ALL ACCESS PASS: When Pro Baseball Came to Paintsville
- kentuckysportsmemo
- Apr 30
- 2 min read
A Small Town With a Big Baseball Dream
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Paintsville, Kentucky, a town of fewer than 5,000 residents, became a unique home for professional baseball, defying odds stacked against small-town dreams. Founded by Paul Fyffe, a radio professional with a passion for America's pastime, the Paintsville baseball team energized a community that many might have considered too small for such a venture. According to Mike Fyffe, Paul's son, "People rolled out the red carpet for them."
Big Dreams...
The appeal of pro baseball in Paintsville was tied to something deeper—the dream of young athletes chasing success. Most players on the team were just starting out, freshly drafted from high school or college and hoping to make it big. Mike Fyffe, whose father helped bring the team to town, described his dad’s love for that stage of the game. “It painted a romantic picture to him,” he said, “of young guys with big dreams.”
...In A Small Town
Upon arriving in Paintsville, players hailing from larger cities like St. Louis, encountered a world strikingly different from their hometowns. Bob Wilber, a player from the team, remarked on the initial "culture shock" but soon realized, "These people love us."
The players quickly adapted by finding local spots like Wilma's Café and Giovanni's Pizza, where they mingled with residents, exchanging stories and becoming part of the community fabric. These spots became gathering places where players and residents connected.
A Legacy That Lasts
Paintsville's brush with professional baseball may have been brief, from 1979 to 1984, yet its legacy endures, offering valuable lessons in ambition, community, and adaptation. As Mike Fyffe reflects on the enthusiasm painted across the town, the sentiment stays: Paintsville's embrace of its baseball team left a lasting imprint on both the players who passed through and the fans who cheered for them.
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