Category Archives: Brooklyn

I grew up in Flatbush in…

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I grew up in Flatbush in the 50’s. For some reason, we did not play stickball, but we did play punchball and slapball. In slapball, the ball is pitched on a bounce to the batter who hits it with an open hand. You could put all kinds of different spin on the ball so that after it bounced it would swerve left, right, stop dead, or shoot ahead. We called this “fluking”. Anyone else remember that word? We used mainly Spaldeen, though I do recall Pensy Pinkies. Many balls were lost in the sewers. I recall kids saying to each other, “Walk me to the corner. I have to get a new Spaldeen.”

I was a skelly adict. In…

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I was a skelly adict. In Starett City, Brooklyn in the late 70s, clay was the only choice. I remember using milk tops with wax, but I could never be competitive. It would end up rolling down the sidewalk. Clay was great because you could swirl the color. I would eat a Push-Up every week to get a new top. It was embarrassing to use anything put a push-up top with clay. please include clay in the survey! The only downside was worn out fingernails. I tried to alternate between two fingers to spread the wear-n-tear. We usually played on chalk boards, unless someone had the courage to spraypaint one. The painted ones would usually be cleaned away, and the dimensions were usually off.

From: Marvin Lerman. My…

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From: Marvin Lerman. My memories of stickball go back to Flatbush, Brooklyn from the 40’s to mid 50’s. The playing fields were on East 4th St., East 5th St, both narrow and one way and on the wider two way Ditmas Ave. We used a spalline and improvised bats: broom handle, sawed off handle of an old, or not so old rake, hoe or shovel and once a thichish wooden rod that one of us found in a clothes closet, it was the best but he got into much trouble at home. The rules of play were as follows: …………. I had just completed E 4and 5 Street and was about to go on to Ditmas Ave. stickball which was much different but seem to run out of space and lost all of E 4th and E5th. Can someone please help. Reminiscing about my boys of summer was comforting,making me feel warmer and less gloomy while sitting out the Massachuttes Blizzard of 2003. Learned of the streetgames websight in William Safire’s On Language collumn in the NT Times 2/16/03 mag. section. Can’t find on the screen much of my earlier stuff. HELP!!! I East 4th St.: Home plate was painted on the road next to a friend’s house, as was a line designating the pitcher’s rubber. 2-3 players on each side. The ball was pitched on one bounce hard and with possible spin. 3 strikes, 4balls. No ump to call the balls and strikes, but we usually managed to agree. Singles were based on whether a ground ball hit within the curbs was cleanly fielded. 2,3 or 4 base hits depended on how far we’d hit the ball on the fly, under, over or through the branches of trees that overhung the road and where it would land, near a parked car or other designated landmark. A batted ball that hit on the fly a parked car or a house was an out. We’d often start on summer mornings, break for lunch and resume until suppertime. Sewers never came in to play. East 5th Street: Same rules as E 4th, except that there were 4-5 players per side, we ran ’em out, there were no automatic designated extra base hits and there were hardly any trees within 150 feet. Those games were usually played in in the early summer evenings.

From: Marvin Lerman. My…

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From: Marvin Lerman. My memories of stickball go back to Flatbush, Brooklyn from the 40’s to mid 50’s. The playing fields were on East 4th St., East 5th St, both narrow and one way and on the wider two way Ditmas Ave. We used a spalldeen and improvised bats: broom handle, sawed off handle of an old, or not so old rake, hoe or shovel and once a thichish wooden rod that one of us found in a clothes closet, it was the best but he got into much trouble at home. The rules of play were as follows: …………. I had just completed 4and 5 Street and was about to go on to Ditmas Ave. stickball which was much different but seem to run out of space and lost all of E 4th and E5th. Can someone please help. Reminiscing about my boys of summer was comforting,making me feel warmer and less gloomy while sitting out the Massachuttes Blizzard of 2003. Learned of the streetgames websight in William Safire’s On Language collumn in the NT Times 2/16/03 mag. section. Can’t find on the screen much of my earlier stuff. HELP!!! I East 4th St.: Home plate was painted on the road next to a friend’s house, as was a line designating the pitcher’s rubber. 2-3 players on each side. The ball was pitched on one bounce hard and with possible spin. 3 strikes, 4balls. No ump to call the balls and strikes, but we usually managed to agree. Singles were based on whether a ground ball hit within the curbs was cleanly fielded. 2,3 or 4 base hits depended on how far we’d hit the ball on the fly, under, over or through the branches of trees that overhung the road and where it would land, near a parked car or other designated landmark. A batted ball that hit on the fly a parked car or a house was an out. We’d often start on summer mornings, break for lunch and resume until suppertime. Sewers never came in to play. East 5th Street: Same rules as E 4th, except that there were 4-5 players per side, we ran ’em out, there were no automatic designated extra base hits and there were hardly any trees within 150 feet. Those games were usually played in in the early summer evenings.

I played punchball in the…

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I played punchball in the early 1950’s in Brooklyn, New York. We played in the middle of the street. Home plate was one sewer (manhole cover) with Second Base the next sewer down. First and Third bases were halfway between home and second next to the curbs. We chalk marked First and Third bases. There were usually 3 – 5 players on a team, no pitcher or catcher. We had a first, second and third baseman, with the extras either in the outfield (beyond 2nd base) or playing a rough shortstop position (either between lst and 2nd or between 3rd and 2nd. The batter would throw the ball up in the air high enough that he could hit it with a clenched fist when it came down. Baseball rules were followed. I can recall being good enough to hit a scorcher which would just clip the corner of First Base just out of reach of the first baseman while a buddy could hit the ball beyond second base. If the ball landed on the sidewalk on the fly, it was either a foul ball or an out (I can’t recall which). It was a grand game! Too bad today’s youngsters can’t play without being in organized teams with uniforms, etc.

Remember Vanderveer Estates?…

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Remember Vanderveer Estates? I remember Vanderveer WOODS!! My kindergarden class from PS 198 was taken there to collect leaves and acorns (ca 1946.) Later, in the 7th and 8th grades we went to PS 89 for shop once a week (198 was too small for a shop.)

i grew up in what we called…

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i grew up in what we called south brooklyn , red hook now it carroll gardens and its a pimple ball for fistball and a spalden for stickball and sometimes the white starball for fistball i was a 2 12 sewer man and capt of the ‘brooklyn angels’ from clinton street between carroll st and first place andrew

I grew up in the Boro Park…

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I grew up in the Boro Park section of Brooklyn (13th Ave, and 48th St.)in the 70’s and our ball of choice was the “Spaldeen” given that we could play handball, stickball, or baseball with a wooden bat. The pinkie was too heavy and mushy and didn’t hit as well (or as far) when playing stick or baseball. We however did use the pinkie for playing punchball, given that it was softer on our knuckles. The Spaldeen for us was the “King of Back Alley Ball”

Wow! Its great to read…

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Wow! Its great to read about how other’s have played Skelly. I remember spending many summers playing it (as well as kick the can, catch and kill, ringolerio, tops, ….). My block (In Brooklyn, Gratten St, not far from Knickerbocker Ave) had great glass bottle top players. Its kind of sad that with all the high tech games, todays kids won’t have that kind of physical experience. Yeah, I exaggerate. But, maybe not, I wouldn’t let my kids play in the street; not with todays vehicular pace. While dialing a cell phone you could go over many skelly boxes!

I fell in love with a Girl…

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I fell in love with a Girl Named Honey in the late 60’s – we went to SBHS. I had to leave Brooklyn in a rush, went into the service and did not communicate with her until 2002 – she is still wonderful. If anyone questions love at first sight or any kind of true love, don’t – it will stand any test if your honest and loyal. I heard it said that her husband is a wonderful man, I know he is truly blessed. See, I now realize the value of the treasure I lost. But I also realize that the brief moments I held that treasure, changed me forever. From the time I met her Honey has been the best part of my heart, this has save my life on more than one occasion. Honey will always be special to me. I have been married for almost 23 years now and the only person on the face of the earth I love more than Honey is my wife. A Book I know well, talks about this, in part it says “Love does not look for its own interests – It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things – Love never fails – There remains faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” Cherish the people you love and who love you and never take love for granted. RJS – “Let It Rain”