Others carry lumber. Like Joseph Grone, who is known simply as Batman by the cops who patrol the streets surrounding the square. That's for the 20-ounce aluminum baseball bat he keeps on his shoulder whenever he sits on his steps overlooking the square. Last year, Grone was speared in the foot by a discarded needle as he walked his dog near McPherson. His granddaughter was 5 when she was pricked by a syringe that stuck out from the pocket of a man who sat down on their steps. Grone is determined that no one else in his family will be stuck by a needle.