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became a major league shortstop with the St. Louis Browns... Young, Bush, Asa Wall, Clay Parrish and others were on that team. Semi-pro and amateur ball con tinued to be played at the present park, Grady (Powerhouse) Alday setting something of a record one year by winning every game he pitched in an amateur loop that saw Thomasville, Tallahassee, Al bany, Quitman and Monticello hav ing entries. Another league had Bainbridge and Cairo and still an other, Dawson, Ga. Georgia-Florida League There came then, a resurgence of organized baseball in the nation after the clouds of depression be gan to clear away and in 1935, J Walter Morris, promotional direc tor of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues be gan riding over south Georgia whooping it up for the organiza tion of a real league. Junior,Chamber of Commerce aid was thrown into the fight for organization here and after a meeting at Albany on January 20, 1935, another at Tallahassee on March 10th and a third one in a few weeks later at Thomasville, the Georgia-Florida League was formed. Member cities were Al bany, Americus, Moultrie, Thomas ville, Tallahassee and Panama City Fla, Hollis Fort l of Americus was elected president with W. T. Jay of Thomasville as vice president, and A Block of Tallahassee, sec retary. A 120-Game schedule was adopted, the season opening April 13, 1935. League representatives at the final organization meeting were M. W. Wiggins, Albany; Bob Mur ry, Moultrie; B. B. Kent, Amer icus; E. O. Garner, Thomasville; Fred N., Lowry, Tallahassee, and W. E. Cliff, Panama City. In 1936, Hollis Fort was re elected president and Panama City dropped out, Cordele taking over that franchise. In 1937 A. D. Walker of Thomasville was elected president and was re-elected in 1938 and 1939 and for a fourth term for 1940, being voted salary increases and a bonus by the di rectors in appreciation for his fine work. League Prospers, Grews During Walker's administration the league has prospered and night baseball, an interesting brand of play and the expansion to an eyght club loop to take in Valdosta and Waycross, has Thade it one of the nation’s finest class D circuits. All of the clubs except Cordele are affiliated with higher class clubs by player agreements. Thomasville’s club has been head ed for several years by Harry Feinberg as president. Officers and directors include W. E. Youns, Q. C. Balfour, Jr., Edward Croze Bill Thomas, 5. V. Steyerman and W. DBD. Wheet who has served as eague director. The Orioles’ fir manager was Bob Vines, who we succeeded by Harry O’Donnell mi way of the 1925 season. Frank 3idel was manager in 1936 and tor ne past three years Bil (Cy Worgai) has been the pilot, lead ne the club to two playoffs in 1937 and 1986 and being named AL star manager of the league in 19388 and 1989. Plans for the 1949 season have not yet developed but Thomasville will continue to be a factor in the eague, MUSICAL GHOST 'S FOUND OUT Hopkinsville, Ky.’ —Hopkinsville folks have marked down the mys tery of the “haunted music machine” ‘a local tavern as solved—by the final electrical short circuit. Three times within two weeks the nickel music box began playing in the middle of the night. Apparently no one was in the building and no nickel in the slot. Leland Atkinson,’the owner, who lives in an adjoining building, asked the aid of police after hearing the music late at night in the belief someone was robbing the tavern. Proof that baseball has long been popular in Thomasville is given by this interesting old photo of the Thomasville Turks of 1896. Terrible Turks they were, too, for they were the scourge of amateur baseball teams from Montgomery ‘to Jacksonville, winning 25 out of 26 games played. ‘The team’s line-up included, top row, left to right, W. A. Watt, second base, Horace Bouchelle, first base, and Ardis McDougald, right field, middle row, left to right, Paul McIntosh, center field; Duncan Bur bee, utility man; Charles Brux, manager; Joe Smith, shortstop and pitcher, and Harry Linton, third base, bottom row, left to right; Ben Wetherington, catcher; Arthur Patten, left field, and Roy Dekle, pitcher. Only three members of this team are now living in ‘Thomasville. They are Ardis McDougald, prominent businessman and former councilman; W. A. Watt, head of the Watt Building Material Company and a member of council, and Harry Linton, veteran assistant chief of the city fire depart ment. (Photo, courtesy of Mr. Hansell Watt.)
Newspaper Details
Thomasville Times Enterprise
Thomasville, Georgia, US
Wed, Nov 29, 1939
Page 28
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 08 Jul 2026
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