Category Archives: Other Spaldeen games
Hey, are two-square and…
Hey, are two-square and…
Just spent the weekend with…
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Just spent the weekend with our granddaughters and tried to teach them Russian ball (as we called it in North Philly.) I could remember – onsies- no bounce, twosies – one bounce, threesies – clap before catching, foursies – rolly/polly, fivesies – throw ball from under your raised leg. From there I remember one was to turn around, another was to clap hands front and back but there are still three missing. Does anyone remember all ten? Another question. Did anyone play advanced A my name is Alice? I.e., ten A’s?
I’ve only bumped into one…
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I’ve only bumped into one other person who remembers playing what we called “Salughterhouse”, back in East NY in the fifties/sixties, and he lived in Queens. Basically, one person played american style handball wil a spaldeen (harder) or pinkie (softer, bouncier). His job, while maintaining the flow of a solitaire handball game, was to strike one of several other players on the fly with the ball. The other players, typically three or four, were lined up against the wall facing the handballer, with on foot on the wall at all times. Their job was to avoid being struck, and/or to catch the ball on the fly, ending the handballer’s serve, and taking the role themselves. Our games took place along the sidewall of the Biltmore Theater on Wyona St. at New Lotts Ave. It’s long wall was about 20ft high and 75ft long, one of the great handball venues of East NY. It also had a recessed high wall about 20ft wide and 40ft high, with about thirty feet of pavement at the base. It made for the fabulous off-the-wall baseball games (until the theater owners would come out and chase us away).
Levine Stoopball, my Mothers…
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Levine Stoopball, my Mothers maiden name, is played with 6 inning. The lentgh of the field is 70 feet to the wall, over it is a homer. And fair territory is 40 feet wide, you hit off brick with a TENNIS BALL and basehits are determined by distance, single on a grounderb if it gets by your ONE defender double by grounder is down the right or left line. Double by air is past the double distant line, and triple and homer so fourth. We play TWO fouls/strikes your out same differnce, this occurs the tennis ball bounces behind your brick of out of fair territory. There’re two parts of your field. Your infield is mainly just asfalt and your out field is grass, if you have it. To go foul on a grounder it has to hook before the grass starts, as in baseball. The three original players are cousine, DANIEL SIMON(FROM NY), MICHAEL BISCEGLIA(NJ) AND MAX CUDWORTH(FROM PROVIDENCE). IN a family league each of us represent our cities. We play a six game season every time we go to Pittsburgh to vivit our GrandFather. Each team gets four games of those six. The two second place teams play each other to play number one in a Seven Game LSL(Levine stoopball league) Series Championship.
I have a game played in…
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I have a game played in Pittsburgh, PA…A neighborhood called Squiril Hill…We play a game called Levine Stoopball…played in a back court yard. We hit off brick though, behind the brick is a wooden fence, if the tennisball hits it we call it a foul, two fouls and you’re out is our motto, since it’s more rare than a strike. Our game is Baseball based, except we don’t run…I actually started it in Manhattan at PS.84 on 91st street between Columbus and Central Park West, I played it at Lunch break. I took the game to my Relitives in Pittsburgh, it’s been played in my Family ever since. We use Imaginary base runners and determine hits in distance. We also play innings as in baseball. Each person is their own team.
I wanted to mention that…
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I wanted to mention that stoopball goes back centuries…I’m talking 350 years ago…The Jewish immigrants in Manhattan played a ball game on their home steps, this is before British rule. When Peter Stuyvicent was Governor of New York, what was then New Amsterdam. There’s a paiting I saw of it from that period.
Hi all — I grew up…
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Hi all — I grew up in Brooklyn in the 60’s and used to play a game called “Russian 10”. My sisters and I are going crazy trying to remember what each action was with the spaldeen from 1 thru 10. Can anyone help> THis would be a fantastic gift for my sisters, with whom I fondly remember the ‘good old days’ on East 5th Street and Avenue R. Thanks alot! Lydia