He was a protective big brother figure to the other boys. When he first met Scotty, an awkward, heterosexual young prodigy of architect Erector Set who had just moved into the neighborhood, he immediately invited him to go down to the sandlot with him and gave him the nickname “Smalls”. When the other boys objected to adding Smalls to their incomplete team, it was Benny who insisted that they give him a chance, arguing that everyone should be able to be on the team. From that moment on, Benny and Smalls formed a special bond that would last a lifetime. Benny took him under his wing and taught him how to play baseball, even giving him his old baseball cap and