Category Archives: Bronx

Just got through reading…

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Just got through reading all the entries, and thought I would add a few things. I grew up in the bronx during the depression and we used “Spaldeens”. It si my understanding that these inexpensive balls (10 cents at the time) were made by Spaulding and were actually tennis ball “rejects” that didn’t meet the bounce tests. Therefore they didn’t coat them with the fuzzy coating, but sold them as is. A comment on the origin of the game “skully”. I have heard that mosaics in ancient Rome have shown “Skully” layouts. Any truth to these stories??

Hey does anyone remember…

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Hey does anyone remember JOhnny On The Pony. I grew up in The Bronx. It would usually take 4 or 5 players on each side. One team would line up against the wall. One player would face the others with back against wall and the rest of team would face him and would bend from the waist one behind the other holding the waist of the one in front of them. The other team would run and jump on the backs of the team trying to land as far forward as he could. The object was to make the team holding them to break under the weight of the jumpers.

I grew up on Gun Hill Rd…

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I grew up on Gun Hill Rd halfway between Jerome Ave and Webster Ave. Lived in Norwood(we didnt call it that back then) from 1960 to 1971.A perfect neighborhood to be born into.Leaving as an eleven year old for Southern California was heartbreaking. We played Stickball in the schoolyards of PS94. Fastpitch-box on the wall style. The spaldeen was the ball of choice over the soft and wussy pensie pinky. Does anyone remember splitting a spaldeen when hitting an “eggie” and putting the halves on your elbows? Arrived in Los Angeles suburb of Encino in summer of 1971 and promptly found out that kids had no idea what stickball or spaldeens were. What an underpriviledged culture. All we had were swimming pools,golf courses, and movie stars for neighbors. lol. I wanted the Bronx back. If I could turn the clock back I would still want the bronx back.Money doesn’t buy happiness:for me it was the bronx culture that made me rich. Bill from Gun Hill

In the 1950’s there were…

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In the 1950’s there were great Stickball teams in New York. In the South Bronx(Jackson Knights, Lucky Sevens, Tigers), Italian Harlem (Pleasant Avenue), Spanish Harlem (Prestos, Home Relief, Devils), Little Italy (Mott Street), and Hell’s Kitchen (66th Street). These were tough smart teams that knew how to win close games, especially low scoring games. Many of the South Bronx players were still playing in the 1980’s and winning when they were well past their prime. Every good team thinks they were the best ever, but it would be interesting to hear from people who saw the Sixtyboys and the above 1950 teams play to get a real comparison. The Knights, Tigers, Sevens and Pleasant Avenue played hitting by-your-self and on-a-pitch. Mott Street played hitting by-your-self and the Prestos, Home Relief, Devils and 66th street played on-a pitch.

THERE’S NO MENTION OF THE…

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THERE’S NO MENTION OF THE SIXTYBOYS THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE YOUNG BLOOD LEAGUE IN THE EARLY 80S — WHICH IN 6 YEARS CAPTURE 4 TITLES — THEY WERE FROM THE BRONX AND PLAY HITTING BY YOURSELF NOT THE YOUNG BLOOD STYLE WHICH WAS PITCHING IN ONE BOUNCE — NOW THATS SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT — WHICH IS NEVER MENTION,, ONLY MENTION IS THAT WE ARE IN THE STICKBALL HALL OF FAME — WE WERE GREAT — I THINK THE GREATEST STICKBALL TEAM ASSEMBLE IN ANY ERA (HITTING BY YOURSELF OR PITCHING)

We played this game back…

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We played this game back in the day in the School Yard on Hull Avenue in The Bronx;teams of 20-30 per side;we also played Box-Baseball,PunchBall,Stickball(Both Fungo Style and Pitching In Vs a Box drawn on a wall as a strike zone).Also played Ace-King-Queen with the loser playing in a game called Cans Up.Also played Stoop Ball(also called Off The Point)using Spaldeens and Pennsylvania Pinkys!