Nashville Xpress
| Nashville Xpress | |
|---|---|
| |
| Minor league affiliations | |
| Class | Double-A |
| League | Southern League |
| Major league affiliations | |
| Team | Minnesota Twins |
| Minor league titles | |
| League titles (0) | None |
| Team data | |
| Name | Nashville Xpress |
| Colors | Red, navy, metallic silver[1] |
| Ballpark | Herschel Greer Stadium |
The Nashville Xpress were a Minor League Baseball team from Nashville, Tennessee, that played from 1993 to 1994.[2] They played baseball at the Double-A (AA) level, the second-most difficult level before Major League Baseball (MLB), against other baseball teams in the Southern League.[2] Their home stadium was called Herschel Greer Stadium.[3] The Xpress were partnered with the Minnesota Twins of Major League Baseball. The team was named "Xpress" for the trains which ran along railway tracks beyond the ballpark's outfield wall.[4]
The Xpress began playing baseball in 1993. This happened after Charlotte, North Carolina, got a Triple-A team in 1993, leaving its Double-A Charlotte Knights without a home.[5] Nashville Sounds president Larry Schmittou let them use Greer as a temporary ballpark.[6] To make it work, the Xpress' home games were scheduled for when the Sounds were playing at their opponents' stadiums.[4] Schmittou was also in charge of running the team.[6]
The Xpresss left Nashville to temporarily play in Wilmington, North Carolina, in 1995 and 1996. There, the team was called the Port City Roosters.[7][8] They got a home in Mobile, Alabama, as the Mobile BayBears in 1997.[9] The team stayed in Mobile through the 2019 season after which they moved to Madison, Alabama, a suburb of Huntsville, where they became known as the Rocket City Trash Pandas.[10]
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Larry Schmittou ran the Nashville Express for two years.
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The Xpress played their home games at Herschel Greer Stadium.
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Greer Stadium had a giant guitar for a scoreboard.
References
- ↑ Taft, Larry (January 29, 1993). "Questions and Answers About Nashville's Double Play". The Tennessean. Nashville. p. 3-C – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Nashville, Tennessee Encyclopedia". Baseball-Reference. Sports Reference. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ↑ "Herschel Greer Stadium". Stats Crew. Retrieved January 23, 2025.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Taft, Larry (January 29, 1993). "Questions and Answers About Nashville's Double Play". The Tennessean. Nashville. p. 3-C. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Taft, Larry (January 23, 1993). "Before Team Can Come, Owner Must Be Decided". The Tennessean. Nashville. p. 3-C. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Taft, Larry (January 29, 1993). "One Ballpark, Two Teams: Xpress Rolls Into Town". The Tennessean. Nashville. p. 1-C. Archived from the original on February 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Wilmington Gets Team". The Tennessean. Nashville. February 8, 1995. p. 2C – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Wilmington Names New Team". The Nashville Graphic. Nashville, North Carolina. February 15, 1995. p. 1-B. Retrieved February 19, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Southern Ball Back in Mobile After 27 Years". The Selma Times-Journal. Selma, Alabama. April 15, 1997. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Ary, Patrick (September 5, 2018). "Rocket City Trash Pandas Chosen as New Madison Baseball Team's Name". WHNT. Retrieved April 22, 2020.