| Bill Meyer Stadium was torn down in the spring of 2003 after serving as the home to a Knoxville franchise for many years. A new stadium was built in Sevierville which now serves
as the home for the Knoxville franchise. Along with changing stadiums,
they also changed their team name to Tennessee - apparently to
reflect their more regional appeal now. Bill Meyer Stadium was a classic
minor league park featuring a large covered grandstand. Because it hadn't
gone through extensive renovations like those at Engel Stadium in Chattanooga,
it was looking its age and certainly needed some work done to it. But just
a good paint job would have done wonders to this place. There were rumblings
about the park being situated in a bad neighborhood, but I didn't see this.
It was simply located among some rundown warehouses and factories that
were no longer in use. Unfortunately, I was never able to take in a game
here - it must have been a pleasant experience to do so. While the ballpark no longer exists, the playing field and lights still do. It has been renamed Ridley-Helton Field in memory of former Knoxville baseball owner Neil Ridley and former Knoxville native Todd Helton. Apparently it is now used by amateur leagues. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be any historical marker to indicate that a classic minor league ballpark once stood on the site. The last three photos above show what the site looks like now.
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