just saw this documentary. truly great! I’m a Bronx kid, my big bro was the real ballplayer (some stick, mostly softball). Was really moved by the story of Mr. Mercado, father & firefighter who made the ultimate sacrifice on 9/11!! just gotta express gratitude. I’ll go say hi at his namespot at the memorial. thnx. Gianno
In the Norwood section of the Bronx in the ’50’s and 60’s we played with Spaldeens or Seconds which were cheaper. Mostly punchball or stickball. The P.S. 94 schoolyard had a concrete diamond for punchball and a big concrete wall with a stike zone drawn on it for stickball.
The Brown family grew up on Davidson Ave & 183rd Street early 1960’s to 1979. So many great memories. Come visit us www.JimmyandLucy.com,
I use to play Johnny on the pony on Arnow avenue in the Bronx in the Early Seventees along with Ring o Levio in the courtyard between the 2 buildings. In Johnny, One team would have a guy standing with his back against the wall Called the Pillow while his team members all crouched down in the opposite direction one after the other with the first guys head in the pillows stomach. The object of the game was for the other team one by one would leap on to the backs of the crouched team and scooch up towards the pillow. They would win if they could get the crouched team to buckle and fall. If the crouched team held them then the teams would switch and the other team had the chance to leap and break the pony. I had a great innner city child hood. Things were so much simpler then.
Mr. J — Several smaller courts should be made with teams of 5-8 kids. Otherwise, a single game would take forever. And trust me, it’s skellzies. I played this in the early seventies in the South Bronx. Oh, and if it becomes popular, keep an eye out for kids using the coasters from school chairs as skellzie caps. They can be cut out, and then the rubber is dug out. They make perfect caps; heavy and slick. We used to take bottle caps, and then rub them on smooth concrete to a polish. Then we would take either crayons or green army men and melt them into the bottle cap for weight.
I grew up in the South Bronx during the seventies, less than a half mile from Yankee Stadium. We played a version of stoopball where there were delineations across the street at different heights of the building which indicated singles, doubles, triples, and homers. Outs were only made by catching the ball in the air, or by catching three balls on the bounce (or, three strikes.)
Played on Garden St. in the Bronx in late 50s to mid 60s. Always played in the street, never played “pitching in” against a wall until we were several years older. In the street it was fungo — never a pitcher. The sidewalks were fair territory, as were the countless fire escapes that each apartment building had. A ball was “live” when it got up into the fire escapes. The batter was out if a fielder caught the ball off the fire escape on a fly. If it bounced, the hit was usually a triple or homer — by the time the ball bounced around the fire escape and its stairs, before finally bounding back to the field, most batters were able to get an extra-base hit with ease. Regarding a four-sewer man: if it’s true that the general NYC layout was 250 between sewers, that meant a 1000-ft shot. Think about it: that’s more than 3 football fields laid end to end. I’d have to see it to believe it.
WHITE CASTLE BURGERS WERE .10 SLICE OF PIZZA, .15 CIGARETTES, .30 MY FAVORITE TY SHOW” AMOS & ANDY” I STILL WATCH IT ONLINE. WENT TO P.S. 112 JOHN PHILIP SOUZA JR.HS 142 AND GRACE DODGE HS IF ANYONE INVENTS A TIME MACHINE, YOU KNOW, LIKE ‘BACK IN THE FUTURE’ LET ME KNOW. LOL NO JOKE BEST LOOKING CAR ’57 CHERRY RED CHEVY [MISS THAT CAR] I COULD GO ON AND ON.,MY BEST FRIEND IN EDENWALD PROJECTS WAS/IS ANA VIENTOS. ANA, WHERE ARE YOU?MISS YOU. I ALSO MISS LEONA LEWIS, ARNETHA BATTS., NORMA ROSARIO,MIRIAM VEGA,WE CALLED ‘MIMI MYRNA,LILY,YVONNE AND MARIA,FOUR SISTERS , THERE FATHER’S NAME IS LUIS.,THEY LIVED ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF ONE OF THE BIG BUILDINGS,ACROSS THE STREE FROM ME.
I GREW UP IN THE 50’S, IN EDENWALD PROJECTS, 225TH LACONIA AVENUE. WITH 2 OLDER BROTHERS AND ONE GIRL[ME],PLAYED ALOT OF STICKBALL [ WITH THE SPALDING OF COURSE] AND HAD THE HANGERS READY. MY NAME IS SONIA SANTIAGO BROTHERS:JUAN SANTIAGO EDDIE SANTIAGO BEST YEARS OF MY LIFE, BEST ERA THERE’LL EVER BE. OF COURSE I LOVE MY DOO-WOPS OH, IF I COULD ONLY TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME