Halloween is a great holiday for kids of all ages. You get to dress up in a costume and be your favorite superhero, a doctor, a teacher, or professional sports player. And a lot of kids dress up in costumes that represent who they see themselves as when they “grow up.” Growing up in Rhode Island, I was never a huge fan of dressing up or wearing a funny masks or outrageous costume. I mostly stuck to what I knew and what was in my comfort zone and what I aspired to be – a baseball player. I always had a “costume” that was in my size and I could always interchange my team baseball jersey with a Red Sox shirt to become “Yaz” or “Rice” or “Dwight Evans,” all players I idolized growing up. I’d even throw on some eye black to really seal the deal on the costume.
When my kids were old enough to go out for Halloween, I would always suggest the baseball player outfit. And one year, one of my sons actually did dress up as Red Sox Player, his favorite player – Jon Lester. He wore his Little League® pants, his favorite Paw Sox hat, his Jon Lester Red Sox shirt, and he was just psyched. It was a cool costume that he wore proudly and as we trick or treated he told every house that year that he was “Jon Lester from the Boston Red Sox.”
The Halloween costumes have changed over the years as the kids have gotten older. Star Wars, Marvel Comics, and Cowboys became the go to costumes. Some more elaborate than others. And now, my kids are at an age where they no longer trick or treat. They help me dish out the candy and keep me from eating all the Kit Kat bars. I see a few baseball players come to the house every Halloween and I ask them “So, who are you supposed to be?” I still love the baseball player costume, probably because it means that the boy or girl has a dream of becoming a professional baseball player one day. Just like I did when I was a kid in North Kingstown trick or treating. And that makes me smile.
The Rhiter 
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