Category Archives: Philadelphia
Hello from Southwest Philly!I…
Hello from Southwest Philly!I would just like to add to John (from Red Hook) comment’s on Dec.17,1999.I think the game he is describing is close to what we in Philly call boxball.However the ball he describes-the ” pimple-ball” was the ONLY ball we used for ALL our games.Once it broke it was used for half- ball.We recently play a reunion boxball game and because the “pimple-ball”is no longer manufactured we had to use a ball close to a spaldeen.John is right, the spaldeen is smaller and livlier than the old “pimple-ball” and it resulted in a lot “errors” by the old guys.Just want to say how much I enjoy reading the old stories folks share in this website.It was great being raised in the city(any city) wasn’t it?
I’m 34 YO and grew up in…
I’m 34 YO and grew up in a suburb of West Philly playing three kinds of stick-ball. One-bounce stick-ball had two or three outs an inning and you got either one strike or two fouls. Fastball involved pitching into a box painted on a wall and has three strikes and four ball walks. Half-ball involved cutting a tennis ball or pimple ball in half and playing by fast ball rules, with no walks. All hits were automatics with telephone poles or manholes determining the bases.
I TO AM Looking for Manufacturer/Supplier…
I TO AM Looking for Manufacturer/Supplier of Pimple-Balls? I HAD ONE IN MY HAND TODAY A FELLOW WORKER WHERE I WORK IN PHILLY WHO IS ABOUT 50 YRS OLD BRING IT TO WORK TO SHOW ME I’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR ONE FOR TWO YEARS NOW AND TOLD HIM ABOUT IT HE THOUGHT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE HIS HE SAID ITS 40 YRS OLD AND IS IN GOOD SHAPE BUT HE WONT PART WITH IT I MUST HAVE ONE
i live in philly, and i’m…
i live in philly, and i’m 20 years old, we still play all old street games, our fav is wireball, you play we go into the night just playing that game, we once had the cops coming around and kicking us off the street because it was so late, another favorite game is half ball, we cut a tennis ball, or a racketball in half, if we can find pimple balls we use them, and hit it off the wall of an old prison on fairmount ave. so all you guys that think none of these games are still played, guess again, just come to fairmount ave. in philly and join us
growing up in Philly, we…
growing up in Philly, we played halfball and used a broomstick as a bat.One version of the game was called “running halfball” which was played in the local schoolyard with the same rules as baseball. We had an umpire calling balls and strikes and our pitchers could make that halfball curve in toward the batter, curve away, and rise or drop suddenly. Speed of pitch was optional, slow or fast depending in the batters weakness.Those were the happiest days of our lives and are still a sweet remembrance. Kids today who play organized sports don’t know what they are missing. the camareraderie was wonderful. at age 69, I wish I could go out and play today. AHH! sweet memories.
Hey, isn’t anybody from…
Hey, isn’t anybody from Philly?! How about Tarken playground in Oxford Circle? And Solly Avenue? Tarken had the first “twisty slide–” and that’s where I got my first taste of pizza off a truck. It was so great– when Little League games were going on, the trucks would line up along the fence: Mr. Softee, pizza, water ice…. Speaking of which, does anyone remember The Whip (Hint: You rode it, not ate it!)?
Most definitely! I spent…
Most definitely! I spent many hours galloping around our neighborhood (Bell’s Corner in NE Philly) on an imaginary horse. Asked the kids at camp to call me Bobbie. Loved baseball– biggest insult from Daddy was to be told you pitched like a girl. Did the baseball card thing– including attaching them to the spokes of my bike for a motocycle sound. I’m still not very “girlie–” always the first to volunteer to play any kind of baseball game at the kids’ school or from work or at family b-b-qs.