Category Archives: Bronx

Johnny-ride-a-pony? Anchor…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
[e-mail]"; } ?>
 

Johnny-ride-a-pony? Anchor man stands with his back against the wall (or in our neighborhood in the Bronx, the garage door) as his teammates bend at the waist and hold on to him and one another in an ever-lengthening human saddle. The members of the opposing team take turns running up to the chain of backs and leaping onto them as far forward as possible in order to make room for the others to jump on. The jumpers win if the “pony” collapses and the “pony” wins if all the jumpers get on and the pony holds. I was always the first jumper since I had great elevation and distance. I was the only girl to hit to two sewers in punch ball. Still a tom-boy, I tend to be assertive (I prefer that to “aggressive”) at the net in tennis and still have great speed if not agility at the age of 57.

i grew up in the Bronx,…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
[e-mail]"; } ?>
 

i grew up in the Bronx, walton ave. We played stoop ball in the school yard on one of the steps leading to the school which faced the schoolyard fence. single if it was not caught; double if it hit the bottom half of the fence; triple the top half and home run over the fence. if you caught the ball on a grounder, fly or off the fence without bouncing it was an out. so was missing the stoop.

The game called “pinners”…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
[e-mail]"; } ?>
 

The game called “pinners” above was a game we called “off the point” in the Bronx. We also played the other version,”off the wall” but you didn’t get a home run unless the ball hit the building across the street. You could still get an out by catching the ball off the building before it bounced on the ground. There were so many other great games. All you needed was a spaldeen and one other kid.

For someone growing up in…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
[e-mail]"; } ?>
 

For someone growing up in Canarsie in the 60’s, stickball was played in schoolyards (and still is where I live in the Bronx) It allowed two-4 or more kids to play ball. PS 144 and 155 had walls and protected windows. On the wall was a large box, the strike zone. All that was need was a “stickball” bat, sold in a store. Although a broom handle was similar, the store ones were shorter and heavier, much nicer feel. Tennis balls I liked, a bit heavier, more predictable path. I learned to hit up the middle, much safer and less chasing than pulling. Also, I am not a power hitter, it made me much better.

[no title]

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
[e-mail]"; } ?>
 

I grew up in the housing projects in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. There was an overhang above the front entrance and the mothers used to collect bottle caps for months and during a fine hot day in summer would stand on top of the overhang and yell bottle caps.We would come running and the filled cigar box was emptied in front of the door. The prize caps were White Rock and solid gold or silver. My father made his own lead sinkers for fishing and my caps were filled with the lead. I could blast anyone out of the skelly box. (We called to the center jail). someone used to come from the Bronx to play me – maybe he would visit his grandmother too!)