Does anyone remember playing Giant Steps? And I had great fun playing punchball, red light green light, red rover, potsy, stoop ball, I declare war on …., hit the penny, hot potato and other city kid games. We really used our imaginations, got lots of exercise, and learned how to get along with others and organize ourselves. I feel sorry for the kids today. They are so programmed by adults.
We played that game, but called it Russian Handball. e used a pink rubber ball and threw it against a wall. With each number from 1-10 there were certain things you had to do. Like 1-throw it against the wall, clap and catch it, 2- throw it against the wall, clap twice and catch it etc… I have been trying to find out all the rules for a long time. I have completely forgotten them. I am a 5th grade teacher and I was trying to explain to my students about the game. I happened to find the pink rubber balls in a store, bought one and since then have been trying to find someone who remembers all the steps/. Help!!!Anyone!!!!
As a kid growing up in the 60’s in Bay Ridge, Bklyn. (68st between 3rd and 4th aves.), stickball was the most popular game. We played all day long. Homeplate and second base were the sewer caps, first base was the fire hydrant and third base was car doorhandle of the car that was parked there that day. Remember getting the bamboo pole to retrive the spaldeens that landed on the 2nd story fire escape. Mrs. Maloney would sit on her 2nd story porch every nite after supper just when we started playin after we ate. She was an old hag always tellin us to quiet down or “Why dont you go up the block and play ball”. Never foget the time Mike McCormick lost his grip on the bat and it flew up and hit her in the head. She called the cops on us to no avail. Had many good times playin stickball and the memories will last forever.
In Washington Heights we used the Spaldeens… don’t remember the pinkys which, based on the discussion here, sound like basically the same sort of ball. We did have a Pink ball that was made of a different material than the spaldeen… it was a foam rubber ball… heavier, lots of bounce, but the grip of the soft rubber foam on the ground made it have “unpredictable” bouncing behaviors. We didn’t use those much, I don’t think, we used the spaldeens. Anyone else remember the Pink foam rubber balls I am refering to?
I grew up in South Philly, in the 70s/early 80s … I STILL HAVE A PIMPLE BALL !!! I kept it knowing that one day, people all over would be looking for one — wish we could still buy em. I remember learning ‘Chink’ on the corners. We simply called it ‘Chink’ and it was the most simple, fun, yet competitive games ANYWHERE !! We played it on the corner, and we played to 11, or 21 if you played doubles and allowed ‘slams’ – meaning the ball could go PAST the curb and into the street, provided there wasn’t a parked car in front of that curb. My memories from the neighborhood also included: – Halfball (of course) – Handball – Running the Bases – ‘Atlantic City’ — which was a variation of Chink AND Running the Bases – very fun game – Jailbreak (surprised I haven’t seen this mentioned elsewhere – you had teams of people and you had to ‘free’ the person in ‘jail’ — which was someone’s front step – you would grab the railing, yell ‘jailbreak’ and all your teammates could leave jail. If you got caught by the other team, you were ‘dragged’ into jail. We usually had a member from each team ‘guarding’ the jail area!) – Wireball – Stepball – Fastball (a variation of stickball/halfball where you pitched a tennis ball into a ‘strike box’ painted on a wall and played with out and runs rules similar to halfball) – Wall/Suicide (simply throwing the ball against the wall, and having someone catch it – if you missed it you had to run to the wall and touch it and yell ‘Wall/Suicide’ before someone picked up your missed ball and BEANED it at your ass! – Dodge ball (played with the big red ball!) – Street football (we actually had an entire street block spray painted with yard line markers, logos, out of bounds markers, end zones, etc!) I’m sure there were plenty of others but this is all I can think of right now !!!
Does anyone know where i can order an aluminum stickball bat? I cant find them anywhere, and I would really like to have one again.
I played stickball since I was about 7 yrs old. That was in 1942. I played in Manhatten on 17th street between 8th and 9th ave. We diddn’t use the sewers for bases, being tough to slide over when necessary. 1st and 3rd base were on the sidewalk anyway. We used buildings for for foul lines. You could take as many pitches as you liked, but only got 1 swing. We always played games on Sunday as there were hardly any cars parked on the street in those days. We always played teams from different Neighborhoods and always for money. During the week we just had guys get up and hit, if you caught a fly you got up till someone replaced you. We also had a playground on the street, called Kelly Playground. We played ” against the wall” where you bounced the ball off the handball court and the batter swung after 1 bounce.We play with 3 players, a pitcher ,a batter and 1 outfielder. There was a tenement house wall above the handball court so you didn’t lose the ball. if you hit the wall and bounced between the wall and short line it was a single, between the short and long line a double, between the long line and the asphalt a triple. Anything on the asphalt was a homer.The 2 defensemen could field the ball and you were out if it was caught. 1 out per player, then you rotated to the bat. usually 10 runs was a winner. There was 1 more variation. Fast pitch. you stood against the parkhouse wall, that was the backstop. The pitcher fired the ball like a baseball pitcher, we had a box drawn on the wall to determine the strike zone. 2 fielders beside the pitcher, and as many bounes the ball made detrmined the amount of bases you got.
RICHIE BURKE AND MYSELF USED TO BLAST THOSE PENSEY PINKYS OVER BOWNE STREET. THEY WERE MUCH BETTER THAN SPALDING.
When I was young we played with a pinkie ball against the wall and we called it Russian handball. Throwing it up and bouncing once, then twice, then clapping once and bounce, then clapping twice and bounce then under you leg against the wall etc.. There was a specific order to do this in and I cannot remember it for the life of me. I am a teacher and want to teach my students this game, but noone seems to know the rules. Anyone out there remember playing this?