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May 13, 2005 Little Fenway hosts charity event in Vermont By KEVIN GRAY Staff Sports Writer On a baseball field in the hills of Vermont, a Green Monster rises from the warning track, and there's a Pesky Pole down the right-field line. You'll even find bullpens, a Citgo sign and the triangular wall creation in center field. Welcome to Little Fenway Park in Jericho, Vt., a striking replica of the big-league version in Boston. It's where you'll find teams from across the New England and New York playing in the 4th annual Vermont Wiffle Ball Tournament. The event will be held Aug. 12-14 and will benefit the Travis Roy Foundation. In the past, hundreds of fans have attended the tournament to watch some Wiffle Ball, meet former Red Sox players and enjoy a concert. Last year, Red Sox legend Bill Monbouquette was a special guest at the event, and the "The Zambonis" entertained the crowd with music. More than $27,000 was raised throughout the tournament, which culminated with a championship game between the Comets Express of Tyngsboro, Mass., and the hometown Red Sox of Jericho. Previous guests have included former Red Sox players Bill Lee and Bernie Carbo, in addition to Tim Wiles from the Baseball Hall of Fame, who gave his "Casey at Bat" performance. Built in 2001, Little Fenway Park is the creation of Pat O'Connor, a former Boston-area resident with an obvious love for baseball and the original Fenway. His backyard field in western Vermont is about a one-quarter scale of the genuine attraction in Boston. This year, O'Connor will raise a 2004 World Series championship flag at the mini-park. "We've grown a lot since the first year. I think the field is becoming a landmark here in Vermont," O'Connor said. Standard Wiffle Balls will be used for the 2005 tournament. Since teams may use as many as nine fielders on defense, pitchers are asked to throw a high percentage of strikes to encourage lots of action. Umpires enforce a pitch-speed limit, and batters may walk after six pitches out of the strike zone. Players also run the bases and can be thrown out by getting zapped with a throw. For more information, visit www.littlefenway.com or www.travisroyfoundation.org . Appeared in The Union Leader (Manchester, NH) May 13, 2005
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