath- a 14-10-2 record - but a very memo- ballplayer"
with the Dig rable story of that season occurred a ay Despite a sinus condition in 1923 that
I dropped out from itercolegiate competition. blurred his vision, Sisler managed to bat
Back then, freshmen were .340 in his 15 seasons and was nick-
only eligible to participate on named "Gorgeous George. the
interclass" teams Rickeys var- glove virtuoso" Hall-of-Famer
sity squad squared off with the rankic risch once said that
interclass team champions, the it was Sisler'grace that
Michigan Freshman set him apart from the
Engineering Team. The varsity rest '\fterretiring,
squad managed only a siigle hit he was inducted
against the dominating left- ito the Hall
hander on the mound that day. ofFamein
That freshman hurler w s 1939 And then therewas
none other than eventual Hall-
of-Famer, Sisler. n any circles, baseball is not a sport It is
Sisler not only pitched but also much too Is is as much a part of Amercana
played first base and outfield. as apple tie George WVshingion and blue
Accordiig to aailable fig- caus. L e d of haseball ore a. colorful as aiy
8. ures, Sisler batted .404 over three Amcrila folklore - Babe Ruth's achievements
Ten seasons, seasons and was 13-3 and are retold as often as Paul Bunyan' mythical hero-
e figures in threw 200 strikeouts. irs
headlined the On the bases he was B Dorn when this country was a mere fledgling@
Rickey and also deadly, once baseball has prospered and 'rown alongside its
stealing five bases home1antd, survivg was, strikes and scandls -
ml manager of in a single game. only to persist and thrive.
n the 1940s, But his And baseball ha' been a part of Michigan for
roundbreaker greatest nearly as lon' as the school has been around. The
f a m e first records, dating back to 1866, are older than
the oldest football records from 1879.
Often overshadowed by their gridiron counter-
parts, the baseball program has just as storied a his-
tory. Michigan baseball can boast the following:
fter the Reds two national championships, 30 Big Ten titles, twci
-on Rickey's " H e players in the National Baseball Hall of Fame,
in Arbor to fill was a guymore than 150 players ever at the professional level
ng staff. For who never, as wlI as the first black player to compete for a
sajor leagues, never seemed to major league team (no, not Jackie Robinson).
ie pro ranks. age," said Don Baseball joins football as one of only two sports
ars later and Lund, who played that have recorded a Big Ten title in each decade
e .pass to all under Fisher. "He alway s since the inception of the oranized confereince
seemed like he was 25. Written w ords and numerical statistics cannot do
useful gift - "Ray Fisher was one of a complete justice to the greatness and tradition of
kind, really" Michigasi baseball. There re s many stories to tell
s, Fisher was Under his guidance, the .%as there are blades of raiss in the outfield of Ray
Wolverines went 637-294-8 and cap-
bstured 14 Big Ten titles, includ g a
national championship in 1953.
During the College World Series that tisti-
season, Michigan pitchers Marv m c a lI y
Wisiewski, Jack Corbett and Jack Ritter e a n n o t
each tossed a complete game, propeling compare to
the Wolveines to a 3-0 start at the CWS. the impression
Those thre sconsecutv e ictories Fisher left upon his
thrust Michigan into the dr i er's seat for players and the legacy f e
\ wthe series, and the Wolvenesheld off he lea behimd for fuere
- Texas, 7-5, to wn the title in five games Woverines.
Fisher, 71-years old, finally stepped "The big deal about tradition°a.
down as head coach in 1958. In his was because of a guy like Ray
honor, the baseball field was renamed Fisher Lund said "He was a guy
Ray L Fisher Stadium in 1967who was so super to lay for that e ery
Btwhat his teams accomplished sta- thing about him was memorable.""
Ph tos, beginning tp left (counter okise):
®The 1875 Michgan basebal team, the oldest availahle Michigan baseball photo.
*Michigan bas lah coach Ray Fisher (1921-1958) with former Michigan coach
and Brooliyn Dodgers execut ve Branch Ric sy 1910-1913).
aMchigan baseball great and Hall-of-Famer George Sisler (1912-1916).
iMiehigan basebal pitcher Jim Abbott (1985-1988).
Th 1962 nationa IChampionship team urnves in Honolulu.
o(Center photo) Michigan BasebalI player Walter K 1(1943-1946) is out at home.
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