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Chillicothe Paints Professional Baseball
The Chillicothe Paints Professional Baseball Association, Inc. is a member of the top Single A, Independent League in the country, the Frontier League of Professional Baseball. The Frontier League fields teams in cities throughout Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Missouri. The Chillicothe Paints, the charter member of the Frontier League since 1993, make their home at V.A. Memorial Stadium. The Paints are celebrating, as well as the league, their 10th season of professional baseball.
In February of 1993, Dr. Chris Hanners along with the Chillicothe/Ross Chamber of Commerce and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center brought professional baseball to Southern Ohio. On a rainy Wednesday night in June of 1993, fans totaling 2,154 saw the first-ever Frontier League game in Chillicothe. The Paints were victorious on that night over the Portsmouth Explorers, and Paints' Baseball began to thrive and prosper throughout Southern Ohio.
Even though the Paints are in a small-market area, they know how to attract the big names of baseball. On Opening Day of 1995, the Paints brought in Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench to catch the first pitch. In 1996, another member of the Big Red Machine, Pete Rose, Major League Baseball's all-time hit king, thrilled fans at V.A. Memorial Stadium. In 1999, Hall of Famer and voice of the Cincinnati Reds, Marty Brennaman spoke to a group of over 200 Paints' fans at the first annual Winterfest and the 2000 Winterfest brought 250 baseball fans to see Ken Griffey, Sr. speak. Former Paints' pitcher, Brian Tollberg, was the 2001 Winterfest guest speaker. Tollberg became the first Frontier League player in history to make it to Major League Baseball. And this past February, Winterfest 2002 showcased the baseball movie, A Little Inside. The motion picture premiered in front of a packed house at the historic Majestic Theatre. The film had many scenes shot at V.A. Memorial Stadium at a local downtown restaurant named, The Dock at Water. In attendance that night was two of the film's stars, Benjamin King and Hallie Eisenberg.
Throughout the history of the Paints, appearances by syndicated talk show host Gary Burbank and 700 WLW personality Andy Furman have enhanced Paints' baseball. Entering their fourteenth season, the Paints will play 48 home games during the 2006 Season.
The Paints drew 20,253 fans in the inaugural season of 1993. In their second year, attendance grew to 32,808. Winning Organization of the Year honors in 1996, the Paints increased attendance by 65% to 51,419 fans. In winning Organization of the Year for the second time in three years, 1998's attendance improved once again, reaching 71,782 fans; an average of over 1,800 per game. For five straight years, the Paints have drawn more than 70,000 fans each season.
Chillicothe Professional Baseball is proud of their team logo and trade name, the Chillicothe Paints featuring the Paint Horse. The logo was chosen to stay within the original theme set by the Frontier League. The Paint horse is documented as being the preferred horse by the American Indians, considered by many authorities to be the greatest horsemen who ever lived. The Paint horse is known for it's combination of versatility, strength and aggressiveness which we display within our logo; a horse with markings and war feathers flowing from the horse's mane. The Paint horse is to symbolize the team spirit and is known as the Sports Model of the Horse World. The official team colors are navy blue and white with accents of scarlet and gold.
In February of 1993, Dr. Chris Hanners along with the Chillicothe/Ross Chamber of Commerce and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center brought professional baseball to Southern Ohio. On a rainy Wednesday night in June of 1993, fans totaling 2,154 saw the first-ever Frontier League game in Chillicothe. The Paints were victorious on that night over the Portsmouth Explorers, and Paints' Baseball began to thrive and prosper throughout Southern Ohio.
Even though the Paints are in a small-market area, they know how to attract the big names of baseball. On Opening Day of 1995, the Paints brought in Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench to catch the first pitch. In 1996, another member of the Big Red Machine, Pete Rose, Major League Baseball's all-time hit king, thrilled fans at V.A. Memorial Stadium. In 1999, Hall of Famer and voice of the Cincinnati Reds, Marty Brennaman spoke to a group of over 200 Paints' fans at the first annual Winterfest and the 2000 Winterfest brought 250 baseball fans to see Ken Griffey, Sr. speak. Former Paints' pitcher, Brian Tollberg, was the 2001 Winterfest guest speaker. Tollberg became the first Frontier League player in history to make it to Major League Baseball. And this past February, Winterfest 2002 showcased the baseball movie, A Little Inside. The motion picture premiered in front of a packed house at the historic Majestic Theatre. The film had many scenes shot at V.A. Memorial Stadium at a local downtown restaurant named, The Dock at Water. In attendance that night was two of the film's stars, Benjamin King and Hallie Eisenberg.
Throughout the history of the Paints, appearances by syndicated talk show host Gary Burbank and 700 WLW personality Andy Furman have enhanced Paints' baseball. Entering their fourteenth season, the Paints will play 48 home games during the 2006 Season.
The Paints drew 20,253 fans in the inaugural season of 1993. In their second year, attendance grew to 32,808. Winning Organization of the Year honors in 1996, the Paints increased attendance by 65% to 51,419 fans. In winning Organization of the Year for the second time in three years, 1998's attendance improved once again, reaching 71,782 fans; an average of over 1,800 per game. For five straight years, the Paints have drawn more than 70,000 fans each season.
Chillicothe Professional Baseball is proud of their team logo and trade name, the Chillicothe Paints featuring the Paint Horse. The logo was chosen to stay within the original theme set by the Frontier League. The Paint horse is documented as being the preferred horse by the American Indians, considered by many authorities to be the greatest horsemen who ever lived. The Paint horse is known for it's combination of versatility, strength and aggressiveness which we display within our logo; a horse with markings and war feathers flowing from the horse's mane. The Paint horse is to symbolize the team spirit and is known as the Sports Model of the Horse World. The official team colors are navy blue and white with accents of scarlet and gold.