Leslie Mann Baseball Lantern Slide, No. 78

Item Information

Title:
Leslie Mann Baseball Lantern Slide, No. 78
Description:
Ray Blades, an outfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, is attempting to slide back into first base safely while Jack Fournier, another player for the Cardinals, attempts to tag him out while touching the edge of first base with his right foot. However, Blades has swung near the back of the bag, so Fournier is extending his glove outward towards the runner while Blades slides into the base. This lantern slide is a continuation of slide 77.
Creator:
Mann, Leslie
Date:
September 6, 2017
Format:
Photographs
Location:
Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
Collection (local):
Leslie Mann Baseball Lantern Slide Collection
Subjects:
Baseball
Baseball caps
Baseball fields
Blades, Francis Raymond
Fournier, Frank Jack
St. Louis Cardinals
Base Running
Pegging
Sliding
Fielding--First base
Link to Item:
http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16122coll10/id/204
Terms of Use:
Rights status not evaluated.
This work is licensed for use under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike License (CC BY-NC-SA).
CC BY-NC-SA icon
Publisher:
Springfield College
Language:
English
Notes:
Blades is demonstrating the correct way for a baserunner to slide when they are returning to first base because of a pickoff throw attempt by the pitcher. Fournier will always be receiving the baseball from the pitcher or the catcher, and this will most likely be the pitcher. Because of this, Fournier is standing near the front of the bag in direction towards the pitcher. Since Fournier is standing near the front of the base, Blades does the correct thing by hook sliding into the back of the base. Blades' left foot is hooked around the bag as he slides into the base. Doing this forces Fournier to extend his glove across his body and the base in order to tag Blades. This split second can be the difference in a baserunner returning to first base safely or being picked off.
Jack Frank Fournier was born on September 28, 1889. He was a first baseman who played for the Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, Brooklyn Robins, and Boston Braves. Fournier was one of the best hitters to ever play baseball, but he was also one of the most inconsistent hitters ever. There were years when Fournier was feared by every pitcher he faced, and there were other years where Fournier batted terribly. This inconsistency is something that may have caused Fournier to be on so many different teams throughout his career. Along with this inconsistent hitting, Fournier was also one of the worst fielders ever. Despite playing first base, a position that relatively has fewer errors than other positions like shortstop and second base, Fournier was an error machine, even racking up 25 errors in 97 games one year. Because of his poor fielding ability, Fournier relied solely on his hitting to be successful, and was able to become a successful player because of his self-confidence and his belief that he was a good hitter. He finished his career with a very respectable batting average of .313, which is especially impressive considering his inconsistencies and seasons where he hit poorly. Off the field, Fournier was often a violent man, being charged for assault numerous times. Overall, Fournier was a very good hitter in many seasons in the major leagues, but was also one of the worst fielders in MLB history.
Neither player was identified through the manual. I identified the first baseman as Jack Fournier through facial recognition. In slide 77, the baserunner's face can be seen, which I identified as Ray Blades through facial recognition. Slide 78 is a continuation of slide 77, so it can therefore be assumed that the player is Blades in both slides.
Good condition;
This digital image is made from two separate digital scans; one scan of the lantern slide (reflective); one scan of the image (transparency); the two images were then combined in Photoshop to create the final image.
Lantern slide from the Leslie Mann baseball instruction course, "The Fundamentals of Baseball"
Greene, Nelson. "Jack Fournier." Society for American Baseball Research, [https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/81af331c]. Accessed 10 Oct. 2017]. _Internet Archive_. [https://web.archive.org/web/20171010183045/https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/81af331c].
Identifier:
LANT-BSBL-078-03
078