Leslie Mann Baseball Lantern Slide, No. 66

Item Information

Title:
Leslie Mann Baseball Lantern Slide, No. 66
Description:
Jim Bottomley, a first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, is in the process of running to first base after hitting the baseball. However, Jake Daubert, a first baseman for the Cincinnati Reds, is standing on first base with his left foot on the edge of the base and his right foot extended outward with the baseball inside his glove. Because the baseball is already in his glove and Bottomley is still running to first base and hasn't reached the base, Bottomley would be out.
Creator:
Mann, Leslie
Date:
1920–1925
Format:
Photographs
Location:
Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
Collection (local):
Leslie Mann Baseball Lantern Slide Collection
Subjects:
Baseball
Baseball caps
Baseball fields
Bottomley, James Leroy
Daubert, Jacob Ellsworth
Cincinnati Reds
St. Louis Cardinals
Base Running
Fielding
Fielding--First base
Crosley Field, Cincinnati, Ohio
Link to Item:
https://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16122coll10/id/143
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:
Bottomley is demonstrating the correct way for a batter to run to first base after hitting the baseball if a play is going to be made at first base. A play would most likely be made at first base if the ball was hit in the infield, as the ball would be fielded quickly by the infielder and the infielder would throw the baseball to first base in an attempt for the baseball to arrive at first base before the runner does so that the runner is out. If the ball was hit in the outfield, Bottomley wouldn't run in a straight path like he does here because he would round first base and see whether he could continue to second base, but if he hits the ball into the infield, then Bottomley will want to reach first base as quickly as possible which he will do by running in a straight path and continually building his acceleration the more he runs. Bottomley should aim for the middle of first base when he steps on the bag. Daubert aims for the corner of the bag, which is what all first baseman should do, so Bottomley aiming for the middle of the bag will ensure him and the first baseman don't make contact with one another, which could cause injury for either player if Bottomley stepped on Daubert's foot. Bottomley shouldn't stop accelerating until after he hits first base. He shouldn’t immediately stop after touching the base, but rather should gradually slow down and run through the base. Since the play is being made at first anyway, Bottomley should be in no rush to slow down, and slowing down gradually after stepping on first base is better for the body and can actually prevent injuries. If Bottomley stepped on first base at full acceleration and immediately stopped, then his muscles and body would be confused compared to if he began to slow down gradually after stepping on first base.
James Bottomley was born April 23, 1900, in Oglesby, Illinois. He was born into a coal mining and farming family, and quit school at just 16 to help support his family. His little brother was killed in a mining accident in 1920. Bottomley participated in semipro baseball to earn some extra money to help support his family when a local policeman became impressed by his abilities on the field. The policeman was friends with Branch Rickey, the Cardinals manager, informing him of Bottomley who then sent a scout to watch Bottomley play. He was signed to the Cardinals in 1920 and made his major league debut at the end of the 1922 season, batting .325 in 37 games and replacing Jack Fournier as the starting first baseman for the Cardinals. In 1923, Bottomley hit .371, finishing second in the batting race behind his teammate Rogers Hornsby. In 1924, Bottomley set a major league record that still stands today, recording the most RBIs in a single game. Bottomley had 12 RBIs that game on 6 hits, including a Grand Slam and another home run. In 1993, another Cardinals player tied his record, but it has never been broken. 1928 would prove to be Bottomley's best season in the Major Leagues, as he hit 31 HR and led the league with 136 RBIs along with hitting 42 doubles and 20 triples. He would win the MVP Award that season. In 1931, Bottomley finished third in the closest batting race in MLB history. Bottomley hit .3482 while the winner hit .3489 and the runner up hit .3486. Bottomley won two World Series championships with the Cardinals in 1926 and 1931 while making it to four, losing in 1928 and 1930. He finished his career playing for the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Browns, but was never the same player he had been on the St. Louis Cardinals. Bottomley was known as Sunny Jim throughout the course of his career for his happy go lucky attitude. He is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Leslie Mann identifies Bottomley as the player running to first base in a different manual titled Baseball Fundamentals on Page 13. The person playing first base appears to be Jack Daubert, based on the fact that he was a left handed player for the Reds who played first base and a left handed player for the Reds is covering first base in this slide.
Good condition;
This digital image is made from two separate digital scans; one scan of the lantern slide (reflective); one scan of the image (transparecy); 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"
Johnson, Bill. "Jim Bottomley." Society for American Baseball Research, [ https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/ea08fc60 ]. Accessed 30 May 2018. ___Internet Archive___. [http://web.archive.org/web/20180530115030/https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/ea08fc60].
Identifier:
LANT-BSBL-066-03
066