On Saturday Aug 7, some great Stickball was played at Ozone Park Queens. Usually Streetplay provides live coverage of the Event, but due to the fact that we were part of one of the teams, the coverage had to be a bit different. Look to the site mid-week to read some great stories about an awesome day.
I just wanted to put my 2 cents in from the Queens/Nassau line….In the 50’s and 60’s back there the game dictated the ball. Wall stickball, with lots of field area and several players per side – spaldeen. It went further, which was okay under these conditions. Stoop ball from one side of narrow street ( other curb = home run ) – Pensie Pinkie. It was softer, more contollable under those conditions. Life was great: stick ball, stoop ball, wiffle ball, 2-hand touch, 4 horses, Yoo-Hoos, baseball over the radio. Are Pensie Pinkies available anywhere?
Played stickball in Rego Park, Queens in the late 40s and early 50s with Spaldeens. (Just bought a case of the new version.) Mostly we used broomsticks, but sometime in the 60s I bought a manufactured bat, which I still own and sometimes use to play with my brother. I couldn’t pitch very well as a kid, and still can’t, but was and am a pretty good hitter though I’m almost 60. Remember 1 game in 1954 when I hit a home run right down the foul line (the corner of an apartment building) which was protested for weeks afterwards by the opposing team.
Played stick, stoop, punch, hand, box, base and softball in Rego Park, Queens in the late 40s and early 50s. Used spaldeens for the 1st 5, as Pennsy Pinkies were considered inferior in that neighborhood. There were 2 basic versions of stick: 1) balls and strikes against a wall with chalked strike zone (between shoulders and knees of a medium sized kid and about 18″ wide) and pitches thrown on a fly, with a minimum of two players, but no base-running and; 2) in the street with a sewer as home, a car as 1st, another sewer as 2nd and another car as 3rd, pitches on a bounce and base running. This version needed lots of players. Punch ball was like 2nd version of stickball.
As a child growing up in Queens co.,I played many baseball related games. One was stoopball where I would pitch the ball on the steps catching the rebound as a grounder or fly.It was practice pitching, but I was really simulating pitching for a big leauge time, wearing my number 41 jersey like my idol, Tom Seaver. I also played intersec- tion ball, where all 4 corners were used as bases. We used a standard bat and a tennis ball, with self pitching.In the lawn behind 3rd base was a HR with a “roofer” going for a loss.
I lived on Westchester/Bryant Aves. The building was huge with 3 entrances surrounding a beautiful courtyard. I grew up there from birth (1945) to age 16 (1961). It was a pretty safe neighborhood until around the time my family moved to Queens. I attended PS 75, JrHS 60, and James Monroe HS. I used to love to walk to Southern Blvd. up to Hunt’s Point. I remember getting on the bus and going to the 3rd Avenue Alexander’s as well as going to the Fordham area. We couldn’t afford a bike and I remember renting one for the day every Saturday. All my relatives lived in the Bronx and it was a great place to grow up.
I grew up in Laurelton, Queens-and loved to play Skelly when I lived in the Woodside projects-melting crayons into soda bottle caps was the way to go-my brother always cried when I took the broken crayons to melt into new caps-I remember the scratches I got from the “pleats” on the caps they were the only caps allowed. I recently taught my girl Scout troop of second graders to play-it caught on quickly in the school in Ohio where I live
Re: “King” (Lee Quinn). In Astoria, Queens in the early ’60’s, we played a game much like King called ‘Chinese Handball.” Many variations. One was as you described (if I’m understanding you correctly) where you could only shoot into a neighboring box (i.e., the Queen could shoot into the King or Jack box…the Jack into the Queen or 10 box] and the player who missed would go to the end with all other moving up. Another variation allowed anyone to shoot for the King (and replace him if you got him out). Sometimes we didn’t even keep score…just looked to be King for the longest amount of time (impressionistically speaking)….A shot that bounced low on the wall and then rolled was called a “killer.” You could hit a higher percentage of killers by slicing the ball…but carrying the ball was not allowed……