The crack of bats and the yelling from the bleachers; the smells of hot dogs and dust. A ballfield evokes many memories. As Eagleton Ballpark’s renovation nears completion, we look back at its role in the community.
Since the mid-20th century, Eagleton Ballpark was a centerpiece of the community along East Broadway and Old Knoxville Pike. Once a barren field with a creek, the field developed in a lively spot for Little League, school and church teams to play baseball and softball. It was also a popular hangout for residents of Eagleton Village.
Bruce Dixon (pictured here alongside his Eagleton Little League photo) recalls that he could hear games from the front yard of his childhood home: “I loved those sounds.”
He added, “Being so close to the games made feel like I was at the center of a bustling community. And I was.” At age 7, Dixon’s parents permitted him to bike from his Benjamin Drive home to the ballpark.
He and his friends would play wiffle ball there in the off season, the “real” ballfield adding importance to their games. In-season, he’d go for the games—and for getting those tasty concession stand snacks.
Dixon admits he wasn’t great at catching balls, but he was a pretty good hitter and a fast runner. He earned a few home runs with his speed, but his most important memories aren’t about the baseball itself.
One summer, for instance, he was on a team with a bully named Rodney, who “pushed me and many of my teammates around.” With his dad’s advice, Dixon stood up to Rodney, using “all the courage my ten year old heart could muster.” But pushing back at the bully “felt even better than one of my in-the-park home runs,” Dixon said.
Blount County Mayor Ed Mitchell was also an Eagleton kid, and in a public statement about the renovation, he recalled playing there himself. His sons also played there.
“There is naturally a little bit of sadness as I see it get torn down to be rebuilt,” Mitchell said in the statement. “But there are good reasons for rebuilding.” Those reasons include stormwater drainage and traffic flow.
Eagleton Middle School and Eagleton College and Career Academy will have access to the seven renovated fields. The fields will also continue to host community leagues.
Kailyn Juday recalls her days on the Eagleton ballfield, playing with the Patriots. “It was so much fun!” she said. In addition to forming lifelong friendships there, she said, “I learned so much about teamwork and softball in general. I hold the years I spent playing at the ballfield close to my heart and look back on that time often.”
Dixon echoed that sentiment: “I learned so much more than just the game of baseball there. I learned the value of community. I learned the excitement of live sports. I learned about the bonds of friendship. I learned about the allure of a woman in uniform. And I learned that my dad was right to make me stand up to that oversized bully….”
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