During our visits/research on minor league baseball franchises in East Tennessee, we noticed some common trends. It wasn’t until we saw the Tennessee Smokies and Johnson City Cardinals on the same day that it finally hit us: these franchises are owned and/or operated by the same group, Boyd Sports LLC. As of this season, Boyd Sports also assumed operation of the new Greeneville Reds, another Appalachian League franchise.

Boyd Sports is owned by Randy and Jenny Boyd with Randy currently running for the Republican nomination for governor of Tennessee. Randy and Jenny have built many successful companies and have used some of their earnings to reinvest in their state: to improve and enhance the communities of East Tennessee.

As visitors to Tennessee mainly for baseball, we were able to objectively evaluate these venues. Especially in comparison to other franchises in the state or league, we have been highly impressed with the marketing and promotions these Boyd Sports entities offer. It truly appears that Boyd sees baseball as we do...one of the best ways to bring a community together.​

Ballpark Adventures has another crazy tour scheduled for NEXT WEEK. Heading out in the early morning hours after the UFC Heavyweight Title fight between Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier, July 8th starts this six-stop tour.

This adventure takes us over the mountains into Tennessee with a brief swing through Virginia before heading South back to the Charlotte area. Due to fortunate openings in my schedule once again, we're even adding an extra day to go out and venture the world. This led us to exploring what was available on Rocky Top...