FL Chillicothe Paints

Just The Right Mix

Published on August 23, 2005 under Frontier League (FL)
Chillicothe Paints News Release


Let's face it, some of the moves made around the ballpark have been downright unpopular this summer.

There's been mumbling and grumbling, griping and moaning, as players have come and gone from Ross County in 2005. And, to be honest, a lot of that grumbling has been justified. Nobody likes to see a popular player go, especially one whose name is entrenched as part of the pantheon of Paints past.

But that's where we are. We've watched as guys like Beau Blacken and Mike Spry have been traded, we've watched the release of Adrian Gascon. In fact, we've witnessed a total of 37 player moves this year, and the team was still on the phone -- still trying to get even more done -- right up to the trading deadline of Aug. 16.

It's by far the most active the Paints have been in recent years in terms of roster shake-ups and wheeling-and-dealing whatnot. And it's also resulted in a pretty good team. As of this writing the Paints had rolled off eight straight wins and were

sitting in second place in the East, an improbable participant in the race for the postseason after languishing in last place just three weeks before.

"There's two ways you can go," Paints manager Glenn Wilson said after his team swept three straight from Gateway and moved 10 games over .500 on Aug. 18. "You can be a manager and keep trying to be a nice guy, or you can be a manager who goes out and tries to win ballgames and trust in what you've learned over the years to get there."

The Paints hit bottom at 26-30 on July 25. From then until the trading deadline, the team made 12 moves, bringing in guys like infield whiz Brian Colopy, pitchers Ben Lovell and Keith Ferguson, outfielders Steve Martin and Brian Hipps, and the proven bat of Tim Baywal. Add to that the acquisition of Juan Downing three days before, and it all adds up to an even baker's dozen of new faces and, in some cases, new places for guys to play.

In short, it's certainly been a work in progress at the park this season, but it's definitely been added up to positive progress -- and the real notion of a life in the postseason.

"I don't like to get rid of popular guys," Wilson said. "It's never a popular thing to do, but you have to stay with what you think is right and bring in the guys you think are going to give you the best chance to win games. Now, I just hope they keep on winning."

That hasn't been a problem so far.

As for the five position players added in the last few weeks, the guys were hitting a collective .345 since joining the Paints (77-for-223 as of Aug. 19) with eight home runs and 45 RBIs. The pitchers were a combined 1-1 with an ERA of around 4.50. That last stat is skewed a little bit, since the pitchers were added later than most of the others and haven't had the chance to work much in Chillicothe, but the team survived on its offense during the recent run, making the hitters the most important thing in the whole equation.

It's like that moment when you go from following a recipe off the back of a box and make it your own. When something happens to turn a mixture of ingredients into what you were looking for in the first place. Wilson's Paints, to put it simply, finally got to the point when everything just fit right.

"I'm totally satisfied with the guys we have right now, and I'd go to battle with them anytime," Wilson said. "In fact, I feel so good about these guys that I'll tell you this: Even if one or two of them go down, I still like what we put on the field."

That's not a bad position to be in, especially with all the maneuvering it took to get here, and all the grumbling along the way.

(Gray can be reached at the Gazette via e-mail at pgray@nncogannett.com)

Ury Guns For Elite 400-Hit Club

By DOUG KIMSEY

TV Voice of the Chillicothe Paints

Veteran Paints first baseman/outfielder and world class "Corn Hole" player Josh Ury

is running out of time as he pursues his quest for 400 career base hits in a Frontier League career that dates back to 2002. The Parsippany, N.J. native will age out of the FL at season's end, turning 27 on Sept. 5.

Ury, who joined the Paints on Opening Day this year as a waiver wire pick-up, began play on Tuesday, Aug. 23 needing 29 hits in the team's final 17 games to reach 400. He also needs to finish strong to maintain a professional career batting average that stood at an even .300 at the start of 2005 campaign. The off-season physical education teacher began play on Tuesday with a career .297 average.

It was his heart-stopping two-out, game-winning grand slam on a full-count pitch from Florence's Mike Causey on July 27 that launched Chillicothe on a remarkable four-week stretch during which the Paints have gone 20-5 and latched onto a playoff spot.

So overwhelmed by his slam, Ury, who was mobbed like a rock star by his teammates at home plate, was so emotionally and physically caught up in the moment that he commented to the bat boy, "I think I'm gonna throw up!" He didn't, but he certainly gave Paints' fans an unforgettable memory.

Reaching 400 hits is a rarity in the FL, something accomplished by only four players, most recently by ex-Paints player Phil Warren, who collected Nos. 399 and 400 on Aug. 20 against Florence. With two more hits on Aug. 21, Warren is set to surpass Kirk Taylor (403) and take over third place on the all-time hits list and then grab second place by passing up John Taveras (409).

Fran Riordan (449) can't be caught by Warren, who ages out of the league at the end of this season.

Here's a look at the Paints' career hit leaders:

Matt McCay 368

Scott Pinoni 302

Joe Colameco 286

Darin Kinsolving 282

Doug Dreher 245

Adrian Gascon 240

Mitch House 232

*****

Who will win the league's Morgan Burkhart Most Valuable Player Award this season? For the first time since Scott Pinoni won it in 1999, will the league MVP wear a Paints uniform?

Chillicothe fans can't help but answer quickly - an emphatic yes, Jose Rodriguez. Potentially, Rodriguez will win the league's batting title (.377 on Aug. 23) and will almost assuredly smash the FL's single-season record for most hits.

J-Rod is durable - playing every game (82 games so far) - and is often spectacular on defense, displaying fine range and a very strong throwing arm. He's tough to strike out, whiffing only once every 14.26 at bats. He's a great table-setter, scoring 61 runs and his .431 on-base percentage is among the league leaders.

But do Rodriguez's numbers stack up well against the other MVP candidates? How about Kalamazoo's Pete Pirman or Florence's Mike Galloway? Galloway (.350, 23 homers, 70 RBI, 10 steals) will fall short in balloting, I think. So will, unfortunately, the Paints' shortstop.

Sorry folks, but at this time, Pirman deserves the award. His .346 batting average and .392 on base percentage are the only statistical categories in which he falls short versus Rodriguez.

Pirman has 20 home runs (J-Rod has 4), 90 RBI (J-Rod has 33), 63 runs (J-Rod has 61), 30 stolen bases (J-Rod has 16) and is slugging at .592 (J-Rod at .485). Plus, Pirman has his team battling for the division title.

*****

The Brian Tollberg Pitching Award must go to the Paints John Martinez, hands down. His league-leading 16 victories represent a full one-third of all Chillicothe victories. No other pitcher has meant more to his team than Martinez.

Martinez leads the league in innings, games started, complete games and shutouts. His ERA is second in the league.

The last Paint to win the award was Rick Blanc in 2001.

*****

With one more victory, Perry Cunningham will join an elite group of pitchers in Paints history. The Steubenville native needs a win to give him 10 for the season, becoming only the fifth hurler in club history to reach that mark in a season.

He would join Martinez (16-3) as only the second pair of teammates to win in double digits in the same season. Brian Scarcello (13-1) and Bob Spears (10-5) in 1998 also did it.

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Great 3-Game Homestand Coming Up This Week!

Beginning Thursday night, the Paints are playing host to the Florence Freedom in a three-game series at VA Memorial Stadium. Thursday and Friday start times are at 7:05 PM. Saturday's start time is 6:05 PM.

Upcoming Promotions...

Thursday

TEAM PHOTO NIGHT

by: Chillicothe Camera

First 500 receive

a Chillicothe Paints 2005 team photo

Friday

August 26 - 7:05

DR. PEPPER PASTIME

Win numerous prizes and autographed memorabilia

courtesy of Dr. Pepper

*Saturday*

August 27 - 6:05

Chillicothe Gazette presents FAN APPRECIATION NIGHT & FIREWORKS EXTRAVAGANZA by:

Budweiser

EXTRAVAGANZA OF PRIZES AND THE BEST

FIREWORKS IN THE AREA!

Immediately following the fireworks...

"PARTY WITH THE PAINTS" featuring Mother Hubbard by: Budweiser

Also appearing Saturday... 700 WLW's Gary Burbank

The Columbus Blue Jackets mascot, Stinger, will be visiting VA Memorial Stadium on Wednesday, August 31!

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Season Ticket Holder Announcement!

If you are a season ticket holder, whether it be a company or individual, don't forget you can redeem any unused tickets on a Sunday, Monday or Tuesday home game!

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Frontier League Stories from August 23, 2005


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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