Woodstock Gives Their Approval

You can now call it official. The Woodstock City Council, after six hours of discussion, have approved of the proposed ballpark for a Frontier League team in the city. The council approved a special use permit for the proposal, 6-1, with 50 conditions, so it was a no brainer according to them. The plan ties an unpopular gravel pit to this popular ballpark proposal. The expected grand opening of this ballpark in Woodstock, Illinois will be for the 2010 FL season.

Tom Merryman and Aggregate Inc. are just part of the collective effort into building up this new ballpark. Merryman hopes to begin work on the ballpark sometime in March of 2009. Stadium construction would ideally begin in June, and the first game for the FL team would start sometime in May 2010, said Tom Zanck, Merryman's attorney. Also, I have noticed that there are alot of acres involved in these negotiations. It's amazing what people will debate about when you talk about 100 acres of land and over.

Here's an interesting tidbit; according to Tom Zanck, if the vote on this new ballpark proposal had been delayed until January of 2009, it would be too late for the new team to begin play in Woodstock for the 2010 season. Plus, if the stadium has not been constructed by May 1, 2014, Merryman would deed the 38-acre parcel for the stadium to the city of Woodstock, according to one of the proposal's 50 conditions. I guess another issue that rises up here is what are the 50 conditions?, and what are they about?

From a competitive standpoint now in the Frontier League, I do wonder alittle. I'm not upset by any means, but I wonder why you would load up on Chicago when there is help needed around Florence and Washington. Of course, Avon, Ohio will help out the Wild Things alittle bit, but that's just replacing the Paints as the lone Ohio team that connects to Washington. There was alot of talk in the past of getting Washington a nearby rival, such as what the FL attempted to do for Butler, Pennsylvania way back when, but that bottom fell out. And for Florence...I don't know what you can say about their traveling situation. The Freedom seem to be on an island all by themselves now, and the closest they could possibly be would be to Evansville and Avon. I see a big gap there.

http://www.nwherald.com/articles/2008/12/17/56249429/index.xml

Stats updates finished

I have just finished uploading the completed stat pages for all current Frontier League teams. That means the 2008 update is nearly complete- all that remains are the writeups for the 2008 season and updating the individual team pages. Also note that the player database has not yet been updated.

More Info On The Prospect League

Thankfully for Wikipedia, I have gotten some more information on the upcoming Prospect League. As said before, there will be eleven teams in the league, making it an unbalanced schedule for the time being. There will be six teams in the West Division, while there will be five teams in the East Division. The names of the names will go as listed: Danville Dans, Dubois Bombers, Dupage Dragons, Hannibal Cavemen, Quincy Gems, Springfield Sliders, Butler BlueSox, Chillicothe Paints, NorthCoast Knights (Lorain), Richmond (to be named later, but I'd have to think it's the Roosters), Slippery Rock Sldiers.

The one team that sticks out to me would be the Quincy Gems. I have seen pictures of the ballpark in Quincy Stadium, and it's surrounded by old fashioned stone, similar to that of probably castle-like structures. That stadium caught my eye as being one of the most interesting ballparks in the entire country. The Gems have a good history in the CICL. I have checked on their website before, and they have a solid foundation in place as far as this level of baseball goes. I will be interested in hearing the stories future Paints teams will have when they go into Quincy Stadium.

The CICL was formed in 1963 as a charter member of the NCAA's certified summer baseball program. Among the 175 almuni of the CICL, certain names include Kirby Puckett, Mike Schmidt, Jonathan Papelbon, and Ryan Howard. The goal of the people who run the Prospect League is to create and maintain the best collegiate wooden bat summer league in the country, as said by Frank Pergolizzi, the Commissioner of the CICL.

I know that this league has good people running it. This is for the entertainment of the fans, giving them a good time when they come to the ballpark. I do think it is kind of odd how there are just 11 teams in the first season of the rebranded Prospect League. Of course, you would have to work your way around things in the schedule.

I also think it's kind of odd how two teams have the same name in "Sliders." I do hope that the Richmond team gets called the Roosters. I couldn't really imagine the team being called anything else. I did ask Tom Arnett, a Roosters fan, about whether the Traverse City Beach Bums of the FL held the rights to the Roosters name or not. He said that shouldn't be the case. It will also be interesting to hear stories about Richmond again. It will be just like old times in the early days of the Frontier League.

Crusher's uniform

Lake Erie Crushers

That's the name of the club in Avon, Ohio. I've uodate the website with a Lake Erie Crushers page.

Team records updated

The individual team career hitting records have been updated through the 2008 season.

Career hitting stats updated

Rather than spend the day after Thanksgiving shopping, I have used the day to begin the stats updates on the website. I have updated the career top ten hitting leaders today, and will do the individual team career hitting leaders in the next few days.

A few things of note are that in addition to Mike Breyman shooting up the charts in several categories, Travis Garcia was hot on Breyman's heels. With both those guys now out of the league, Washington's Chris Sidick should move up several notches in several categories next.

Sidick, who has at least one year of FL eligibilty left, is in sight of the following records:
* Games (ranks 10th, needs 74 for 1st)
* At bats (9th, needs 246 for 1st)
* Runs (5th, needs 64 for 1st)
* Hits (13th, needs 80 for 1st)
* Total bases (11th, needs 212 for 1st)
* HBP (11th, needs 19 for 1st)
* Walks (6th, needs 42 for 1st)
Chris is also within range, although less likely, for records for strikeouts, caught stealing and sacrifices. He already is the career leader in triples.

Also of note is that Joe Ramos moved past Brody Jackson in to second all time in stolen bases, but he is still 72 behind Doug Schutt. He has one year of FL eligibility left.

Woodstock, Illinois To Join FL

http://www.dailyherald.com/story/?id=251970

Apparently, a Frontier League team is coming to McHenry County after all. The new proposed ballpark will be placed in Woodstock, Illinois. private investors and donators would fund the entire project. Plans were announced on Wednesday to build a mutli-use facility that would host the teams and dozens of other sporting events begining in 2010.

The venue would hold 6,500 seats and 10,000 for events open to lawn seating. Long-range plans include the possibility of developing the site as a future home of the McHenry County Fair, a fire mueseym and an exhibition hall. Foundation officials said the design will take into account "smart growth" principles and preserve about 75 acres of wetlands and oak savannah on the property.

You know, it's kinda funny how these stories just happen to pop up all of sudden. Take into account that we haven't heard much of anything from McHenry County's hunt for a FL team in a long time before this article came out. A huge obstacle, if I recall, was that the proposed ballpark would effect the environment and the surrounding water areas. It was at first opposed by the community and the county council, but all of the problems must have been ironed out.

I still have to wonder how this is going to work long term. I know these rumors have been going on for a long time now; the one that involves the Northern League Chicagoland teams jumping ship to the Frontier League. That hasn't happened inspite of that buzz, but the Northern League, from what I could tell, is still not so stable. So what if the Northern League goes belly up? How can the FL say "no" to the three NoL teams close by in that situation?

Look at the number of teams in the Northern Illinois/Chicago area alone in this list on the Indy Baseball Map:
Windy City Thunderbolts
Rockford RiverHawks
Schaumburg Flyers
Gary-Southshore Railcats
Joliet Jackhammers
new McHenry County team
possible Champaign, Illinois team

Website Stats Updates

Over the weekend I have updated the season hitting and pitching records pages, the manager records page, and the individual teams' season records.

Next up is to convert and compile this year's stats in order to update the career stats sections. This will likely not be done until after Thanksgiving.

Numbers That Could Be Retired

I would like to talk about the accomplishments that two former Paints players have made. While the Paints will no longer be a part of the Frontier League, it sure doesn't hurt to think about the possibility of two noteworthy players having the opportunity of having their numbers sitting next to the 7 other retired numbers at V.A. Memorial Stadium. Looking at their stats alone, they have done quite enough to earn this kind of honor.

Perry Cunningham (#26) has the most wins out of any FL Paints pitcher in their career. He has a record of 37-21 with .638 win percentage to go along with a 3.54 ERA, 7 complete games, 2 shutouts, a save, and 325 K's in almost 500 innings pitched, (497.2 to be exact). You could put him with any other solid starting pitcher the Paints have had from 2004 to 2007, and Perry would be right there.

Whether he was with John Martinez (single season wins leader), Kurt Hartfelder (rookie of the year in '06) or anyone else, Perry did a good job while he was in Chillicothe. He was, and still is, a class act and a fun guy to hang around with. His time off the field is more to take note of. That's where players in the FL really show who they are.

Matt McCay (#18) was such a good batter for the Paints, and he's a great batter in Paints history who unfortunately doesn't get talked about as much as the others. Matt lead the FL Paints in just about half of all offensive categories career-wise. He leads in batting average (.423), in games played (305), in at-bats (1143), in runs scored (217), in hits (363), and then there's caught stealing (20). I didn't get the opportunity to see Matt McCay play but from what I hear, he really was a gamer for the FL club. With numbers like that, he should get alittle bit of consideration.

As for what McCay is doing now, he is helping out the University of North Carolina with their baseball program, and he is doing a good job as of today. That just goes to show you that he has a baseball kind of mind for the job as a coach. He knows how to play the game and to play it the right way.

CICL and Prospect League To Merge

The Prosect League Era

So, with the news we've read about some of the Central Illinois Collegiate League joining the new teams in the upstart Prospect League on Ballpark Digest, perhaps this would be a good time to get in my first thoughts about this new league the Chillicothe paints will be a part of.

At first glance, this will be just like what Richmond Roosters fan Tom Arnett told me, this will be just like old times for the most part. What I mean by that is there will be numerous markets that used to field Frontier League teams. Since of course they've bowed out of the league. This will be paying some type of homage to the early days of the Frontier League, when they were just starting out.

Consider these markets; Chillicothe, Richmond, Lorain, Dubois County, Slippery Rock. Would they be more than legit for a summer collegiate league? Yes they would. Though the economy has been a real pain (and let's be honest, it has), the fact that a place like Chillicothe can get something that is close and similar to the Frontier League style of play even with the swan dive that the team took the final few months of last year, has to be saying something.

So throw in places like Danville, Quincy, Hannibal, Butler and Dupage County, and you have something to work with. This has been a topic that FL commissioner Bill Lee has been thinking about. When going over the options in the more than crowded Chicagoland area to try to expand the FL, we find that some of those markets have been in talks (but just talks) with the Northwoods League, the best summer collegiate league out there right now. The Prospect League here is intending to be a farm system for the Frontier League.

Is the Prospect League a step down from the FL? Yes it is, but it's not as big as a demotion as you might assume. Players do come out of summer collegiate league teams and make their way to afilliated baseball. Personally, I believe that it will be a different road to go through for everyone involved with this project, and the fan attendance and support still needs to come, but when this thing takes off, people will warm up to it. Basically, it's still baseball, and it's still fun family entertainment for anybody who goes to the games.

As for coverage of the Prospect League on this blog? I will make sure that I will report to you as much as I can. Whatever that's of note, I will be here to bring it to you. The Chillicothe Paints are gone from the Frontier League, but are not gone from baseball in general. V.A. Memorial Stadium is still a great place to see a game, (for any sport I should add), and I hope that the V.A. can finally hold up a championship banner of some sort, because the wait it getting alittle too long.

That's just my thoughts, though.

Not Frontier but Close

Just thought you all would like to see the info on the new league in which Richmond & Chillicothe will be participating in this next year. Go to Ballparkwatch.com and look on todays date for details. This is all I know for right now.

Tom Sutaris interview

I've just posted my interview with former Ohio Valley Redcoat Tom Sutaris. Tom played for the Redcoats in 1993, 94 and 96 and has great memories of the early days of the Frontier League.

Beach Bums Hire Manager

Following on the heels of Monday's hiring of Toby Rumfield by the Florence Freedom, the Traverse City Beach Bums today announced the hiring of Gregg Langbehn as the manager for the 2009 season.

The 39-year-old Langbehn managed the last two seasons with Houston's South Atlantic League affiliate in Lexington, KY. From 2004-06 he was the skipper at Tri-City (low A New York-Penn League), leading the Valley Cats to two playoff appearances. He also served at the pitching coach for the 2000 Midwest League champion Michigan Battle Cats.

Langbehn was drafted out of high school by the Mets in 1988 and spent seven years altogether in the minors with the Mets, Red Sox and Brewers organizations. His best year was 1989 when he was 10-3, 1.80 for Pittsfield (NYPL). He spent parts of three seasons at the Triple-A level.

Langbehn joins Avon's John Massarelli as the only current Frontier League manager with affiliated managing experience. Ironically, they both managed in the Astros system, so I wouldn't be surprisde if they know each other.

Keefe Leaving Florence

Florence Freedom manager Jamie Keefe will not be returning to the club in 2009, it was announced today.

Keefe has been in the Frontier League for a decade, starting as an infielder with the Paints in 1999. After two seasons as a player Jamie took over as manager from longtime skipper Roger Hanners. The Paints won division titles under Keefe in 2001 and 2003. Keefe moved to the Freedom in 2004 and led the club to their best season yet with 53 wins.

Good luck Jamie!

More Website Updates

In the last couple of days I have added:

> Avon team page
> updated Midwest Sliders team page
> 2008 season page, without recap
> 2009 season page, with map

Still having problems with the Cook County/Windy City and 2007 season pages.

Up next: 2008 season recap.

Website updates

I just finished adding 2008 items to the team memorabilia pages, and I added more pics to the team history pages for Chillicothe and Newark. I also added some memorabilia for Springfield, Newark, London and the Kalamazoo Kodiaks.

I still have a problem with the Cook County/Windy City page. It's there in the directory, but there's something in the script that redirects you to a different page.

2008 season page, updated Midwest Sliders page and Avon page coming soon. Then comes 2008 team recaps, followed by team stats page updates, and finally, the player database update.

Sliding Into Ypsilanti

It has been published on Eastern Michigan University's website that the Midwest Sliders will play the 2009 season at Oestrike Stadium on the campus of the aforementioned school.

The article also notes that the club will be called the Midwest Sliders of Ypsilianti.

Ypsilanti is about 35 miles southwest of Detroit, very near Ann Arbor. It is just over 100 miles east of Kalamazoo.

Thanks to Chuck Adams for the heads up.

Looking Back At 2008

Now that we're going into the colder months of the year, I suppose it would be the right time to look back at the 2008 Frontier League season. You know, to be straight-forward with everybody, there were fairly high expectations for this past year's group of guys known as the Chillicothe Paints. Perhaps not absolutely high, to the point where they could've been the best team in the league, but again, fairly high, a team with a decent record that had a decent shot at the postseason and possibly making noise in the postseason.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. Far from it, as a matter of fact. The Paints brought in guys who were indeed promising and showed some upside in earlier stints before making their way to Chillicothe, but when it came to the games at hand, things simply went wrong. Things quickly truned south around the all-star break, and the team couldn't recover from that point on. There were games where, I canot lie, I left earlier than usual because those games were really getting that bad.

In the 2005 and 2006 FL seasons, if you followed the Paints close at this time, you had reasons to feel good about your team. You had reasons to be optimistic. Things were going right and going into the right direction. Simply put, you knew exactly what you had and those teams delievered when it mattered the most, aside from the final round of the playoffs, of course. In 2007 and 2008, I couldn't feel any of that. Believe me, I wanted to feel that way, and by all means, I wanted to see a big turnaround once the team started losing a whole bunch of games, but the atmosphere had completely changed in the last two years.

I've said what I've needed to say these past two years, and it is exactly what it is. The Paints in their last two FL seasons of play simply weren't as good or as up to par as the Paints teams in their last two playoff runs. Those Paints did have the "it" factor going for them. However, that is not to say that I have any hard feelings towards the players. I always enjoyed going out to the Party Deck before the games started to hang out with them for as long as I could. I always appreciated the time that the players took out to talk to me. They are really nice guys and I appreciate them trying as hard as they could to get things going on the field.

Off the top of my head only, the best players that I could spot out who can go a long way would be Travis Garcia, Drew Saylor, Andy Polk, Edwin Walker, Ryan Flanigan, Jeff Vincent and Gerardo Verastegui. These players had the most breakout performances on the 2008 squad. Drew Saylor looks to have a bright future if he can sharpen his skills alittle more. Jeff Vincent and Ryan Flanigan are athletic competitors who can physically handle games if they're called upon. Andy Polk is a work horse. Edwin Walker has solid stuff from the bullpen and that will carry over to future success.

Travis Garcia is someone that organizations seriously need to look at. Of course, it's no secret that he is getting up there in age. I won't debate that, but if you watch Travis play, you can see that he still has great talent and great potential. Like I said awhile ago, he is a diamond in the rough with the glove and he does have a smooth and legitimate swing on offense. He recently had his number 24 retired at V.A. Memorial Stadium, and is now part of the Southern Maryland Blue Carbs organization, that's owned by Brooks Robinson, in the Atlantic League. He is looking to attend the Winter League down in Puerto Rico to get more looks, and I, for one, hope for the best.

Now, let's look ahead...

So yeah, the Chillicothe Paints are ancient history in the Frontier League, and things will definately be different in the FL without the last original team there, but that's not bad news. The Frontier League is the strongest it ever had been in it's 17-year run, and almost all teams will be located in suburbs of Major League cities. What does that mean? It means that you can foget about any Richmonds, Johnstowns, Newarks, or Chillicothes entering the FL any time soon, if ever, and that paves the way for a college wood bat league to come right into those types of markets.

Baseball will played in Chillicothe in 2009, but just not the type that diehard Paints fans have grown accustomed to over the years. In a way, it's sad, make no mistake about that, but as one door is now closed, another one inevitably opens. I will still keep an eye on the attendance figures, because if the people of Chillicothe cannot come out to even see a college wood bat team, on a shorter schedule, and hopefully at a cheaper price all around, then we are truly in alot of trouble.

Massarelli Returns to FL

Former Wild Things manager John Massarelli was named today as the manager of the new club that will begin play in Avon, ON in 2009.

Massarelli led the Wild Things to four consecutive division titles from 2004-07, and was FL Manager of the Year in 2004 and 2006. He has the highest career winning percentage of any manager in league history.

GCS Ballpark

GCS Ballpark in Sauget, IL, home of the Gateway Grizzlies.

Rent One Ballpark

Rent One Ballpark in Marion, IL, the home of the Southern Illinois Miners.

ThunderBolts Win Championship

Last night the Windy City ThunderBolts beat the Kalamazoo Kings 6-5 to sweep the Kings and win The Fl Championship. The 'Bolts thus become only the second team in the history of the FL to win consecutive titles, the first being Richmond in 2001-02.

Congratulations to the T-Bolts, the organization and their fans on a great 2008 season.

New Photo Page added to website

I've just added a fifth page of player photos to the Frontier League History Website.

http://flhistory.gofreeserve.com/photogallery5.htm

Playoff game 1 rained out

Tonight's scheduled start of the Frontier League playoff finals was rained out. Games one and two will be played Sunday and Monday in Kalamazoo, with the series moving to Windy City on Tuesday.

MLB Transactions

Last week former Rascal Josh Kinney was activated from the DL by the Cardinals.

Today former Otter George Sherrill was activated from the DL by the Orioles.

Also today, former Grizzlie Scott Patterson was claimed on waivers by the Padres.

Mike Breyman's Finale

In the last home game of his Frontier League career, Mike Breyman moved to the pitcher's mound and struck out former teammate Manny Paula. Mike was then lifted and play halted for a brief ceremony honoring one of the league's greats.

Richard Austin

Former Capital and RiverHawks Richard Austin had an outstanding summer for the Bologna Hawks in Italy. Austin led the league in home runs (10), RBI (50) and slugging (.652), tied for the lead in runs (43), and was second in doubles, third in hits and third with a .366 batting average.

Bologna finished on top of the standings with a 34-8 record.

Morgan Burkhart Should Manage the Rascals

It's no secret that River City Rascals manager Toby Rumfield was informed recently that he will not be back in 2009. While In rarely offer my opinions on this blog and stick to reporting news, I am going to opine here, so be warned.

While I don't have any say in the matter, I think Morgan Burkhart should be given consideration as the Rascals' new manager.

Burkhart, 36, is from the St. Louis area and attended Central
Missouri State. He played four years in the Frontier League with the
Richmond Roosters. He was the MVP runner-up in 1995, and won the award
in 1996-97-98. The league's MVP award is now named for him.

Burkhart was played in the majors with Boston in 2000-01 and Kansas
City in 2002. He also played two seasons in Japan and three in Mexico.
His career average was .307 and he hit 243 homers, including a
Frontier League record 86.

Burkhart has the credentials to be a successful manager in the FL. He
played four years in the league, reached the majors, has international
experience, and for the last two seasons has been the hitting coach
for Calgary in the Northern League/Golden League. Last year the club
led the Northern League with a .307 average, and this year's club hit
.318.

While Morgan has no managerial experience, last season Andy Haines led
the Windy City ThunderBolts to a league record for wins and a FL
championship in his first season as a manager, after a few years
coaching in indy ball. Phil Warren has been a manager for two seasons
and the Grizzlies have made the playoffs both years. I believe that
while a background in independent baseball is vital for a successful
manager, experience is less so.

Everyone I have talked to about Morgan mention his intensity, character and teaching ability. And let's face it, Morgan Burkhart belongs in the Frontier League.

What A Run It Was

Florence 5, Chillicothe 3

Where do I begin?

Well, for starters, this was it. This was the last game that the Chillicothe Paints would ever play in the Frontier League. How fitting it was that at the opposing dugout for the Florence Freedom, former Chillicothe Paints player and skipper Jamie Keefe would experience the last few games as well. You see, as he would explain during a ceremony for Marty Dunn, Jamie got to where he was because of the help from Marty, Paints owner Chris Hanners, and the late Roger Hanners. Surely, this was emotional for someone like Jamie.

Now if you talk about the home team, the Paints, well, this was clearly emotional as well, because a good chunk of these guys will not be teammates with each other come next summer, and you have to understand why it's so emotional to begin with. Although last night sure felt like the last night, as I got to say goodbye to Travis for the time being, this night was it, and it hit everybody after the game was over.

Here are the final stats. Mike Rocco made the start for the Paints. He pitched for 7 innings on the mound, giving up just one run on 5 hits allowed, while recording 5 K's. Rocco was in the lineup and had alittle fun. Jeff Michael pitched in relief of Rocco, and pitched an inning, giving up 3 hits and a run. Joe Brown pitched some relief and gave up 3 hits and a run. Jeff Vincent, normally an outfielder, got some work on the mound as a pitcher.

The offense went like this; Josh Blackstock had a single. Jeff Vincent had a single and a stolen base. Drew Saylor had two singles and an RBI. Joe Spiers had two singles and an RBI. Sean Anderson went out with a bang, as he had three singles. Gerardo Verastegui had two doubles and an RBI.

I guess the best way that I could sum up the 16 year run in the Frontier League would be this; people here in Ross County really did enjoy having the team around. The diehard fans are always doing their best to make V.A. Memorial Stadium a fun atmosphere and a reliable place to go to. So what if it's near not too desired facilities? This ballpark is our gem, and I am honored to be calling this ballpark our gem. I'm glad we have it here in Chillicothe. For the people that miss out on this experience, it's their loss.

I can't say it enough, the players that you have seen here are great people to be around with and to hang out with. I said goodbye to the other players on this night; Drew Saylor, Stephen Spragg, Marty Wiesler, Ryan Flanigan and all the others. Flanny did one last breakdance at the ballpark during a belated Chicken Dance segment. Hey, it's just like Flanny to be putting on a show for the fans, right?

In these 16 years, it's amazing how far we come, in more ways than one, watching the hottest game on dirt, and then on FieldTurf for as long as we have. The Paints will be back, they'll just be different from these bunch of guys. For sure, you can see me and other fans being right back at the VA, because that's how we are, rooting for the home team.

This is Steven Vitte, blog correspondent and soon to be newspaper article writer, signing off.

Playoff Picture Set

Gateway beat Southern Illinois tonight, so the Grizzlies have clinched the final playoff spot. The Miners' loss, combined with the ThunderBolts' win over Rockford, drops them two games back, meaning Windy City has clinched the West Division title. (Traverse City also won, but the Grizzlies hold the tie breaker.)

The regular season ends tomorrow. The playoffs begin Friday, with Gateway at Kalamazoo and Southern Illinois at Windy City.

For A True Friend

Florence 3, Chillicothe 2 (12 innings)

If you want to talk about the game that was played, well, it was one of those close ones that just got away in the later innings. Brian Gartley made the start for the Chillicothe Paints, and this would be his final start for the team. Throughout this season, Gartley has had a rough go at it, though he has gotten some wins under his belt lately. In this game, he pitched pretty well, going 7 innings deep and gave up just one run on 5 hits allowed, while giving up just one walk. He recorded 8 K's.

Jeff Michael, Stephen Spragg and Edwin Walker all made relief appearances in the game. Unfortunately, I didn't write down what they did, because I was down there near the Paints' dugout for the last few innings, including the extra innings. I'll explain why I was down there in a minute.

Now for the offense, Josh Blackstock had a single and an RBI triple. Drew Saylor had two infield singles. Adrian Cantu had a single. Zach Rodghero had a single. Sean Anderson had a single and a stolen base.

Travis Garcia had two singles, an RBI, and a stolen base in his final game as a Chillicothe Paint. Undeniably the best shortstop in the history of the Frontier League, Travis has indeed set the bar for those wanting to play at the type of the level that he was at. Not only that, but he is a true leader, and a true friend. Every single day, I have been going out to the Party Deck over near left field to talk to the Paints players. I haven't made a bigger connection than I have with Travis Garcia.

I spent some time during the last moments of this game to talk with him as he was sitting on the bench past the Paints' dugout. That's all that matters if you really think about it. Sitting down and chatting it up with a true friend of yours. I could say all I want about Travis Garcia, the baseball player, and how he does on the field is great, but it is so much more of an honor when I can talk about Travis Garcia, the person.

You see, Travis and I know each other real well now, and to think that it only took 2 seasons to become true freinds and reliable buddies to talk to. I appreciate the fact that Travis is moving on to the South Martland Blue Crabs of the Atlantic League, (he will be there shortly), and just like everytime before a Paints game, I still wish him well for the Blue Crabs, and I truly hope that this is the break he needs to have one more shot in affiliated ball and beyond. You never say never.

The thing is, this is hard for me, because I watched him play for my hometown for these past 3 seasons, dating back to 2006, and I have gained so much respect for him in that time. I enjoy seeing him do what he does on the field, and you can tell that he gets it. To think that he started his indy baseball career on that bus for the Ohio Valley Redcoats in the 2005 FL season, and to see where he will be...in a truly fantastic looking ballpark in South Maryland, it really is hard, and absolutely near impossible, I might add, not to root for a guy as pure as Travis Garcia.

It is a shame we can't have more guys like him in sports in general.

Wild Card Update, Sept. 1

Today's winners: Gateway, Windy City, Traverse City
Today's losers: Rockford, Southern Illinois

Windy City takes sole possession of first place in the FL West, one game ahead of Southern Illinois.

Gateway remains in the wild card lead, a game ahead of Traverse City.

Rockford is two games out and eliminated, since the best they can do is tie Gateway and the Grizzlies hold the tiebreaker by virtue of winning the season series 7-5.

The Grizzlies also hold the tiebreaker with the Beach Bums, winning the season series 5-1. That means unless the Miners beat the Grizzlies the next two nights and the Beach Bums beat the Kings twice, the Grizzlies will be the final wild card team.

A Win Is A Win

Florence 3, Chillicothe 4

This was a game that was played pretty solid by the Chillicothe Paints, and only during the ninth inning did things begin to get pretty shaky. Still though, the game was won in the end as the Paints hung on. The ninth inning had drama, and the visiting Florence Freedom provided that.

Andrew McCormick made his final start in a Paints uniform in this game, and he didn't hold anything back. He pitched the best he could and it was what anyone would've asked for. McCormcik went 8 and 1/3 innings deep and gave up 2 runs on 4 hits allowed, while giving up 3 walks. he struck out 4 batters.

He ran into trouble in that ninth inning, and would give way to Edwin Walker, who had alittle trouble of his own, walking a couple batters. Two more runs were given up on a defensive mistake. In came the lefty veteran Joe Brown, and even though he gave up a walk, he managed to close the game out and get his team the victory.

For the offense, Josh Blackstock had a single. Travis Garcia had a double. Drew Saylor had an RBI single. Adrian Cantu had a 2-RBI double and a single. Jeff Vincent had an infield single and a stolen base. Zach Rodeghero got an RBI off a groundout. Bubba Garcia had a single.

Overall, this was a good game. It went by fairly fast, and the Paints' defense played pretty solid until the last couple innings. They got in enough offense, and the pitching was for the most part superb. You can't really ask for anything else other than a less shaky ending.

Wild Card Update

Tonight's winners: Washington, Windy City, Gateway, Southern Illinois
Tonight's losers: Florence, River City, Rockford, Traverse City

The Miners and ThunderBolts remain tied for first in the FL West. Gateway moves into the wild card spot, a game ahead of Rockford and Traverse City. Washington is three out, Florence and River City have been eliminated.

Washington has the slimmest of chances to get in: they have to beat the Sliders while the Miners sweep the Grizzlies, the ThunderBolts sweep the RiverHawks and the Kings sweep the Beach Bums. This would leave the Grizzlies and Wild Things tied at 49-47, but give the Wild Things the tie breaker by virtue of winning the seasons series with the Grizzlies, four games to two. Any other situation eliminates the Wild Things.

At least that's how I think it works, it's 1:00 AM and my brain isn't firing on all cylinders.

Breyman Ties Another Riordan Mark

Mike Breyman continued his assault on the Frontier League record book tonight, driving in five runs for the Grizzlies in a 14-7 win over the RiverHawks. That brings his career total to 412, tying Fran Riordan's career mark.

A Night You Can't Forget

Traverse City 1, Chillicothe 4

Oh, what a night it was! This night was unlike any other night in recent memory. To make the rundown on everything, let's begin on a humorous note.

I was one of the three people to throw out the ceremonious first pitch of the game. I went through the windup and the pitch was just a bit high. Okay, it was very high, and it sailed over Adrian Cantu, who was catching, but I did put more than enough on that throw to get it over the plate.

Now for the serious part. Before the start of the game, Paints owner Dr. Chris Hanners made a special announcement. There was a new Paints number that was going to be retired. That number happened to be #24, that of the heart and soul of the team, shortstop Travis Garcia. You see, for these past 3 seasons, Travis has been doing his part leading the charge for the Chillicothe Paints. With his great offense and his excellent defense, he has done quite alot when he has worn a Paints uniform.

Travis himself was getting alittle choked up at a loss for words as he was talking to the fans. This was indeed an emotional but happy moment. Garcia's #24 will join the likes of #20, #22, #27, #30 and #50. Paints fans have not seen anything like this in some time.

Now for the game, Andy Polk pitched a complete game in his last start for the Paints. He went the distance, giving up only one run on 4 hits allowed and 4 walks, while striking out 4 batters. Andy looked solid overall, and very solid for the first few innings of his start. He was just shutting down the Beach Bums' offense early. After this game, Andy will head back to school, so he can finish up his upcoming classes. We all wish Andy Polk well. Thanks.

For the offense, Josh Blackstock had a single. Joe Spiers had a good game, as he had three singles and a stolen base. Travis Garcia would have a good game as well, getting a single, a double, and a stolen base. Drew Saylor had a double. Adrian Cantu had two singles and an RBI. Jeff Vincent had a single. Zach Rodeghero had a double. Sean Anderson had a single.

After the game, the fans were treated to a fireworks show, that was great as usual. This night had to be one of the best nights in the history of this franchise, even though it doesn't mean much in the standings and such. On emotion and celebrations alone, this was unforgettable and all in good fun.

Wild Card Update

Last night's winners: Traverse City, Windy City, Florence, Gateway, Southern Illinois

Last night's losers: Washington, Rockford, River City

Rockford, Gateway and Traverse City are tied for the final playoff spot. Washington and Florence are both three out with four to play. River City is four back.

The latter three teams have been effectively eliminated, since it is impossible for some of the clubs ahead of them to lose all their games. Gateway is playing Rockford now, and Rockford and Windy City play starting tomorrow. Either Gateway or Rockford will win tonight, and then either Windy City or Rockford will win at least two games in the next series.

Additionally, Washington and Florence meet tonight and one will eliminate the other outright.

Traverse City could make it by winning a majority of their games while the West Division clubs beat each other up.

Fun times!

MIners Make Moves

Due to several injuries, the Southern Illinois Miners have made several moves in the last couple of days:

Outfielder Kevin Koski was injured when he crashed into the wall during Friday's game.

Shortstop Mike Scanzano pulled a hamstring running out a base hit last night.

Brad Miller is out for the season with a shoulder injury.

The club signed 6'6" 250 lb. 1B Gordie Gronkowsi.

The Miners also signed former Gateway OF Kevin House, who happened to be visiting his former teammate Chris Little when Koski was hurt. All house did in his Miners debut was steal four bases and score all three of the club's runs.

T.R. Hughes Ballpark

T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, MO, home of the River City Rascals.

Blown Away

Traverse City 12, Chillicothe 2

The Beach Bums pounded the Chillicothe Paints by a whopping score of 12-2. It's just another day at work when you're trying to get things going and things aren't falling into place...the right way. Oh well, I guess the most exhausting part of all this is that this is a stretch of 9 games at home, and you can get tired watching all these innings. Trust me, it happens sometimes.

Ryan Flanigan pitched 6 and 2/3 innings of work in his start for the Paints, and he would give up 7 runs on 5 hits allowed and a walk. He would strike out 7 batters, which was impressive, but still, the hits and the runs were far too overwhelming of stats to make this a good start. Edwin Walker also pitched in this game, and this wasn't so good a game for him, which is rare, because he has been, for the most part, a true breakout performer for the team.

The offense only scored 2 runs, and those came off of an RBI double by Adrian Cantu, and an RBI single by Joe Spiers. Josh Blackstock had a single. Drew Saylor had an infield single. Jeff Vincent had a double. Drew George had a single. Travis Garcia had a single, and I believe that puts him just 3 hits away from the all-time Paints lead in total hits.

O-no, Not Enough Offense

Traverse City 4, Chillicothe 2

It's just hard. That's how it is. It's just hard to focus on the game at hand knowing what's around the corner. Everything, one way or the other, is winding down and things are slowly getting back to the Fall and Winter Season moods. That's how it always is when baseball season finally ends.

For the offense, they did manage to pull something together for the third inning, when Joe Spiers had a double, Sean Anderson was hit by a pitch, Bubba Garcia sac bunted to move the runners over, and then Josh Blackstock had a 2-RBI single. Unfortunately, that was all that the Chillicothe Paints could come up with.

Playing against a team like Traverse City, a team that still has some type of chance of reaching the postseason, it was going to be a hard road to travel through. In fact, on the very second pitch of the game, Traverse City got on the board real quick with a solo home run shot past right field.

Mike Rocco made the start for the Paints, and he gave up 6 hits and 5 walks, and in total 4 runs in 4 and 2/3 innings pitched. It was a rough game for Rocco, who was indeed not getting any beenfit of the doubt on borderline calls behind the plate. It was just tough all around, and not surprisingly, Rocco was upset, and he would let the home plate umpire hear about it in the ninth inning. He would get thrown out of the game, but you can't really blame him because of the bad track record the umpiring crews have had this year. It's just a shame.

Breyman Breaks Hits Record

Later in last night's game, Breyman hit his 450th career hit to establish a new Frontier League record for career hits. I find it ironic that a slugger like Breyman broke the record on a 60 foot squibber down the third base line.

Congratulations and well done to Mike Breyman, by all accounts one of the truly good people in the Frontier League.

Breyman Ties Hits Record

Last night Gateway Grizzlies first baseman Mike Breyman tied Fran Riordan's career hits record with this home run at River City.

One Big Play Was All That Was Needed

Midwest 6, Chillicothe 3

Well, one big play was all that was needed for this game. An error in the Chillicothe outfield clinched it for the Midwest Sliders, as they would score 3 runs on that error, making the score as you see it, 6-3. Close, but no Cracker-Jacks, as they say.

The whole game wasn't that bad, to be honest. It was close for a good chunk of the game until that happened. Lefty starter Brian Gartley made the start for the Paints, and he would go 5 and 2/3 innings, giving up 4 runs, though not all of them were earned, on 4 hits allowed and 2 walks. He would strike out one batter. Marty Wiesler would pitch in relief of Gartley, and would pitch 1 and 2/3 innings, giving up a hit, 2 walks and 2 runs while striking out a batter. Stephen Spragg pitched the rest of the game and gave up just a hit while striking out a batter.

For the offense, Josh Blackstock had two singles and an RBI. Jeff Vincent had a single and a stolen base. Travis Garcia had an RBI single and a stolen base. Drew Saylor had an RBI single. Gerardo Verastegui had a single. Joe Spiers had a single. Sean Anderson had a single. The team just couldn't get enough momentum going to get back into the game after they fell behind.

I'm sorry for the length of this article, but there really isn't anything else to add to sum up this game. Like I said, it was close, and the Paints decided to run alittle along the base paths, but there weren't any home runs hit, and big gap hits have been hard to come by. Also, we're winding down the season, and there are only 6 games left for this season. Needless to say, there are going to be alot of changes coming, and everyone will just have to be prepared for these changes.

Another Solid Performance

Midwest 0, Chillicothe 1

One run was all that the Chillicothe Paints and Andrew McCormick needed. This was a game that really didn't feature any explosive offensive plays at all, but the Paints were on it compared to the Sliders. The Sliders commited two errors on defense, and both came at interesting points of the ballgame.

Andrew McCormick pitched a great game. This was by far his best performance for the Paints in the 2008 FL season. He went 8+ innings deep, and only gave up 2 hits, 2 walks and plunked a batter. That was all that was given up to the Sliders. No runs were scored, however, and with the momentum that McCormick had on the mound for this game, this was going going to be a game that the Paints wouldn't give up. Edwin Walker pitched the last inning and only gave up a walk, nailing the door shut for the save.

For the offense, Josh Blackstock had a single. Travis Garcia had a single. Joe Spiers had two singles. That was all the hits the Paints could rack up, but the one run scored came off a successful double steal attempt with runners on first and third base in the sixth inning.

To be honest, there wasn't really anything else you could add to this game because this was a pretty fast game. This was played in slightly over 2 hours. It sure helps when the opposing team isn't hitting alot and you can be able to get the hits you need to push across runs, or in this case, steal bases to get a run. That's how you manufacture runs to begin with.

Andy Pitches A Dandy

Midwest 1, Chillicothe 5

Although the pitching staff for the Chillicothe Paints has had more than their fair share of tough games, if you had to name one guy from the staff who has been the most consistent out of all of them, it would have to be Andy Polk.

For Polk, he pitched a very solid game to open up the final 9 game homestand of the season against the Midwest Sliders. Andy went the distance, pitching all 9 innings of the ballgame, a complete game, and would only give up one single run. He gave up just 4 hits and a walk. He recorded 5 K's. The bullpen thankfully wasn't used at all for this game. Andy made sure that wouldn't happen.

Now for the offense, the Paints did a good job of getting to Midwest's pitching and defense. Josh Blackstock had two singles and a stolen base. Jeff Vincent had an RBI single and a stolen base. Travis Garcia had two singles and an RBI. Adrian Cantu went deep to right field for a solo home run. Drew Saylor had a double. Zach Rodeghero had a single and got an RBI on a groundout. Sean Anderson had an infield single.

As we wind down for this year, I think we all just need to relax and let these remaining 8 games play themselves out. This has been a long and rough year, so ending it on a high note would be something great to see. I'm hopeful we'll go out the right way. I just want this team to hold their heads up high finishing out the year. I mean, these guys really do have the talent, but the overall execution has been lacking big time. Especially now, you gotta pull for them to make some noise.

Kings Clinch East Division

With last night's win over River City and Traverse City's loss to the Miners, the Kings have clinched the Frontier League East.

The wild card race is a real free-for-all. With Southern Illinois and Windy City tied for first in the West Division, both those clubs would make the playoffs, with Gateway, Rockford and Traverse City tied for the last spot. The first tie breaker is head-to-head record, and Gateway won the series from the Beach Bums, five games to one. The Beach Bums won the season series from Rockford, five to one. The RiverHawks hold a 5-4 edge over the Grizzlies, with those two teams playing August 29-31 at GCS Ballpark. The last series of the season finds the Miners visiting the Grizzlies and the RiverHawks visiting the ThunderBolts, while in the East Division the Beach Bums visit Kalamazoo. For Rockford, it could be a repeat of last season, where they had to decisively defeat the Kings on the last weekend of the season, and they did so. The last week of the 2008 season promises to be very interesting.

It could also happen that two teams who face each other to end the season then face each other again immediately in the playoffs.

Also of note, with last night's loss to Rockford, the Chillicothe Paints were eliminated from playoff consideration.

Chillicothe 2, Rockford 11

For the third straight game, the Chillicothe Paints have given up double-digit runs to the opposition. That opposition would be the Rockford RiverHawks. For a team that is hungry and is still fighting to make the playoffs, the RiverHawks did exactly what they had to do to get momentum going. These games are meaningful in that respect.

For the Paints, this has probably been one of the toughest stretches of losses in the history of the team. It's only just a 5-game losing streak, but with the way that these games are shaping out to be, you can tell that the whole team is, at this point, spent and tired. Everything that has been happening since late July has really taken a toll on this team.

For the offense, Sean Anderson batted second in the lineup and had a single. Travis Garcia went deep for a solo home run. Adrian Cantu had a single. Joe Spiers had an RBI single. I guess you could say that if the Paints' offense were a gas tank, it would probably be either on "E" or pretty close to it.

The pitching is what it is. It gave up 11 runs, although not all of them earned, on 9 hits allowed. The defense commited 4 errors in this ballgame. This comes from fatigue and a more than depleted bench with just one backup player.

Yeah, the lack of energy and focus has been noticed. As we reach these last 9 games of the 2008 regular season in the Frontier League, this much is certain; it's time to start thinking about the future. These last 9 games are going to be emotional to say the least. When you have the chance to field a team in your own backyard, it is simply an honor, and it's not to be taken for granted.

For some people, that's just too hard to understand.

The thing is, the writing looks to be on the wall, and I'm not talking about our win-loss record. I'm talking about the expressions of the diehard fans, who have gotten out of their own way to attend these games at the VA. Unless you have actually been at this place for numerous and countless times and experienced the same fun that we have experienced, then it would be hard to understand why we, Chillicothe Paints fans, do what we do night after night.

I guess why I'm writing about our situation and not about the game that was just played would be this; the time is coming. As we wind down yet another baseball season, it is time to reflect on what exactly happened and why we're even at this position right now. You can point the finger at high gas prices and mind you, that's an issue, but there's really no other reason why we are where we are. It's as simple as that.

Chillicothe 1, Rockford 12

The score says it all. All the damage was done before the midway point of the game came. It was a game where the flood gates opened, and it never really closed again until it was too late. Of course, it's true that the Chillicothe Paints are without a doubt eliminated from posteason contention. If you look at the standings, there is no logical way to make it through the many team and many game jungle that is the parity of the Frontier League. At this point, you have to play for team pride and you have to play the role of spoiler for a team that is still in contention.

Brian Gartley made the start for the Paints. He went only 2 innings of work, and gave up 7 runs on 7 hits allowed along with a walk and struck out 2 batters. He never got it going as the Rockford RiverHawks got to work early and often, and the runs they scored were more than enough for this game. Jeff Michael went 5 innings deep in relief of Gartley, and he gave up 5 runs on 7 hits allowed along with a walk while striking out a batter. Tommy Vrzal made a relief appearance as well.

For the offense, Josh Blackstock had two singles. Adrian Cantu had a single. Zach Rodeghero had the only RBI of the game, and that came on a double in the seventh inning. Gerardo Verastegui had two singles. That was it for the offense, as they just haven't had a good stretch of games lately. Alot of things haven't gone so well for the starting lineup. You can only tweak the look of the starting lineup so many times, and then it's just out of your control.

This season is a harsh reminder of how important it is to establish both your offensive presence, your pitching presence and your defensive presence. The Paints have not at all put all three together this season. There's always one department that has been lacking and completely missing. When you pitch well, you can't hit at all. When you're hitting the ball well, you're wild with the pitches. When you get into close games, the defense shuts down and collapses. This team has experienced all of those scenarios.

Chris Hanners Interview

Here's a link to an interview that Chillicothe Paints owner Chris Hanners did recently with "Dan & Mike In the Morning" on WCHI AM in Chillicothe.

Hitting The Road Again

Chillicothe 5, Rockford 10

Now this was a game that was competitive and was made close at times, but when you get down to the thick of things, it ended up being another way to lose a game. It's been that way for the whole season. So, how much different is this game? Not that different, but still, it stinks when you do actually get things in order for awhile and then things collapse again.

For the offense, Jeff Vincent had a stolen base. Travis Garcia had a single. Adrian Cantu had a single. Drew Saylor had two singles, a stolen base, and 3 RBI's. Gerardo Verastegui had two singles and an RBI. Sean Anderson had a single and a stolen base.

The pitching had a rough go at it to say the least. Stephen Spragg made the start for the Paints. He went 5 innings and gave up 7 hits, a walk, and 4 runs. He struck out a batter. Tommy Vrzal only faced two batters and walked them both, and a run was charged to him. Marty Wiesler gave up 2 hits, 2 walks and a run. Joe Brown gave up 3 hits, 2 walks and 4 runs. He also plunked a batter.

Like I said before, the game was at one point close and within reach. The RiverHawks pulled away late in the game, as they tacked on 4 insurance runs when they took the lead of 6-5 in their half of the eighth inning. Outfielder Travis Storrer announced his retirement after the last game against Windy City, so that left the roster to 23 players officially. This stop in Rockford will be the last roadtrip of the 2008 FL season.

Paints Swept At Home

Windy City 5, Chillicothe 2

This is what I know about the current situation on the field. Games that go by either too quickly or go by too slowly, but the result remains the same; the home team loses. In front of incredibly small crowds on hand at the VA, you can tell that the end of this 2008 season is going to end with a not-so-pleasant "thud" sound.

Andrew McCormick made the start for the hometown Paints. He pitched 8 innings in his start and gave up 5 runs total, and that was on 6 hits allowed, including a huge grand slam by Windy City in the eighth inning that broke the game wide open and secured the win and the series sweep for the Thunderbolts. kgave up 5 walks and struck out 3 batters. Jeff Michael pitched the ninth inning and gave up a solo home run.

For the offense, Travis Garcia had a single and had a 2-RBI double. Travis Storrer had two singles and went deep for a solo home run. Gerardo Verastegui had a single. Overall, Storrer had half of the total amount of hits for the Paints in this game, though Storrer and Garcia each had about equal offensive impact for the team. However, it still wasn't enough to overcome a lead that had skyrocketed with one swing of the bat.

I don't want to go into too much detail about this, but if you want me to be totally honest, then here it is. I believe Paints manager Mark Mason truly made a mistake in leaving McCormick in to pitch to another batter. After Mase left the mound to keep McCormick in, I admit that I "called" it; I claimed that a few more runs would cross the plate, and sure enough...

You know, home is where the heart is after all. V.A. Memorial Stadium has indeed been a home away from home for people like me. I love this old ballpark. The VA is like a buddy to me. You can't get lost, unless you intentionally get lost. I look around at the ballpark and it's old features, and in a way, I do feel bad for the place. This ballpark has done alot in helping the Frontier League become what it is today. Without the help of the VA, alot of what you see today may not have even existed. It just goes to show you, I guess.

Jon Tapper Wedding Photo

Here's a photo of former Rascals/Miners pitcher Jon Tapper and his new bride Kristi getting married last month in North Carolina. Just to remind us that there's more to these young men than just baseball.

The Bottom Falls Out

Windy City 3, Chillicothe 2 (11 innings)

Another good enough to great pitching performance that was put to waste by a dormant offense. That's how you sum up the recent woes for the Chillicothe Paints. The Paints were doing just fine through a good chunk of the game, until a 2-run home run was given up to the Windy City Thunderbolts in the fifth inning.

The fact of the matter is this; scoring 2 runs will not be enough to win many ballgames. In all honesty, starting pitcher for the Paints, Andy Polk, had a great outing aside from the 2-run homer. Andy went 7 innings deep in his start, giving up 4 hits and a walk and plunking a batter. He recorded 7 K's.

The offense, though, is really something you don't want to dwell on too much, or else thinking about these woes are going to drive you crazy. The Paints did score runs early and had a lead. Josh Blackstock, batting second in the lineup, had a single. Adrian Cantu had a single. Travis Garcia had an RBI single. Jeff Vincent had a single and a stolen base. Travis Storrer had a single. Gerardo Verastegui had two singles.

A former Paint spent time on the mound in this game. Relief pitcher Brian McCullough put in some time for the T-Bolts. It seems to me by looking at his outing, Brian seems to feel much more comfortable in his surroundings with the T-Bolts. You always wish for the best, and Brian McCullough is a good guy. He really is. If you talk to many players in indy league baseball, you'd be surprised how attached you get to them.

That's basically it for this game. The vibe of this game just didn't feel good from the seventh inning and on. I don't know what went wrong, but the switch really did go off from this point, I feel. Everything slowed down considerably, and the T-Bolts dug in and grabbed the momentum. That's what helped them in the extra innings.

Double Trouble, Paints Drop Two

Chillicothe 4, Windy City 5 (Game 1)

Chillicothe 0, Windy City 3 (Game 2)

Ouch. That would be one word to define this doubleheader the Chillicothe Paints had with the visiting Windy City Thunderbolts. In the first game of this doubleheader, the Paints batted first as the guests because this game originally started in Crestwood, Illinois. The game would be rained out back on July 10th, and would be made up when the two teams met again. This happened to be that day for it.

Ryan Flanigan pitched the rest of the first game from the third inning through the ninth inning, and in 7 innings of work, Flanny gave up 3 runs on 3 hits allowed and gave up a pair of walks. He struck out three batters.

For the offense, Travis Garcia had a single and a double. Drew Saylor had a single. Travis Storrer had a single. Nathan Faulkner had two singles and 2 RBI's. The first game was lost to the T-Bolts because of a big error made by the Paints defense. An off-angle throw by Drew Saylor pulled first baseman Adrian Cantu off the bag and chasing the ball in shallow right field. Two runs scored for Windy City right there.

Now in the second game, the offense for the Paints couldn't score any runs. In fact, they only three hits all game. Drew Saylor had two of those hits, two singles, and Jeff Vincent had the other, a double to go along with a stolen base he would pick up later on, but other than that, nothing happened. They were shut out by a much stronger and a much more mentally focused Thunderbolts team.

Mike Rocco made the start for the Paints in the second game. He went 5+ innings, giving up 2 runs on 3 hits allowed, while walking three batters, plunking two batters, and striking out one batter. Marty Wiesler saw some time on the mound in relief. Marty pitched the rest of the game and struck out two batters while giving up a run on a hit, plunking a batter, and throwing a wild pitch.

This type of baseball is just plain old ugly at this point. I can't help but think about when I read Phil Gray's Gameday Report, that he mentioned that it wouldn't hurt to go out with a bang. You know, I just don't know if we're going to get the bang that we want to go out on, because this team's confidence looks absolutely shot right now. Just a day or night in the life of a diehard baseball fan, I guess.

Paints Get Off The Road With Win

Chillicothe 7, Kalamazoo 1

These last three games for the visiting Chillicothe Paints have been sour to say the least. Only 1 run has been scored in the course of those three games. In the last game at Kalamazoo's Homer Stryker Field, the Paints were wide awake offensively. The Paints scored some runs thanks to some home run shots that cleared the short left field porch that is only 306 feet deep in the corner.

However, the position players weren't the only ones having a good game.

Lefty starting pitcher Brian Gartley had his best start of the 2008 season in this game, even better than his start just before this one. Gartley was simply outstanding on the mound, going 8 innings deep, the longest he's ever been in a ballgame for the Paints, and he only gave up one run, and that was a solo home run shot very late in his outing. He gave up 6 hits and 3 walks, but recorded 7 K's. This had to be flashes of how good Brian was back in Bradenton last year.

Joe Brown pitched the last inning to relieve Gartley. Brown only gave up a hit and no runs. If you had to make a guess, I think it would be okay to say that this was one of the best starts out the Paints' starting rotation all year. This was the type that I can relate to, seeing the team rest easy with 5, 6, or 7 run lead towards the later innings of the ballgame.

Nathan Faulkner had a single, an RBI single, and he went deep with a 2-run home run to break the game wide open in the sixth inning. Travis Garcia went deep for a solo home run. Zach Rodeghero had an RBI single. Drew Saylor had a single. Jeff Vincent had a triple and an RBI double. Travis Storrer had a single and a stolen base. Gerardo Verastegui had a single. Joe Spiers had an infield RBI single.

With this win, the Paints return home to V.A. Memorial Stadium coming off a 3-3 road trip. That's a .500 average. For the Paints to make one last charge for fading playoff hopes, they will play the Windy City Thunderbolts, who hold one of the last two playoff spots and lead the Paints by 7 and 1/2 or so games in the wild card chase. There will be a doubleheader on Tuesday, and teh T-Bolts will be the home team for the rain shortened first game.

Walkoff Homer

Craig Cottrell shot this video of last night's game winning homer by Rascals center fielder Luke Barganier.

Back-To-Back Shutouts

Chillicothe 0, Kalamazoo 5

Before the game, in the pregame interview, Paints manager Mark Mason mentioned the term "mentally retiring" while physically still trying. If you can get a feeling about what the Paints are doing at this point, it would probably have to be that way. The players on this team could have what it takes physically, but the mind is a tricky thing, by all means. If you're not mentally into it, you're going to struggle somehow.

The Chillicothe Paints lost to the Kalamazoo Kings, and this was the second time that the Paints have been shut out. The Paints have gone back-to-back putting up goose-eggs on the scoreboard. 20 consecutive innings full of them. The only batter that had a fairly good night was leadoff batter Nathan Faulkner, who had two singles. Zach Rodeghero had a single. Jeff Vincent had a stolen base. Joe Spiers had a single. Combine this 4-hit game with the 2-hit game against Traverse City, and you have just 6 hits altogether by the offense recently.

So with that, the pitching couldn't hold up after awhile. Andrew McCormick went 5 and 1/3 innings deep into his start and he gave up 3 runs, (not all of them were earned), on 7 hits allowed while walking a batter and striking out 4 batters. He also commited an error early in the game. Marty Wiesler pitched the rest of the game, giving up two hits and two runs while striking out just one batter.

I guess this would be familiar terrirtory for the Paints. The team just hasn't been successful at all on the road when you look at the whole body of work these last two seasons. It's nothing to write home about. It's become obvious ever since the homestand against River City around the beginning of August that mentally, the Paints are just losing control and focus. It seems as though they are distracted with everything that is going on; all the issues that involve them and that seems to be getting in the way of they should be doing, just going out to the field and having fun. No doubt, this is hard.

Riding Off Into The Sunset

If you haven't noticed, check out the Chillicothe Gazette website and go to the Opinion section, and go to "Riding Off Into The Sunset." That article is written by yours truly, Steven Vitte. I basically talk about the Paints situation that's at hand and how Chillicothe played a significant role in all of this.

http://www.chillicothegazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080815/OPINION02/808150315/1014/OPINION

Beach Bums Salvage Finale

Chillicothe 0, Traverse City 3

Just like the first game of this series, the Chillicothe Paints could only muster two hits for the entire game. The thing is, the Paints won the first game of the series, but in this game, what was supposed to happen when you get two hits did happen. The Paints just had an off night thanks to a much more focused Beach Bums squad. To be fair, the atmosphere at Weurfel Park can be pretty tough and challenging, just like the FieldTurf surface.

The only two hits were made by Drew Saylor and Zach Rodeghero. Saylor had an infield single in the eighth inning while Rodeghero had a double and reached third base on an error back in the third inning. The offense for the Paints made some contact on the ball, but they couldn't put it past the Traverse City defenders, who had the line shots come right at them.

On the mound, starting pitcher Andy Polk went through 7 innings of work, and gave up 3 runs, (not all of them earned), while also giving up 4 hits and 4 walks. He struck out only one batter. Polk also plunked a batter, raising the total number of plunked batters to 75. That's how wild the pitching has been for the Paints, and that number leads the FL. Jeff Michael pitched an inning of relief, and was pretty solid. He didn't give up any hits, walks, or runs, and struck out a batter.

Considering the situation the Paints are in right now, if you talk about a playoff push, this game would've been nice to win. As long as they find a way to get on a winning streak to end the season, the players will go out on a high note regardless. If you have a shaky season, then try to finish strong and look ahead to next season. That's true for any team that struggles.

Paints Win Series At Traverse City

Chillicothe 4, Traverse City 3

The thing to take from this win for the Chillicothe Paints would be this; there was a solid effort by the pitching staff. This was, for the most part, a well pitched game by the Paints, as starter Mike Rocco set the tone of the game, going 6 innings and giving up just one run. He gave up 5 hits and 4 walks while striking out 4 batters. He baffled Traverse City's offense with a display of changing up his pitches during at-bats.

Marty Wiesler pitched an inning of relief and gave up only a hit and a walk, and didn't give up a single run. Joe Brown was the only Paints pitcher that was even alittle shaky in performance, as he pitched 2/3 of an inning and gave up 3 hits and 2 runs, one of which was given up due to a balk call. He struck out a pair of batters. Edwin Walker pitched the rest of the game and all he gave up was a walk. He didn't give up a run and struck out a batter.

The offense found a bit of a swagger for this game. 3 players had two back-to-back hits. Nathan Faulkner had a single and a stolen base. Travis Garcia had two doubles and found a way to steal home plate after getting caught in a rundown. Drew Saylor had a stolen base. Travis Storrer had a single and a double. Zach Rodeghero had an RBI single. Bubba Garcia had two singles and an RBI.

This marked the first time in a long time that the Paints take a series on the road. The Paints have won their first two road games on this current trip. This could build some momentum towards the end of the season. No matter what happens, the team needs a confidence boost. Having a strong showing here could really help. The Paints will try to go for a rare road sweep tommorow night.

Rascals For Sale?

That's the rumor that has been floating around T.R. Hughes Ballpark for a few days, and this week the issue was addressed in the St. Louis Suburban Journals.

Owner Steve Malliet denies that he is actively trying to sell the team. Given Malliet's involvement in the proposed new franchise in Bloomington/Normal, IL and the Rascals' stagnant attendance. it's understandable how a rumor such as this could get started.

Best Day Ever?

Last night Florence center fielder Garth McKinney just may have had that.



In a 14-2 win over the Sliders, McKinney went 6-for-6 with four singles, a double and a homer, scoring four runs and driving in nine.

Get It Any Way You Can

Chillicothe 2,Traverse City 1

Wow. This was a game that was, for lack of a better word, strange. Perhaps, I might even be puting it mildly with that. The offense for the Chillicothe Paints mustered up only 2 hits throughout this game, and neither of those two hits factored into how the Paints got their two runs across the plate. Rather, it was by a throwing error and a passed ball by the Traverse City Beach Bums that helped matters for the Paints.

Sean Anderson batted leadoff and had a single. Jeff Vincent had a double. That was it, and they didn't compare to the big eighth inning that the Paints had. In the eighth, Joe Spiers took a walk. Sean Anderson was hit by a pitch. Nathan Faulkner bunted a ball on the extremely slow FieldTurf surface infield which was thrown away by the Beach Bums' defense. Adrian Cantu struck out. A passed ball went by the Beach Bums catcher to score Spiers who was at third. Travis Garcia then drove in Anderson, who was on third after the passed ball, via sacrifice fly.

Before you know it, those are two runs that won it for the Paints. Amazing, isn't it?

Brian Gartley made the start for the Paints. He would go 5 and 2/3 innings deep. He gave up only one run while giving up 4 walks and 3 hits and also plunking a batter. He struck out 3 batters. By far, this had to be Gartley's best outing in quite awhile. He has had it the roughest out of any starting pitcher for the Chillicothe Paints this year, so this was very refreshing to hear on the radio.

Speaking of the radio, I'd like to make a shoutout to Paints broadcaster Ryan Mitchell, who does a really solid job at doing what he does. He sure does have the voice to be that play-by-play guy on the radio for baseball games. He also can be quite clever using analogies to describe certain situations the Paints are in. I enjoy listening to the games, and one reason would be Ryan's commentary. Thanks, Ryan.

Miners Strike Early For Win

Southern Illinois 7, Chillicothe 2

All it really took was an error to get things started for the visiting team. The Southern Illinois Miners, currently leading the western division, found a way to capitalize off the Paints' fielding error in the first inning, and that would lead to a fairly quick 4 runs scoring.

To be fair, both teams were alittle sloppy defensively. Both the Miners and the Paints commited 2 errors each. The main difference in this game would have to be the offense. The offense was there for the Miners. It wasn't there for the Paints. Miners slugger Tim Dorn would go deep for a 3-run home run off Paints starter Ryan Flanigan.

Flanigan would go 6 innings deep in his start. He would give up 5 runs on 5 hits allowed, with three of those five hits being home runs. He gave up a walk and struck out 4 batters. Andrew McCormick pitched an inning of relief and would give up a walk and a hit. Edwin Walker pitched the rest of the game. In two innings, he gave up a walk, 3 hits and a run while striking out a batter.

For the offense, Adrian Cantu had a single and went deep for a solo home run. Travis garcia would have two singles. Drew Saylor also had two singles. Travis Storrer had a single. That was all that would come out of the Paints offense. The team would hit into some groundball double plays that would get them out of innings.

Branch Rickey Stadium

This is Branch Rickey Stadium in Portsmouth, Ohio, the home of the Portsmouth Explorers from 1993-95.

Coming From Behind And Not Quitting

Southern Illinois 4, Chillicothe 5

Okay, I have a confession to make, and you can put this on me. I left a bit too early for this one. I left at the top of the ninth inning with the Paints being down to the Miners 4-1. Looking at the score and looking at what had went on throughout this game, this reminded me alittle of the games when the team was just coming up short offensively, losing by a few runs.

Little did I know that when I got home, I checked the score and it said "5-4 in favor of the Paints." What a pleasant surprise! Josh Blackstock had a single. Nathan Faulkner had two singles, with one of them being in the ninth inning. Adrian Cantu had a good game. He had three hits with a double and two singles. Jeff Vincent had a double and led off the ninth with a single to get things going. Joe Spiers had a single and a stolen base back in the third inning. Travis Garcia had the game-winning base hit that drove in the last run of the ballgame.

Andy Polk made the start for the Paints. He went 6 innings deep in his start, giving up 4 runs on 7 hits allowed along with a walk. He struck out a pair of batters. Marty Wiesler pitched an inning of relief, giving up just a hit. It's also worth noting that Marty changed his uniform number from #8 to now #12. Joe Brown pitched the rest of the game, and for the last two innings, he struck out a pair of batters, and didn't give up a hit.

During the game, the umpiring was getting so terrible. Now, this much needs to be said about the FL umpires. This has to be one of the worst seasons ever umpired in the FL. I can't believe the calls that were made in this game, and this was all across the board, from the whole crew. The crowd at the VA, (and yes, there was a decent crowd) got really heated when a Paints baserunner was called out on first base. He clearly touched the bag before the ball got to the fielder's glove.

Oh well, what are you going to do with something like that? This game had enough twists and turns to make me remember this one for awhile, especially for the result.

Offense Stumbles In Loss

Southern Illinois 3, Chillicothe 0

Coming back home to V.A. Memorial Stadium, the Chillicothe Paints were in a game that was close for most of the time but by the end of the game, the offense couldn't come up with any asnwers for the three runs that the Southern Illinois Miners posted up. If you take a look at this game, this game was well pitched by both ballclubs.

Mike Rocco, recently signed by the Paints, made the start. For awhile, Rocco was pitching quite well, until he ran into trouble late in his outing. He pitched 6 and 2/3 innings, which was a good sign, but gave up 8 hits, two of them home runs that were completely sent to oblivion by two Miners batters. Rocco gave up 3 runs in all. He gave up 3 walks and plunked a batter while striking out one batter.

Stpehen Spragg was the only other Paints pitcher to take the mound in this game. He pitched the rest of the game and recorded 3 K's. Other than the three runs that were given up, if you take away that stretch of consecutive hits, Mike Rocco would've had a decent outing. Spragg was solid for his relief appearance. It was one of his good days.

For the offense, the Paints kept getting into trouble whenever it came to baserunning moving runners over via the bunt or the hit and run. Nathan Faulkner had a single in the first inning, but he would be caught napping at second base. Travis Garcia had an infield single. Travis Storrer had a single. Jeff Vincent had a single. Gerardo Verastegui had a single. That was all for the offense in this game.

In other news, Miners first baseman Tim Dorn is tall. When you look on from the stands and you see #35 for the Miners, Tim Dorn is a pretty big guy. His height compared to let's say Joe Spiers of the Paints, Dorn is head and shoulders taller than someone like Spiers. But make no mistake, Dorn can rake and mash the ball, and he's made a living of that in the Frontier League.

New Normal Ballpark

Artist's renderings of the new ballpark in Normal, IL have been released. Here's one:











A complete preview can be seen at Ballpark Digest, and Mike Veeck discusses the ballpark on the Ballpark Digest podcast.

Champion Window Field

Champion Window Field, home of the Florence Freedom. Video also shows the ceremonial first pitch and the antics of the team's mascots, Liberty and Belle.

Well, It Got Close

Chillicothe 10, River City 11

Before this game even got under way for the two teams, there was a lengthy weather delay around the original starting time of the game. The delay lasted for about an hour, and then things got started. In this road trip, the Chillicothe Paints have had to deal with adjusting to the likes of the ballparks in Southern Illinois and in O'Fallon. The team also has to get accustomed to the new young players that they have brought in before this road trip began.

Brian Gartley made the start for the Paints. Now getting a quality start has been hard to come by in general for the Paints this year, as there have been numerous occasions where the starting pitchers do not even get to the fifth inning. That's the story of the starting rotation. Gartley mustered 4 and 1/3 innings of work and gave up 9 runs on 9 hits allowed. He gave up one walk and struck out only a pair of batters.

Marty Wiesler would come in relief and would give up two runs on 4 hits allowed. He plunked a batter in a few innings of work. Joe Brown also came in to get some work in. He allowed the remaining hits of the game. Overall, it was once again just shaky from a pitching standpoint.

Whenever the Paints responded to a River City rally, the Rascals continued to rally even more. The Rascals scored the first runs of the ballgame. They scored 7 runs to lead it 7-0 until the fifth inning, when the Paints did manage to battle back and score 6 runs. In response, though, the Rascals would tack on a few more runs to secure the victory.

Nathan Faulkner had a 2-RBI single. Drew Saylor had an infield RBI single. Adrian Cantu had an RBI single. Travis Garcia had an RBI double and he would go deep twice for two solo home run shots that cleared the small ballpark dimensions of T.R. Hughes Ballpark. Travis Storrer went deep for a solo home run, had two singles, a pair of RBI's and a stolen base. Jeff Vincent had two singles and a stolen base. Gerardo Verasetgui had a single and a double. Zach Rodeghero, newly signed from Valparaiso University, had a single. Sean Anderson, newly signed from Williamette University, had two singles.

V.A. Memorial Stadium

V.A. Memorial Stadium, home of the Chillicothe Paints.

Bosse Field Video

Bosse Field in Evansville, IN, home of the Evansville Otters

Quite A Day For MIlestones

Yesterday was quite a day in the history of the Frontier League.

Isaac Hess of Windy City set a new franchise record with his 15th career victory, and did it in style, no-hitting the Midwest Sliders. It was the first no-no by a Cheetah/ThunderBolt. (By the way, Isaac Hess was the second player with that surname to toss a no-hitter in the FL. The very first one was tossed by Richmond's Christian Hess on June 8, 1997.)

Mike Breyman homered against Traverse City, his 421st career hit. That moves him into second all time in the Frontier League, 28 behind Fran Riordan.

Washington's beat Rockford for Aaron Ledbetter career win #50, becoming the first Frontier Leaguer to reach that milestone.

And today Traverse City outfielder Mike Goetz was sold to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization.

MAJOR Wesite and Blog Changes

Due to a major problem with the server that hosts the Frontier League History site, we are in the process of moving to a new server. While the website itself will not change, unfortunately the blog will change, and I am not sure if I can transfer the information on this current blog too it.

The new URL for the website will be: http://flhistory.gofreeserve.com/

The new blog will be at http://timperrysfromthebleachers.blogspot.com/

Welcome to the New Improved Blog

We have had numerous issues with our prior host and as a result have had to move the blog over to blogspot.com. This is going to be our permanent location and we are pleased as punch to be announcing it.

Please help us re-start our blog as we get off to a rousing start here at our new digs and thanks for your patience over the last few weeks when numerous posts and efforts were lost!

Stan