I’m just not going to comment/acknowledge that the Red Sox just got swept on the road by Oakland and just hope that when they get to Safeco field, the Mariners are still God-awful.

Instead I’m going to blog about the minor league expirence I had Saturday night. We had been planning on heading up to Smokies Park to watch the Tennessee AA team against the Mississippi Braves anyway, but upon looking online to check rosters, starting pitchers etc., I was greeted on the smokiesbaseball.com sight with the news that Atlanta Braves pitcher, and future HOF’er, John Smoltz had arrived to meet up with the AA club for a rehab inning or two. Knoxville being only three hours away from Atlanta, road AA Braves were the closest for him to join up with.

Now Knoxville’s not small, but its not huge either, and news that the main man from the neighboring Braves was headed here was all over the interwebs, local news and ESPNNEWS very quickly. We ordered blecher seats online for the will call just in case, and as my four year old and I often do, talked my wife into getting us there for batting practice, a full one hour and fourty-five minutes before game.

In this football mad area, we are usually, aside from maybe one or two other baseball gloved people, pretty much alone at batting practice. We hit the berm, try to snag some balls, head down to the visitors bullpen and watch some guys warm up, my four year old is obssessed with catchers.We can usually chat up some players, and the boy always gets a baseball or two. Not tonight however, there were already people lined up waiting for the gates to open.

We headed in and straight for the outfield berm, most everybody else head for the visiting Braves dugout with thier balls, baseballcards and posters and waited. We snagged a BP ball, my son was entertained by chatting up the outfielders and we played catch for a while. Then the throng begain pressing forward as Smoltz exited the dugout about an hour an a half before game time, and started at the edge of the steps autographing. He spent the next hour or so working his way down the third base line. We managed to hand him a Southern League ball that we got last time we were here, which he signed and passed back. He looked tired and overwhelmed and probably just wanted to pitch, but he new who the people were here for and to his credit he delivered. Reports were he was to throw two innings in relief, problem with that was that the Braves starter, Jerome Gamble, had  a no hitter going through seven.

But as soon as the Smokies broke through, Smoltz emerged and began throwing to a huge ovation, his first pitch was met with flashbulbs usually reserved for homerun records. He worked one inning, gave up a hit, which really wasn’t his fault. On a comebacker, Smoltz lept up, fielded it and turned to throw to first base…….where no one was covering. After the final out, Smoltz walked off having thrown eleven pitches and getting another ovation. Sadly after he left so did the part of the record crowd of 7,000 plus who were wearing Braves gear. The Smokies won 3-2, plus there were a couple of “Web Gem” worthy moments. One by the Smokies right fielder to steal away at least a double, and an impressive, through the bullpen, into the crowd foul ball catch by the Braves right fielder to get Smoltz his second out.

So a great pitchers duel, extra effort in the field, and an apperance and autograph from a future HOF’er, all for seven bucks a ticket. Not a bad night at all.