Streetplay Discussions
This is how we played: …
This is how we played: playground rules was only to fours, tournement play was to sixies: These are the levels (which have to be done onesies to whatever-sies (4 or 6) to get to the next level: babies, eggs in a basket, pat egg, egg pat, pat egg pat, ups, downs, (first do a babies and then finish with a second ball toss to transfer the jacks in hand to the other hand-ups, or the floor-downs ) double ups, double downs, (different wrist action on second motion) pigs in the pen, pigs over and under the pen, crack the egg, strike the match (sweeps), scrubs (back and forth scrubbing motion) around the moon, —
I am glad that there is…
I am glad that there is a board for this game…growing up in the Bronx it was considered a spring to fall pastime…one thing I haven’t noticed anyone mentioned yet…maybe because it was different on my block was, when you were going to #13 there weren’t numbers around it…instead the numbers were replaced by the letters D S D S…D meant danger…S meant safe…if your skellies cap ended up in danger you had to stay there till another play hit you out…when such an act is done that player gets to move up a few places on the board.
Growing up in the state…
Growing up in the state of Delaware, I, too, played a lot of Seven-Up. What I remember was first you played the rounds with both hands followed by one hand. Then it was a clap before the catch, next time you rolled your hands around each other then crossed your arms placing hands on shoulders. After that was one bounce, then bounce ground to wall then under the leg and finally the spin. Taking for granted my memory is even close to clear at my age this is how I remember my daily game always played sometime between lunch and supper.
Played the game in the Bedford…
Played the game in the Bedford Park section & Grand Concourse in the Bx. Got our chestnuts from Riverdale, St. James Park (Fordham area)and the Bx. Botanical Gardens. Everybody had their own “secret” formula for hardening them (boiling in vinegar, nail polish, etc.). I don’t think any of them really worked. Never had a real name for the game.
Does anybody remember Captain…
Does anyone remember games…
Does anyone remember games of observation like out of state license plates? If you spotted an out-of-state license plate you would start slugging your buddy on the arm until he could either name the right car or it went out of sight. I am interested in identifying other games of observation. If you know of any please share them with me…
In 1953, after a summer…
In 1953, after a summer with relatives in Logan, Philadelphia, I introduced stickball to Williamsport, PA. (Home of Liitle League) My hometown friends took to the game eagerly, but adapted it for local conditions. This meant straight pitching, solid rubber ball and grassy backyards. Attemtping to put them right with the Gospel, I would be taunted “Philadelphia rules.” It was still a gas. By the way, my true moment of glory as an eight year old contestant near Wingahocking St was a towering drive that went all the way from 13th Street to Camac. Once and never again, alas.
And on rainy days(back in…
And on rainy days(back in the late 50’s) , we would place all of our baseball cards in the appropriate positions(Nellie Fox on second , Luis Aparicio at short , or Harvey Kuenn in right)We would make outfield fences made from blocks of wood or tinker toys. The batter would rest on his elbows with the card on the ground and a flicked finger ready to flick a foil ball into the field. We picked our own teams and the angle of flicking would increase for home run hitters. When the foil ball entered the carpet playing field. The defense had a n opportunity to flick the foil ball toward any base. That is , on a hit to short stop , you would flick it over to a card on the floor(Hank Skowron , etc.) for an out. Any foil bvall that touched a “filder” card on the fly was an out. Any gap shot was usually a double but then your opponent could flick it over to (Brooks Robinson) to hit “him” with the foil ball for an out. We checked all B.A. and move dthe cards accordingly. It was lots of time spent with a brother or friend .
Another activity when we…
Another activity when we never had the equipment at hand was clothespin ball . There were no bases but boundries for single , double , triple and home run. The “ball” was the clothespin and the “bat” was a mop handle. There were two kinds of pins – the bottle head type and the wire , pinchy kind. Many pins were broken but the way they sailed were both injurious and fascinating. We tried to make a fence in somebodies back yard as the home run wall .