Mountains of Fun

The entrance sign to Tennessee Smokies Ballpark calls it “America’s Friendliest Ballpark.” It’s hard to argue. The people working at the stadium are aggressively helpful whether you need directions to the team store, recommendations for ballpark cuisine or to replace your ticket that got swept away in the wind. The ballpark is easy to get off of I-40 at the exit taking you to Dollywood and the Gatlinburg entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

There’s been a baseball team in or near Knoxville, Tenn., since the late 1800s. Much of the time the teams used the name Smokies, for the magnificent mountains nearby. The team moved in 2000 to nearby Kodak and the expanding tourist megaplex around Dollywood. If you like baseball, roller coasters and beautiful mountain scenery, this is the right place to be. Just be prepared for some heavy duty local traffic.

Outside the ballpark, the W flag flies after a victory.
Milepost shows the way to other Cubs teams.

The AA baseball Smokies carry an original name, but their insignia and uniforms imitate the style of the Chicago Cubs, their major league team. This seems to be a general rule for Cubs teams. The Triple A Iowa Cubs and High A South Bend Cubs even use the same name as the big league team. The oddball is Chicago’s Low A Myrtle Beach Pelicans, which has a name and colorful identity befitting their seaside locale.

Side by side offerings at the team store for Cubs and Smokies merchandise.

The Smokies team store offers a good amount of Chicago Cubs merchandise and a lot of lookalike Tennessee Smokies gear. You might bump into the Smokies’ mascot, Homer, not a cub but a full-grown bear, or at least someone in a full-grown bear costume. In keeping with another Cubs tradition, the Smokies fly a white flag with a blue W alongside Old Glory and the Tennessee state flag after a victory. At the Taste of Chicago concession stand, you can get a foot-long hot dog, Chicago style.

Taste of Chicago on the concourse. Tater tots with Bush's chili on top.

For a little more local flavor, you can get a nacho bowl or loaded tater tots featuring Bush’s Best Baked Beans that are produced in nearby Dandridge, Tenn. Moonshine and blended cocktails are on the menus around the ballpark too.

There are plans for a return to Knoxville in a few years to a downtown stadium which will be part of a new shopping, dining and residential development. Will they become the Knoxville Smokies again? Only time will tell, meanwhile there are still at least a couple of years to enjoy minor league baseball amidst the beauty of the Great Smoky Mountains.

It got late early for the Tennessee Smokies. Another day, another game will come.

It was a rough night for the Smokies. The visiting Mississippi Braves piled it on early with big innings in the second and third to take a 7-0 lead. Another big inning in the sixth put the game out of reach, despite the efforts of the Smokies to mount a comeback. It could have been a lot worse. The first home run for the Braves came with one runner on base, and two later homers were solo shots. Final Mississippi Braves 11, Tennessee Smokies 4.

It wasn’t what the Smokies fans were looking for, but it’s hard to feel dejected while leaving the stadium as Dolly Parton trills “Nine to Five.”

A double-duty pin for the Smokies and Cubs.