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.