Category Archives: Locales
I grew up on the Concourse…
Original author: Rafael Ventura-Rosa [e-mail]
I grew up on the Concourse (1055 Grand Concourse) between 165 and 166th, diagonally across from the Executive Towers and just a few blocks from the House that Ruth Built. I am talking about 1964-74, the Mickey Mantle era for the Yankees. Got to see the greatest Yankee teams of all time,: Mantle, Maris, Tresh, Richardson, Howard, Stottlemyer, Kubeck, Pepitone, Whitey Ford, Yogi. Man those were the days. Went to JHS 117 (Joseph H. Wade) and DeWitt Clinton High School. Went on to graduate from John Jay College in 1979 and Yale Law School in 1982 and am now an entertainment lawyer living in sunny Miami. Been back to the Bronx a few times. Man has it changed. My second profession is writing and I am currently working on a script for a Cable TV Serie called Grand Concourse which is about growing up there in the mid 60’s to mid 70’s. I have written a draft of the first episode (its titled “The Mick”, and is based on a real incident revolving around the day we moved from Brook Ave. to the Grand Concourse.) If any of you are interested in reading it, please drop me a line by e-mail: . Take Care.
Can anyone tell me where…
Original author: Val McNichols [e-mail]
Can anyone tell me where i can get a picture or copy of the bottlecaps board? I want do make one outside my house so my kids can play. Thanks! Val Philadelphia PA
Holla. Brooklyn Knights…
Original author: Bk Knight [e-mail]
Holla. Brooklyn Knights won the CHAMPIONSHIP in Manhattan now we going to the Bronx to take over. I hope they know what they got coming to them.
Hello! I am attempting…
Original author: jmbjudge [e-mail]
Hello! I am attempting to run a “back in the Day Games” at Father Judge HS. My hope is that it will serve a few points. First I hope to provide a socialogical lesson to the Sony Playstation Generation. Fun can be had for almost no money. Secondly, to provide exercise for our young men who are either in great shape, or horrible shape. If you have any suggestions or wish to be a part of this please feel free to contact me Jason B
I grew up in Hicksville,…
Original author: Steve Farrell [e-mail]
I grew up in Hicksville, out on Long Island. We had a serious stickball league, stats and all, sometimes announcers throughout the sixties and seventies. I can remember both the Spaldings and the Pencie Pinkies, and somewhere in the seventies, the Pencie Pinkies that came out were almost like superballs by comparison. They were more solid, weighed more, and went further, and as someone said, they probably lasted longer. We used to fantasize that our street field was Yankee Stadium. We had an upperdeck of tall maples, a short right field fence, a deep, deep centerfield fence, and three trees out there which we referred to as the monuments. I’m looking for stickballs and stickball bats for my kids and the neighborhood kids to get something going this summer. If anyone knows where I can order them online, contact me at Hopefully, I’ll find them at the store listed above. See ya.
As my daughter said above,…
Original author: Buster Merck [e-mail]
As my daughter said above, it was a wonderful Easter Sunday. I remember playing skully when I lived in the Casle Hill Projects in the Bronx. I had some much fun playing and teaching my children and grandchildren the game. And what I remembered the most was the making of the caps. I told my grandaughter, Taylor, she had to personalize the cap. The cap was the game. We would spend hours going through the trash just to find a few. And every on had their “favorite cap”. We would spend hours on the ground playing. And we were good at it. Showing my kids brought back great mamories. For just a little while, I felt like a kid agane.
WOW! Today is Easter…
Original author: Tasha
WOW! Today is Easter and my parents as well as my brother and his wife joined us for dinner. It was a beautiful day outside and we took all opportunities to enjoy it. My daughter, 8, and sister in law decided to play on the driveway with chalk. My dad who was near by decided to reminisce and show my children and us adults (his children)how to play a game he played when he was a child growing up in the Bronx. Not remembering the name of the game, just the basics of it he taught us this really cool game that had us all playing, from my son age 5 to my dad 46. While playing we discussed how it would be neat to recall the exact rules and dimensions of this game as well as learn/remember others. I suggested the internet by searching under street games. We joked and said we could search under “ghetto games” as this is what my dad refered to them as. Low and behold here I am. When everyone left I came online to research the fun game we learned and played today as a family. I am way to excited to call my dad and send him this website. He will be thrilled. He taught us how to make the bottlecaps with crayons as weight and that is how I was able to pinpoint this game we played. Now I know the name and can find out more about it and learn others. Thank you for taking the time to make this site possible. Hopefully others can go back in time like we did and have just as much fun! Tasha O. Albany NY
I am from germany i would…
Original author: Hans Mayerbier
I am from germany i would like to ask you some questions about your streetplay because i only know it from tv movies because here in germany its not really known: did you play it in perfect or is it now also popular to hang out? is it really loke in the tv movies when boys run home after school eat and then go out for meeting his friends on the street and then they play besketball after their mum is crying after them? Well, bye,viele liebe grüße! euer hans mayerbier
I grew up in the Sunset…
Original author: Peter
I grew up in the Sunset Park area during the 50’s too, and we always put “fluke” on the ball as well. I also remenber trying to get the ball out of the sewer on occasion by taking apart a wire hanger and forming a loop on the end to fish out a known good spaldeen. It was like a giant easter egg dipper. Dirty work, you had to be really hard up.