A pocketful of poison.

• Author: Barrett, Wayne M.
• Position: SPORTS SCENE - Boys and sports

IN THE COLD-WEATHER MONTHS, during the local Youth League-sponsored street hockey season, they're the Rocket and Pocket Rocket--and why not? Their grandmother has been a monster Montreal Canadiens fan since the heyday of Maurice "The Rocket" Richard. Moreover, Grandma's son, who is the boys' lather and would-be coach (that's me), can well remember the days when Maurice's little brother, Henri "The Pocket Rocket," was winning an it-will-stand-forever record 11 Stanley Cups. The boys fit the profile, too, at least as close as an eight- and six-year-old can: Alex is older, bigger, and stronger--with a tendency to try to go through defenders rather than around them. Trevor, on the other hand, is shifty, quick. and fast--very fast. Around the house, we call him "Dash" after the character from "The Incredibles." Now that's a race I'd love to see.

The boys also play soccer in the fall and spring, and form a decent--if at times frantic--backcourt during the winter basketball campaign. Come Little League season, though, the Rocket and Pocket Rocket officially are put to bed in favor of the baseball personas of Big Poison and Little Poison, the Hall of Fame Waner brothers--Paul and Lloyd, respectively--who tore up the National League for the Pittsburgh Pirates during the 1920s and '30s. For Easter, we even gave our potent hitting tandem personalized Louisville Slugger bats that read, Alex Big Poison and Trevor Little Poison.

While Alex, who throws left but bats right, is the more cerebral of our pair of diamond gems--for him, baseball is as much mental as it is physical, and his thoughtful and studied approach to the game at such a tender age bodes well for his future between the white lines--- Trevor, who throws fight but bats left, is the more exciting player to watch thanks to his aforementioned speed and picture-perfect swing. His hitting exploits deserve a column of their own (or so says his dad); so, for now, we'll just concentrate on his speed demon demonstrations.

When Trevor is alone in the backyard, he'll play kickball by himself, rolling the pitch toward home plate, then racing by the ball so he can kick it, before bolting back into the field to catch it. Admittedly. he still is unable to run the bases and field at the same time. Still, the whole routine is reminiscent of that famous cartoon in which Bugs Bunny plays every position for his baseball team. Hilarious stuff.

Trevor, though, is no less dynamic a character in soccer, which, in...