News of the Day

FENWAY “JUNIOR” FINDS HOME IN ESSEX; OUR FIELD OF DREAMS

by Craig Altschul

Don’t be surprised to see Boston’s historic Fenway Park – in Essex, Vt. Pat O’Connor, a long-time baseball fan in general, but of the Red Sox in particular, decided to build the miniature replica behind his house in 2001, says the Associated Press. Details include a 12.5-foot-tall Green Monster, a 3×3-foot plastic Citgo sign just past the left-field wall, and baseball-shaped markers in right field that represent the retired jersey numbers of players like Ted Williams. O’Connor also built a “Little Wrigley” behind Fenway. It, too, has the elements of the real park, including an ivy-adorned faux brick wall, and flagpole pennants with the names of famous Cub players. Teams have competed every August since 2002, in a three-day event to raise money for the Travis Roy Foundation that aides victims of spinal cord injuries. Roy is a former Boston University hockey player who was paralyzed from the neck down while playing in his first game. Games run into the night at both parks. The tournaments have raised $715,000 to date for the Foundation, in addition to thousands more for other charities. “It’s a magical place that really removes you from everything else that’s going on in your life,” says Roy.It’s Vermont’s Field of Dreams.

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About Craig Altschul

Craig Altschul is Editorial Director of SnoCountry.com. He is a veteran snow journalist, having covered the sport for more than 40 years. His syndicated snow sports humor column, Ski Tips, ran in newspapers across the country for 20 years. He was Global Editor-in-Chief for OnTheSnow for 12 years and has written for a variety of magazines and newspapers. Altschul is past president of both the Eastern Ski Writers Association and the North American Snow Journalists Association.

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