The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-02-11
THORNT0NRELEASED
BASEBALL PLAYER WILL GO TO
 WEST VIRGINIA.
Clever 0utneIder Gets Better Place and Durrett Lets Him Co., Some Baseball
 History

xeSleruay morning ATnornLon, the fast younEster who worked in left field for the Climbers last season, was at his lease. 2 close of the Southern League season engaged in business and by his good behavior has added to the large num- Der of friends that he made on the ball few weeks received a very fiattering offer from the Wheeling, W. Va, club In the Central League, and when he explained the facts he was given an unconditional release.
 Thornton came to Montgomery after the Cotton States League threw up the sponge on account of yellow fever last vile up to that time While he did not hit much as member of the Climbers his hetdtng and base-running were just about as swift as one cares to see. Out Montgomery he had out of 151 times at bat twenty runs. thirty-four hits, seven sacrifice hits and seven stolen In fielding he had In forty-one games nfty-seven put-outs, nine assists (six- ty-s.x chances) and two errors, with a fieiding average of .97o.
 fans an opportunity of seeing one St.' of the most marvellous plays ever seen on a ball field. It was on wedne esday afternoon, August 22. the last of the
 
 phenomenal games ever played in a minor League, Starkell had shut them out in the first game-Lew Moren pitch Ing In tb bor stnna Atdanata.Sy 2 @ seore of l to O. by a score of to 1, Burnum pitching for Atlanta, but the last game was the one that swept every ounce of breath pitching against Rube Raymond" Att lanta's clownish pitcher, and both of them were working magniflcently Not nit had been made to count by At lanta up to that time, Hale keeping them widely scattered, while the Clfmb- CTS had punched three hits off Ray. mond. putting in q couple of runs. day with oldring at short The score was to in favor of the Climbers. when with one down in the first of the ssTentn; srSys nsIs Bop ssaIord punched lucky playing, in close trying for double, ana iL !eft pretty wide opening for Joe Ricksrt. who managed to get one rounded second and was steaming fov third when Thornton got the ball that tklckert had landed on and in an effort to to Rsop Rrapnt5sr 55ssord at third threw wild Rickert. next to Oldring probably the fastest sprinter in the League, was making for third like a runaway au- the negro bleachers and BTouthers had started for 1t or dead run. There was only one out and if Rickert made wer,1 Sne gag rnere n Tas S,s no telling what next up
 This play put in motion three sprin- Lers who rarely have an equal down and frantic with suspense the thous- ands or fascinated eyes were glued on the three flying figures. oldring had Rickert had left second and Brouthers had gone for the wild throw. Now with startling suddenness 1t flashed aSs, aeross the minds of the fans. the sig utterly impossible that there was a half IRuipRRsesssd RipRRses ed groasn grosl from the stands Sa o6S oSSrnf few b6sf 5sft from the distance and Brouther was just stoope ing to pick up the ball Even If STI9Sthsrs 1SIfS H1s thu threw the ball to oldring knew he was capable of it looked ab- so!utely certain that Rickert would get to the bag before oldring and the brought every. man, woman and child 91a on the grounds to their feet, oldring air. almost hurled Rickert and was vas on the bag with the. ball that Rrouth- CTS by q superb throw had~zfielded'I him, in his hands just fraction of a sseoho oerore the flying Rickert had
 If 2 fraction of second had been lost Rickert would have made third. 1
 
 speed with which Oldring and Brouth- CTS made the play but the accurate l precision and steadiness of the two 1 that made successful a play that has . never had m equal in minor league i baseball. That made two out and | Thornton pulled down Jordan's fly. re- | tiring the side, but the first run had | been scored.
 In the eighth 1t looked like another run for Atlanta, Whitney Morse | crashing out what looked like a three | bagger. Thornton. by a sensational run, got the ball, however, and saved possible run for the. Climbers.
 In the last half of the eighth Thorn ton got the longest hit that he proba- ply ever made in his baseball career certainly the most opportune-and when the ball stopped rolling 1t was in 1 the corner of the left field fence and | by some speedy, base running Thorn ton was on third Then there was one out but Brouthers was next up and smashed one at Jordan--the Atlanta second baseman stopped the hard hit and threw Brouthers out at first but Thornton had flashed over the bag and the score was three to one, the game ending that way.
 Thornton, will be missed by the To- cal fans this summer but they will wish him success in his West Virginia berth.