
“Put me in, Coach!” Kim Henry, left, and Deborah Franklin enjoyed the part of the exhibit that focused on women in baseball.
Coinciding with the scheduled return of the Smokies baseball team to downtown Knoxville next month, the East Tennessee History Center this Saturday will open a fun and fact-filled exhibit on the history of the sport in Tennessee.
Local supporters celebrated with a sneak preview and a reception at the Gay Street center last night. The exhibit is chock-full of fascinating details ranging from the origin of famous quotes and sayings to historical photos and artifacts dating back to the first baseball game in Knoxville.
Held in 1867, just two years after the end of the Civil War, the game featured two local teams — the Knoxvilles and the Holstons — and was played not far from the location of the Smokies’ new stadium, Covenant Health Park.
“Baseball brings people together,” an enthusiastic Randy Boyd, owner of the Knoxville Smokies, the Chicago Cubs’ Double-A minor league affiliate, said during brief remarks. “When you watch some sports, people are looking straight ahead, glued to the game action. But in baseball, they are looking at each other, talking and socializing. Young and old; rich and poor; people from all parts of the community.” Continue reading