He was a protective big brother figure to the other boys. When he first met Scotty, an awkward, straight, architectural whiz kid from Erector Set who had just moved into the neighborhood, he immediately invited him to come with him to the sandpit and gave him the nickname "Smalls." When the other boys objected to adding Smalls to their incomplete team, it was Benny who insisted on giving him a chance, arguing that everyone should be able to be on the team. From that point on, Benny and Smalls formed a special, lifelong bond. Benny took him under his wing and taught him to play baseball, even giving him his old baseball hat and