I grew up in Frankford and I was just telling a friend, there should be a site archiving the games we played on the “Streets of Philadelphia” I did a search and here it is!!! How cool is that!? Would anyone remember the rules for “Spring?” Please post them or you can email me direct. skylertking [at] yahoo [dot] com
Miss sue (clap, clap,clap) miss sue (clap,clap,clap) miss sue from Alabama her name is Suzieanna sittin in a rocking chair eating baby crackers watchin the clock go tick tock, tick tock sha walla walla tick tock, tick tock sha walla walla a,b,c,d e,f,g wash those boys germs off of me i bet ya, i bet ya, i bet ya cant freeze the first one to move is a black eyed pea between, between, between you and me the second one to move is a beauty queen (freeze)
Thats chinese handball! or ace, king, queen. I dont remember it being called slug. Names of games changed in all areas of ny in the 1960’s.In QUEENS it was,hey you wanna play ‘chinese’. We played in the school park against the brick wall of a park bathroom building.We used a spaldeen.It was a very fast game,played low to the ground,and wore out alot of Keds sneakers. You had to find a good place with a wall or fence in back of you,so you didnt have to chase the ball.
I don’t have much to add, so forgive me for repeating anything: Spaldeens cost about 25 cents in the 1960’s in my neighborhood in The Bronx near Morris Avenue and 164th Street. Occasionally Harry’s candy store sold “seconds” for about 15 cents or twenty cents. The Five and Ten on Morris Avenue sold P Pensie Pinkies, which I remember as softer and inferior balls — they were for girls’ games. They were not the ball of choice for the boys. And new Spaldeens had some kind of powder on them — and had a distinctive smell. And some were harder than other — those are the ones you wanted, because they bounced better. We didn’t play stick ball on my block but we played Slug — also known as King Queen Jack on some blocks — who remembers that game? It was played in the boxes on the sidewalk, against the apartment house wall — WHO REMEMBERS SLUG?
I don’t know how far apart the manhole covers were where I played, but there were players that could hit a spaldeen four sewers on teams in the South Bronx, Harlem and Little Italy. You didn’t see it often. Only the hard hitters could do it and they usually were Chops with the wind. This was back in the 1950’s.
I don’t know how far apart the manhole covers were where I played, but there were players that could hit a spaldeen four sewers on teams in the South Bronx, Harlem and Little Italy. You didn’t see it often. Only the hard hitters could do it and they usually were Chops with the wind. This was back in the 1950’s.
As measured via Google Earth, on our Queens street the sewer manhole covers were 150 to 160 feet apart. Only the stronger, older teens could hit a spaldeen two sewers (300 to 320 feet), and even then it was not common. I believe that in older sections of the city the manhole covers were often closer, perhaps 100 feet apart.
all you needed was a wall,a Blue ball, and at least two players. Each player takes a turn wailing the ball as hard as they could and the other player HAD to catch it. If they did not, they had to stand against the wall and the other player wailed the ball at their backsides/back. SICK! We played this almost every day. NOT for kids these days