Smokies Owner Buys Old Knox Rail Salvage Site

#1
VolnJC

VolnJC

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#1
Could be a future home for a return to baseball in Knoxville. It would be awhile though. Smokies have a lease thru 2025 in Kodak.

Knox%20Rail%20Salvage%20cropped_1473180275266_5943817_ver1.0.jpg
 
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#3
#3
Nothing stopping him from keeping the Double A Smokies in Sevierville and having a team from a different Minor League classification in Knoxville. But Boyd owns several buildings in the Old City. It's highly likely it's just an investment.
 
#4
#4
Thunder Good-Oil said:
Nothing stopping him from keeping the Double A Smokies in Sevierville and having a team from a different Minor League classification in Knoxville. But Boyd owns several buildings in the Old City. It's highly likely it's just an investment.
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I wouldn't mind seeing a rookie league team in Knoxville..lots in upper east Tennessee so it would work.
 
#5
#5
Thunder Good-Oil said:
Nothing stopping him from keeping the Double A Smokies in Sevierville and having a team from a different Minor League classification in Knoxville. But Boyd owns several buildings in the Old City. It's highly likely it's just an investment.
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is that Boyd the same Boyd of Boyd's Jig and Reel?
 
#6
#6
I used to go see the K-Jays quite often at old Bill Meyer back in the day. How's their attendance been holding up in Sevierville? Are they keeping a steady following?
 
#7
#7
crusse10 said:
is that Boyd the same Boyd of Boyd's Jig and Reel?
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I believe so. He owns the buildings at the NE and SW corners of Jackson@Central. His main business is the pet products company that I think was maybe grown from a company founded by his father.

http://www.petsafe.net
 
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#8
#8
pismonque said:
I used to go see the K-Jays quite often at old Bill Meyer back in the day. How's their attendance been holding up in Sevierville? Are they keeping a steady following?
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I think they broke the regular season attendance record despite missing the playoffs.
 
#9
#9
While I was matriculating at UTK, I saw Dale Murphy (then with the Savannah Braves) play in K-town.
 
#11
#11
I think they have a few ways to get out of that lease, if in fact that's what they're going for.

Fingers crossed it happens.
 
#16
#16
This makes me sad.
We try to go to several Smokies games a year.
Especially now since they are a Cubs affiliate.
They even have Calhouns bbq there now.

I guess we'll go ti a lot more next year.
 
#17
#17
WallyBalls said:
I think they have a few ways to get out of that lease, if in fact that's what they're going for.

Fingers crossed it happens.
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Why would they want out of the lease? Do you think they would average 4k a night in Knoxville?
 
#18
#18
SpecialKVolfan20 said:
This makes me sad.
We try to go to several Smokies games a year.
Especially now since they are a Cubs affiliate.
They even have Calhouns bbq there now.

I guess we'll go ti a lot more next year.
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Yeah me too...I can literally be there in like 15 minutes.
 
#19
#19
VolnJC said:
Why would they want out of the lease? Do you think they would average 4k a night in Knoxville?
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Not saying they should or shouldn't want out of it, but Boyd's plan is to move them.

Will they average 4k for games in town? Probably not but wouldn't be unheard of comparing it to similar in-town stadiums. They will have better visibility in the city, much more opportunities for secondary events at the stadium, better ad revenue, etc. My sense is that the may see attendance as peaking right now and slowly dropping off in the future, but that's just a guess.

I mainly meant that that they and the lease holder are in a good spot that when the Smokies do move, they'll still have a property that will be just as valuable if not more so.
 
#20
#20
WallyBalls said:
Not saying they should or shouldn't want out of it, but Boyd's plan is to move them.

Will they average 4k for games in town? Probably not but wouldn't be unheard of comparing it to similar in-town stadiums. They will have better visibility in the city, much more opportunities for secondary events at the stadium, better ad revenue, etc. My sense is that the may see attendance as peaking right now and slowly dropping off in the future, but that's just a guess.

I mainly meant that that they and the lease holder are in a good spot that when the Smokies do move, they'll still have a property that will be just as valuable if not more so.
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Yeah my hope would be for him to get another franchise and have two...but either way I would still go to games.
 
#21
#21
according to WBIR it would cost $10 million to move the team right now per the current lease. It lessens with each year it gets to closer to the end of the lease apparently (which would be 2025).
 
#22
#22
volfanbill said:
according to WBIR it would cost $10 million to move the team right now per the current lease. It lessens with each year it gets to closer to the end of the lease apparently (which would be 2025).
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Is there any way to find out if he is making or losing money in Kodak? I would have to think the land there would be cheaper than downtown Knoxville.
 
#23
#23
VolnJC said:
Yeah my hope would be for him to get another franchise and have two...but either way I would still go to games.
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When John Brice floated the idea of stationing a rookie league (Appy league) team there, I highly doubt he was just spitballing. It would fit perfectly into that league, and leave it open for travel ball, college games, etc.


volfanbill said:
according to WBIR it would cost $10 million to move the team right now per the current lease. It lessens with each year it gets to closer to the end of the lease apparently (which would be 2025).
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My understanding it would be $10mill to just walk away, but that could be negotiated down if they had a replacement tenant, etc. I may be wrong though.


VolnJC said:
Is there any way to find out if he is making or losing money in Kodak? I would have to think the land there would be cheaper than downtown Knoxville.
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I'm sure they're turning a profit, but he probably sees this as a way to increase the value of the team (and have a stadium he would own rather than lease).

Where he bought in downtown is probably cheaper and swimming in government incentives to boot.
 
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#24
#24
VolnJC said:
Is there any way to find out if he is making or losing money in Kodak? I would have to think the land there would be cheaper than downtown Knoxville.
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to add to the above, they set attendance records, so I'm sure he's doing pretty well.
 
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