When I was young, I liked playing baseball. We lived in the country and all the boys I rode the bus with would get home, change clothes and meet at a field down our road and play baseball till supper time every chance we got. Some of these guys were good too! I was, OK? 

Then I joined Little League, and I liked the fact that we got a uniform, but you had to buy your own shoes! Out came the Sears and Roebuck and I ordered a pair that I was sure would make me run faster (they didn’t). I was proud of them anyway. I would clean and polish them every time we had practice or a game and boy did they shine!!! 

I was always a little early for practice, about a half hour, and one day the coach showed up and walked over to where I was.

He said, “Boy those shoes are sure shiny. Do you polish them after every game?”

I told him “YES!”

“Well” he said, “Don’t! In fact could you put a little dust on them? Every time I look your way, I get blinded!” 

Well now let me tell you that hurt my ego a little!!! But I did as he asked!

The following year we got new uniforms, and they went good with those shoes of mine! Our team was the Indians and Canoe Country Outfitters sponsored us from Ely, MN. Our new uniforms were white! Well Mom washed my uniform after every game and on one washing, she didn’t see a red sweater in the clothes. She didn’t mean for this to happen, but she even washed my uniform by itself trying to get it white again. But that never happened.

I wore it to the next game and my coach said, “What happened to your uniform? It’s pink!” 

I told him of the mishap. Well it wasn’t long, everyone on my team and in the bleachers were calling me PINKY. Even all my buddies that lived in the country rode their bikes into town to see me play in my uniform and my mom even came to watch and wore sunglasses and a scarf (incognito)! Well, you know something like that is going to stick with you and that was my nickname the rest of the time I went to school up North!

At least this nickname was still a little better than one of my best friends whose name was BOOGER!