Rick is the heart of Gnome Power.

Ar first, he was like everyone else, but quickly his talent and drive began to show through. He became unnaturally fast (for a gnome), and the fans loved it. They would cheer his name whenever he scored or even entered the pitch. But, his opponents quickly learned to hate Rick, and took to trying to get rid of him by any means neccesary.

After the first 3 Hitmen failed, beaten off by Angry Frank and Monkfish, his opponents took to beating him up on the pitch, and so Rick grew evasive, and now only takes to the field when the situation most warrants it. But, he is always watching the game from the coaches side, and the fans still chant his name when he enters the field of play.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rick sat up violently in bed, sweating profusely. The girl next to him squirmed, but did not awaken. The last words from the nightmare haunted him, echoing across his mind relentlessly "You will soon meet your fate...."...
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Its a wonderful day for a picnic, eh Bob?"
"Thats right Jim, but its a good day for our favourite sport as well!"
"That is is, Bob. And we can see the Gnome Powers players taking to the field and... Hey, is that Rick?"
"Yes, I think it is Jim. But I'm not sure why he's being fielded at the start of the game... after all, he has had a lot of death threats over the months...."
"I don't know, Bob, but we're about to find out..."
"Don't forget that now, after the death of his friend and bodyguard Angry Frank and Monkfish going insane and becoming a wild-eyed bombadier, Rick seems all the more vulnerable."
"Yes, Bob, it looks grim for poor Rick..."