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April 21, 1910. Boston Nationals (Braves) manager Fred Lake does it the hard way. View full size. 5x7 glass negative, George Grantham Bain Collection.
Reminds me of that old joke... "What did we do wrong in this game? Our outfielders weren't playing high enough."
What is the intention of that chalk outline effect around his shadow?
Wouldn't a photo retoucher make the shadow darker rather than lighten the surroundings?
[It's where the emulsion is deteriorating. Not uncommon on old glass negatives. - Dave]
That's true. The NL teams were all called "Nationals" and the AL teams were all called "Americans" more often than not.
Does anyone have a clue as to what ballpark this was? The Doves played home games at South End Grounds III but Mgr Lake appears to be wearing a road uniform. (Both home and road uniforms were lettered with "Boston", but the lettering was higher on the road version.)
[The Polo Grounds in New York. Boston's 1910 schedule. The team, by the way, was almost always referred to as just the Nationals back then. - Dave]
The rule against a fielder throwing his glove at the ball was introduced in 1910, so it was new when this picture was taken. The rule awards three bases to all runners if a fielder deliberately throws his glove at and hits a fair ball, and two bases if it's a thrown ball.
That year Lake was player-manager for Boston, which from 1907 through 1910 was officially called the "Doves." He played in only three games in 1910. I suspect this picture was taken during batting practice or between innings - it seems unlikely that the picture shows him attempting to violate a rule during one of his few times as a player that season.
[He's showing off for the camera, which weighed maybe a hundred pounds and was on a tripod. A setup shot. - Dave]
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