I grew up on Gun Hill Rd…
I grew up on Gun Hill Rd halfway between Jerome Ave and Webster Ave. Lived in Norwood(we didnt call it that back then) from 1960 to 1971.A perfect neighborhood to be born into.Leaving as an eleven year old for Southern California was heartbreaking. We played Stickball in the schoolyards of PS94. Fastpitch-box on the wall style. The spaldeen was the ball of choice over the soft and wussy pensie pinky. Does anyone remember splitting a spaldeen when hitting an “eggie” and putting the halves on your elbows? Arrived in Los Angeles suburb of Encino in summer of 1971 and promptly found out that kids had no idea what stickball or spaldeens were. What an underpriviledged culture. All we had were swimming pools,golf courses, and movie stars for neighbors. lol. I wanted the Bronx back. If I could turn the clock back I would still want the bronx back.Money doesn’t buy happiness:for me it was the bronx culture that made me rich. Bill from Gun Hill
does anyone remember burn…
I grew up in Riverdale, too….
I grew up in Ozone Park section…
I grew up in Ozone Park section of Queens, PS 60 and PS 110 area. We played this very similar variation and called it “off the point”. The community parkhouse had a lip of about 3″ that was the building footing. If the ball strike was perfect, the spalding would fly some 40 ft or so and score a HR…we would mentally score the game as well…single, single, double scored one run etc…..We would play up to three per team. Ground balls had to be caught, if error then that throw was a hit…Switching was always fun….where the third out meant teams switched sides quickly…catching the ball and racing toward the point to get a hit while teams were in transition.
Does any one remember rockin…
One player was singled out…
One player was singled out standing out in front of line of other players. One task was to leap frog over the singled out player yelling “Stuck in the mud”, while landing. Another task was to jump over the singled out player yelling “Telephone Pole”. The last task was to run past the singled out person hit them, not hard and say “Chase The White Horse”. The last person to run past the singled out person would be chased, if caught they would be the singled out person of the next game. What’s the name of this game?
The Marcy Projects 1966 to…
The Marcy Projects 1966 to 1972, those were the days I was happy to have either one of these great balls. It meant the games would go on! I had a ball during this time of my life, wouldn’t have it any other way. True sluggers can remember the smell of the pensie pinky ball after it was split open on a good connect.It held the chalk (Strike), well also.
I’m from Bay Ridge Brooklyn…
I’m from Bay Ridge Brooklyn and remember the Spalding being the better/best ball to have and play with. I vaguely remember that if a Spalding ball was not there was an inferior ball we played with and it must have been the “pinkie” ball, but the Spalding was the best and more expensive of the balls to play with.