Tennessee Smokies

The Tennessee Smokies are a Minor League Baseball team based in the Knoxville, Tennessee metropolitan area. The team, which plays in the Southern League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball as of Sept. 21, 2006. Smokies Park, the team's ballpark, is located near Sevierville, Tennessee in the town of Kodak, opened in 2000, and seats 6,412 fans.

The team's nickname, "Smokies," refers to the Great Smoky Mountains mountain range which permiates the region; mountains in the chain are often clouded in a hazy mist that often appears as smoke rising from the forest.

Prior to 2005, the Smokies were the Double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals and before that the Toronto Blue Jays. However, when the Cardinals purchased the El Paso Diablos, which had been the Arizona Diamondbacks' AA affiliate, the Diamondbacks retained the Smokies as their new AA affiliate. On Sept. 21, the Chicago Cubs reached a two-year player development contract with the Smokies through the 2008 season.

Some notable major league baseball players that have played for the Smokies are Roy Halladay, Carlos Delgado, Shawn Green, and Felipe Lopez.

The team was based in Knoxville, Tennessee and called the Knoxville Smokies for many years before moving and changing its name in 2000.

Official Tennessee Smokies Website - www.SmokiesBaseball.com