Quote:
Originally Posted by drc
With the Cobb photo, Conlon was knocked down and didn't learn he snapped an image of the slide until he developed the film.
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David. I had never heard or read that Conlon had been knocked down while taking that picture.
From page 26 of Baseball's Golden Age - The Photographs of Charles M. Conlon - By Neal & Constance McCabe
Charles M. Conlon: "The strange thing about that picture was that I did not know I had snapped it. I was off third, chatting with Jimmy Austin, third baseman for the New York club. Cobb was on second, with one out, and the hitter was trying to bunt him to third. Austin moved in for the sacrifice. As Jimmy stood there, Cobb started. The fans shouted. Jimmy turned, backed into the base, and was greeted by a storm of dirt, spikes, shoes, uniforms - and Ty Cobb. My first thought was that my friend, Austin, had been injured. When Cobb stole, he
stole. Spikes flew and he did not worry where. I saw Ty's clenched teeth, his determined look. The catcher's peg went right by Jimmy, as he was thrown on his face."
But in a moment I realized he wasn't hurt, and I was relieved because Jimmy and I were very close friends. Then I began to wonder if by any chance I had snapped the play. I couldn't remember that I had, but I decided to play [it] safe and change plates anyway. I went home kicking myself. I said, 'Now there was a great picture and you missed it.' I took out my plates and developed them. There was Cobb stealing third. In my excitement, I had snapped it, by instinct."