The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-04-22
BLISS FOR LOCALS
MANAGER RYAN COMPLETES DEAL
 FOR PITCHER
After Holding Out Against Joining the Climbers Several Months, Player Notifies Montgomery He Is
 Ready to Come.

That 1t pays and pays handsomely to sit steady in the boat keep your mouth shut and stand pat. was shown yesterday morning when one James Bliss. sH E
 If the Montgomery fans have not forgotten. they will remember Chats 1Ps hSSs SSs tS sSSad thSt sS ssns ysar o m deal whereby he traded Bill Hausen to the Grand Rapids club of the Central League. for Elmer Bliss. one of the star pitchers of that league. Well. Bliss refused to come to Montgom- cry. trying to ring in the old moth eaten story about the fear of malaria and fever in the South.
 Now. Jimmy Ryan is a pretty wise Razaboo-and by the same token he iE about as foxy as they make 'em-so he just wrote Mir. Bliss a nice letter very firm and very positive was that question if Jim. the Penman. could have framed up bunch of words that would have made the recipient of the letter understand that the writer was very much in earnest, any better than Jim. the Manager, handed Mir Bliss.
 This letter was received by MT. Bliss at his ancestral home up New York state way. The letter informed Mr |. Bliss that as he was now one of the assets of the Montgomery club. he would either have to hike down to the sun-kissed hills and plains of Alabama or lead life of magnificent leisure this summer. for he would not be all lowed to go to any other ball club !. This put Mr. Bliss to pondering with one of those, ponders yclept dark brown this is dirferent from dark black or dark blue ponder-thougn after lll the aftor effect Is the same.
 Then Manager Ryan simply sat steady in the boat and tndustriousIv sawed wood-not another word did hs vouchsafe as he had given the Bliss ul- timatunf-Which means ln plain United States, You re it."
 linen MT Bliss did some more pon. dering-in fact he mas had the ponder ing habit until Monuay evening when he telegraphed Manager Ryan that his hands were up-he had played the string as far as he thought safe and his hand had been called said hand having q couple of trays in it against a straight flush. He told the manager of the Climbers that he would start for the South just as quick as his trans portation was sent him. So yesterday morning Manager Ryan wired Prest- dent Chambers to send Bliss his trans. portation. $Fhis was telegraphed to Bliss at once and he will probably join the Climbers in Atlanta Thursday or
 In 1907 Bliss had the following rec ord;
 batting average .lss. He played ninO- teen games at first base with the fol- lowing helding record: 149 put t-outs, IT assists. errors, average .971. He pitched twenty-six games with the fo:- lowing felding record: 16 put outs. 80 assists, { errors. average .960. in his twenty -six games, 1S4 hits. an average of seven a game. were made. e4 runs. little over two a game. 2S bases on balls, one a game, 109 strike-outs. over four game, won IT and lost 9.
 In 1908. out of twentyseven games, he won 10 and lost 8. an average of siN hits a game were made off him, two runs a game. He hit only eight bat ters and had an average of one base on balls a game. made only one wild hitch, while six of his twenty y-seven games were shut-outs. Pretty nice. that. looks like Bliss had the goods
 This makes three pitchers that Ryan has from the ranks of the Central League: Van Anda. Merryman and Bliss. and of the eight pitchers that h." has on his string. three of them will have tn go by May 15 Thomas. Var Anda. Stackpole and Helm look likc fixtures and the chances are that Cria. taIi and Bliss will fight 1t out for the fifth one Merryman and Weems will probably have a chance when the team onens at home next week Marrvman n heinr slated for one of the Nashville games.