Category Archives: Bronx

Sandra from 1068 Gerard Ave….

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Sandra from 1068 Gerard Ave. (165th) (1973-1978) Building is gone now, but not the memories. Hanging out at Mullaly Park. Playing on the swings, handball. The bodega on the corner. Had my first crush there. Dr. Chan was my pediatrician. Playing in the alleys. Chelo, my best friend, the super’s daughter. Hanging out with Junie and Nancy on 166th. Had my first kiss with Francisco on the roof of the building on the corner of 166th and Gerard. Shopping on 167th. Went to school at PS 114 til 4th grade. Used to get a pizza, grape soda and a Snickers for $1.00. Then went to Christ the King on Marcy Place; Father Laracy, Father Rodrigo, Father O’Keefe, Sister Consilio. Going to the Kent Movie Theatre to watch Bruce Lee Movies. Later going to the RKO and Loews Paradise. Block parties! Those were the days…

Wow! Thanks for the memories.If…

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Wow! Thanks for the memories.If you came to the block with a bottle cap we would probably under estimate you because that was like a beginners style.I wonder if school chair caps was a Bronx thing ’cause they are the only ones i saw posting it. I used to play on Marion ave. and also Decatur ave in The Bronx during the seventies.We took our mothers can openers to school and took the caps off of the chairs to get a professional’s cap. Small caps were called beenies and large were bullies. Sometimes we used clay instead of wax.If your cap began to roll you’d better yell “no kicksies” or we’d kick it like a soccer ball and more than likely you were guaranteed to lose.I think the drug infested eighties destroyed these games like ringoleavio,slugs,of the curb,stick ball,off the wall,kick the can,…………….you get the idea.

I grew up in the bronx 60’s…

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I grew up in the bronx 60’s and 70’s…158th st between 3rd ave and elton. ave and skelsies was a game we would play all day. We used to take the bottom off of chairs in school and used crayon wax to fill our tops….we would have differend sizes and all would be filled with your special color…Its funny im 48 and remember filling mine with yellow…… remember: hit a killa be a killa….

I REMEMBER GOING TO SCHOOL…

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I REMEMBER GOING TO SCHOOL WITH COLE POWELL IN THE SOUTH BRONX IN J.H.R. PS. 52 ON KELLY STREET. WE HUNG OUT TOGETHER AFTER SCHOOL. HE WORK IN A CHILDRENS FURNITURE STORE ON WESTCHSTER AVE IN THE SOUTH BRONX.I ALSO REMEMBER PLAYING STICKBALL WITH WILLIE MAYS ALSO JOE TORRE OF THE N.Y. YANKEES.PLAYED A GREAT DEAL OF STICKBALL ON THE STREETS OF THE SOUTH BRONX. MOST OF ALL STICKBALL GAMES WERE PLAYED FOR MONEY.I AM 75 YEARS OLD NOW AND HAVE GREAT STORIES OF THE SOUTHBRONX,IT WAS LIKE WESTSIDE STORY MOVIE.WELL SO LONG FOR NOW,IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE TO CONTACT ME,I WOULD VERY PLEASED T0 REMENESE WITH THEM OF THE SPECIAL YEARS OF THE 40S, 50S,& 60S.I NOW LIVE NEAR SAVANNAH GEORGIA. RESPECTFULLY, JERRY GRINGER

Kenny, I’m glad that you…

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Kenny, I’m glad that you remember the Mott Street team. Actually, the Mott Street team was a collection of all the best players from the various blocks of Little Italy–Mulberry St., Elizabeth St., Mott St., Grand St., Prince St,. etc. Many of the guys who played against your team and the other fine teams of that 1950-1960 era are gone. Do you remember Vinny Head? Tiger? Big Gary? Jimmy Alber? They’d hit the ball as though it were fired from a cannon; they’re all gone. My generation of players–Mike Fink, Smitty, Anthony Arms, Billie Barns, Lil Maxie, Mimi, Crazy Dom, and the Beaver brothers (and a few others I can’t think of right now) were probably the last of the great stickball players from Little Italy (Mott Street). I, myself, was more of a schoolyard type player because crowds made me nervous, and I could never play well with hundreds of people lining both sides of the street during those “big” games. Although, once I did go up to the South Bronx with a Mott Street team to play a doubleheader against an outstanding Puerto Rican squad. On that particular day I fared well–hitting six line drives into the outfield: three of my liners fell in for hits (two singles and a double)and the other three were caught. My seventh at-bat I dribbled out to the third baseman.We got trounced the first game 8-3, but we were leading the second game 3-0 when an argument broke out in the eighth inning, and the game was never finished. That was my last and finest moment “rounding those bases.” Perhaps, it was the summer of ’71 or ’72.

Recently, I typed “Stickball”…

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Recently, I typed “Stickball” in Mozilla Firefox and was amaized at what came back.I thought stickball was a dead sport remembered only by people who had played it in New York City.I played against and with most of the players from the south Bronx during the 1950’s and early 60’s. I played for the Tigers in PS 51 from 1953 to 58 when they broke up. By 1960, most of the south Bronx teams were gone, but from them came a hard core of stickball players who who still wanted to play. We had the only players in the south Bronx that could field a team capable of competing with the Pleasant Avenue and Mott street teams. We had some terrific games against them and a lot of money was bet. Our team had Push-Push, Ralphie Torado, Chibie, Wally, Junior, Poppy, Bouncer, Me-Me, Orlando and Kenny (Me). Are any of you old-timers still out there? If so, send me an e-mail. Kenny

God Bless you and yours…

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God Bless you and yours MrGodswrench,i use to play slugs in the Bronx and stickball and skellzies i grew up on West Farms Road on the corner of Homes St. and Longfellow Ave.the info. you give about slugs is right thats it no more,no less.I tried to teach some kids and my son here on the island,by the way i live in Ponce,Puerto Rico.But they rather play nintendo,xbox,etc.Iam a born again christian also,Keep The Faith Bro.

This is a South Bronx tale:…

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This is a South Bronx tale: the setting is mid to late ’60s, Kelly Street 10 hundreds block = longer than most with wall to wall five story tenement buildings. We played stickball starting from the second fire-hydrant sewer lid (homeplate) towards the end of the block. Anything over the “wire” not caught was an automatic homerun. Only two guys ever hit the ball onto the roof of 1069 thanks to a favorable wind: Manny and Junior. We seldom played pitch ball but rather bounced the ball before hitting it or hit it in the air. Balls stuck on fire-escapes or on the roof before the “wire” were outs, down the basements were doubles. sidewalks were all you can run. The wire was a cable hanging across the street behind the second sewer lid which was a few feet behind second base. Only players from our street were allowed to toss their sneakers onto the wire. Those trophies were never taken down. When there weren’t enough guys to play a game, two guys with bats would hit the ball back and forth one from homeplate and the other from the third sewer lid towards homeplate. Spaldeens were the prefered ball, used also for slugs off the wall of Mr. Friar’s building 1045 Kelly Street; or hitting off the stoop of 1048 Kelly Street. Louie, Jorge, Mickey, Augie, Joel, Victor, Junior, Moses, George Pinocchio were the regulars. Stickball on Kelly Street died in 1978 when the whole block was nuked for redevelopment. We also played a mean game of skelzies and had the best aerial kite battles between glass-cord diamonds and razorblade sneekies. Those were the days!