Rico

Way back when, when neighborhood children played actual games on actual outdoor fields, there was this preteen who was an absolute vacuum cleaner on the baseball diamond. We called him Rico, after Rico Petrocelli, a known Boston Red Sox third baseman at the time. Our Rico could snap up any ground ball and track down any pop fly hit anywhere near his station. He impressed us almost every pickup game.

It turns out his name is Ray, and he works as a counter man at an industrial supply store where I occasionally make needed purchases. I'd dealt with him there for the last few years, until he realized who Cosgriff was and made the connection. Now I call him Rico when I see him.

He hasn't played ball in years. Of course, neither have I. Yet I remember thinking back in the day that he surely had a future in the game. "Nah, that was just kids having fun," he modestly explains it away. 

However that may be, it is cool to have a childhood connection in your life again. We had a lot of fun on the sandlots. Small world.