Author Archives: Streetplay Discussions

Another great day for the…

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Another great day for the former boy’s of East Harlem. Sept 8 2002 we all gather on 117th Street with our families and friends to play a couple of games of stickball. Mike Lentini a hall of famer for the great game was the organizer and did a great job giving out the T-Shirts and laying out the delious sandwiches. To everyone’s surprize Channel 13 was there interviewing a couple of men who in turn reflected on that great game of stickball. Needless to say that when we talk about stickball our childhood days in East Harlem go hand in hand. You cannot talk about one without the other. Great stories were told that day and we all returned back to our youth. Mike was interviewed the most as his memory is unbelieable. The documentary will be shown some time next year so look for it on channel 13. All about stickball and the good times growing up in East Harlem during the 40’s and 50’s

September 11, 2002 San Diego…

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September 11, 2002 San Diego California To honor those who lost their lives one year ago, local radio station STAR 100.7 morning show hosts Jeff and Jer encouraged listeners to come to Qualcomm Stadium starting at 6am to read all the names and ring the “Freedom Bell” for each of the victims live on the radio. Listeners started lining up at 7pm the night before. I arrived at about 11:30am September 11, and at approximagely 1:15pm PST I was given the honor of reading the name of Steve Mercado. A man I will not meet until I join him in heaven. I too am 38 years old, so when I received his name it hit especially hard. On my chest I wear a badge bearing his name, his age and the fact that he lost his life on September 11th, 2001 at the World Trade Center, one of many Hero’s our country owes for protecting our lives and our freedom. Unfortunately there isn’t enough room on the badge to describe all the wonderful things Steve stood for. My heart and prayers go out to Steve’s family. Steve will not be forgotten. A friend from Phoenix, Mike Martin, penned these words shortly after September 11th, and I have them on my computer with a backdrop of the WTC towers: In sun rises and sunsets, The peaceful nations will stand tall Through our strides for hates retreat, We may encounter deaths lowly call But the ringing in our hearts, is for Freedom that we pray Will prevail and make us strong, No matter what may come our way. I rang the bell for Steve today…and it will forever ring in my family’s heart, for Steve and his fellow Freedom loving Americans. Scott Baker San Diego, California.

I was raised in Red Hook…

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I was raised in Red Hook projects in Brooklyn.After graduating High School I went into the Army and now live in topeka kansas.I miss the days of playing skellys in the hood.My friends and I used to play for hours.Mind you this was in the 70’s and 80’s when kids used to play Tag, Hot peas & butter, Red light Green Light, Come & get it (witch we should have not been playing with the girls at our young age). We always thought milk caps off gallon jugs filled with wax or clay made the best tops.Though Kansas is behind the times,I don’t see that many children playing childhood games.But I can tell you, my son will know how to play skellys and pass it on. P.S. Don’t ever forget 9/11 God bless.

This summer, after locating…

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This summer, after locating your website, I painted 3 skelly boards on some blacktop at a sleepaway camp called Camp Mesorah. I grew up in city hpousing project in Queens (Pomonok)and the last time played the game was 45 years ago. I used the Bronx rules because the 2,4,6,8 trapezoid made the game rules more exciting. The game took off. Kids were playing it at every free moment they had. Pipsie became a respected and revered word in camper vocabulary. We used metal snapple caps for skelly caps, filling them with crayons that we melted with magnifying glasses. The designs and colors in them were elaborate. Campers and counselors formed teams together(as age doesn’t matter but skill does) and a 32 team tournament with trophies culminated the season. This summer, more black top is being added and the number of courts will increase to 12. Lighting is also being added for night games. More tournatments are planned and the game with intercamp challanges. The game has already spread to 5 Towns area of LI where I was hired to paint 3 courts in driveways and backyards. hank you for helping me relive my childhood. This is the game that taught me addition, subtraction and strategy. Maybe one day we will see a skelly court on every basketball court!

The 2002 Labor Day Cocoa…

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The 2002 Labor Day Cocoa Tournament has just past, and since I spent the weekend missing and thinking about my lost friend I thought I’d post something up here to say hello. When I was 7 I met Stevie for the first time. I thought I had seen him before on Oprah and I had to go and ask. Of course it wasn’t him on TV but that conversation started a friendship with my family and Stevie for years to come. One year they even talked him into playing with us (the Heat), it was a great tournament. Steve I just came on here to let you know that we miss you and are thinking of you. Thanks for looking down at us and watching over us. Our prayers go out to Jo and the boys. Love, Angela

For almost a year my heart…

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For almost a year my heart has been aching with sorrow. A great man was lost a year ago. He was a loving husband, father, son and friend. I’ve known Steve for over 30 years going way back to third grade. Steve and I hit it off as best friends then because of his cool drawings of Godzilla. Later on during our teenage years we competed in baseball and many other sports. This made us bond even closer. However, what I do remember Steve for were for his values and perservance to always do what was right. I was fortuntate to have spend some time with Steve and Jovy when they came to San Diego for the Labor Day Tournament. I can’t help but remember that day and only think of Steve and praying for his safety, but god had other plans for him. Let me say that not only did I lose a best friend but I lost a brother!! God Bless, Steve, Jovy, Skylar, Austin & Mr & Mrs Mercado Love, Orlando Jusino

Yeah, I remember dear old…

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Yeah, I remember dear old Dad. He loved to play the horses…in fact, he loved to wager on anything. Problem was, he wagered TOO much and it cost him his life. Well, that’s another story for another day and another topic (perhaps, “My Father was a Bookie, what was yours?”). Oh yeah, the story. One late August night, back in 1958, my father took me to a Yankees – Senators game at the stadium. For some reason, unknown to a 5 year old boy, he decided to pay for a taxi as the transportation to and from the Bronx (maybe the car was repossesed? We lived in Forest Hills, Queens). Anyway, I don’t recall too much about the game but I sure as hell recall what happened afterwards. The return taxi was summoned for the trip back home and some where along the line, maybe even towards the end of the game, it started raining…pouring…heavy! The cabbie wheeled the taxi into a gas station in order to refill the tank. I remember the back door opening and the water on the ground rising above my shoes. We raced/splashed/slid into the waiting room whilst the cab was re-fueled. My dad went off to another room…more than likely to use the pay phone to call…yup…his book. So I waited. And waited. The rain as so thick, I could barely see out the window to the gas pumps straight ahead. Still waiting. Finally, an attendant came in and asked me whom I belonged to. “My dad.” I replied. “And he’s in the taxi outside that’s getting gas.” “There’s no taxi out there now,” said the attendant. I think I started crying but I was too traumatized to remember. Still am. Turns out, he left me there…plum forgot about me…probably pre-occupied with his wagering. I find out later, he had gone 3 or 4 blocks before the cabbie asked about his son. Well, they did come back for me so all’s well that ends well, right? Sure it is.

How ’bout “Bottlecap”. …

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How ’bout “Bottlecap”. The field of play was two sidewalk squares. Each person stood facing each other on the outside lines of the sidewalk squares and a bottlecap was placed on the middle line. Then you would bounce a basketball, trying to hit the bottlecap and move it across the other person’s line.