Little Fenway
Tim Naehring and Little Fenway Park
Tim Naehring made his major league debut on July 15, 1990. His first major league hit came the next night, as he knocked in the Red Sox' only run in a 1-0 victory over the Twins. On the 17th, he hit his first home run, marking the beginning of a Red Sox rally that saw them come from being behind 4-0 to winning 5-4. That home run still stands out as one of Tim's
favorite baseball memories.
Tim was a member of the Red Sox from 1990 to 1998. When not bothered by injuries, he had productive offensive numbers and was solid defensively, playing shortstop, second base, and third base skillfully. In 1995, he hit .365 into the middle of June, leading the league. In May of the next year he had an 18-game hitting streak. Unfortunately, an elbow injury in the first half of 1997 sidelined him for the rest of that year and for all of the following season.
Over the years, Naehring became a fan favorite at Fenway. Throughout it all, Tim has always given generously to the community. He founded Athletes Reaching Out, or ARO, which brings athletes together with children to teach them to stay in school and remain drug-free. In addition, he has shown his dedication to the Red Sox by building a Little Fenway Park on his old little league field outside of Cincinnati. He also plans to build a similar park in the Boston area.
On March 1, 1999, Naehring signed a minor league contract with the Cincinnati Reds. He will also work in the Reds organization in the player develpoment and scouting departments, as well as being an assistant to the general manager. He will continue in the Reds' front office if he is unable to return to action on the diamond. On this page, you can take a brief tour of Li'l Fenway and find out more about ARO.
Field Dimensions:
292' down the left field line
274' down the right field line
In 1996, Naehring began construction of "Li'l Fenway Park" in Miamitown, OH, on the little league field he played on as a child. It is a replica of the real Fenway Park, built to scale, and complete with Green Monster and Pesky's Pole. I visited Little Fenway in June of 1997. It's an impressive sight. It looks like a typical little league field, except that instead of perhaps being surrounded by a small fence, large green walls rise up out of the ground! The walls and the dimensions are all correct, capturing the intricacies of Fenway's outfield. It takes a little imagination, though, because the walls are all there, but there aren't 35,000 seats lining the field. Instead of seeing bleachers over the outfield wall, the view is of Interstate 74.
All in all, the park looks great, and the youth of Cincinnati are very lucky to have such a great person so active in their community!
