Leslie Mann Baseball Lantern Slide, No. 12

Item Information

Title:
Leslie Mann Baseball Lantern Slide, No. 12
Description:
Jack Fournier, a first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals, stands with his feet spread shoulder width apart while holding a bat out horizontally in front of him.
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 fields
Baseballs
Fournier, Frank Jack
St. Louis Cardinals
Bunting
Bunting Stance
Link to Item:
https://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16122coll10/id/277
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:
Fournier is demonstrating the correct way for a batter to complete the drag bunt. The drag bunt occurs when the player attempts to bunt the baseball down either the first or third base line. This means that the batter is attempting to bunt the baseball to a location where there are no fielders standing. If Fournier successfully bunts the ball down the first or third base line using the drag bunt, then a player will have to run towards the baseball in order to field it. While this is occurring, Fournier would run to first base in an attempt to beat the throw by the fielder to the base. Fournier mainly follows the exact same bunting stance as described earlier in the manual by Mann as he keeps the bat on a horizontal level line in front of his body but across the plate, holding his hands in the same position. However, Fournier brings his right arm in close to his body when completing a drag bunt, which is what he does here. Fournier then uses his left arm to make a half circle out over and across the plate. This arm position would allow Fournier to successfully complete a drag bunt down the first base line.
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.
Leslie Mann identifies the same player as Jack Fournier in his manual titled the Fundamentals of Baseball on slides 47 and 50, which are described on Page 11.
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"
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-012-03
012