Category Archives: Spaldeen games

Grew up in S/W Schuylkill…

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Grew up in S/W Schuylkill (56th & Paschall ave) We played all the street games listed back in the 50’s and early 60’s. Hide and seek was referred to as “Ring up” wall ball was referred to on some corners as “chink” Loved them all! We also nailed the broken bats, taped the ball playing Hard ball, Buck-Buck, baby in the air and alot of half ball in the summer and “two hand touch” in the winter. Great era and a great time! They actually had “box ball leagues” in the summer at the Mitchell school yard at 56th and kingsessing ave!

I used to play stoopball…

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I used to play stoopball in Rochdale Village. there were these small little areas where the maintenance crew could access the building. you would go down this small flight of stairs which was partially enclosed and played up against the stairs. I remember if you hit the edge of the stair and caught the ball you would get extra points. this was in the mid to late sixties. We would also play off the wall against the buildings. What great days.

I am from Flushing Queens,…

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I am from Flushing Queens, where we would usually buy Pensie Pinkies and Spaldeens from Joe’s, which was the nearest candy store. Sometimes when I had no money, I ‘d swipe a Pensie from my sister, who, along with her friends, used them mostly in an activity that involved keeping the ball in bounce while reciting different rhymes that were punctuated by passing their legs over the ball before it would bounce back up. I lived on a hill where many of these balls ended up in the sewer at the end of the block. You could retrieve them using a garden rake, but if they remained in the water too long, they almost certainly went dead. We used to play stick ball, box ball, Chinese handball, catch a fly and you’re up, and many, many more games using them. As I recall, the favored brand for stickball at least, was Spalding, but I never observed too much difference between the two.

Oh, the memories. Spaldeens…

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Oh, the memories. Spaldeens ruled, anything else was second rate. I keep one in my car to this day. In the Dyker Heights section we used the Spaldeen for everything,slap ball, punch ball , handball, cather-flyers-up, stoop ball, box ball, stickball. Didn’t know pensies existed till we moved to Nassau County. We would use them if local candy store was out of spaldeens or we couldn’t put together the 25 cents for the real deal.

I grew up in Gravesend, Brooklyn…

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I grew up in Gravesend, Brooklyn (West Street and Ave. U) in the 50’s. I remember Spaldeens being our ball of choice for almost all street games. I also remember using Pensie Pinkey’s but I dont remember them being more expensive than a Spaldeen. We would only use a Pensie for box ball or in situations where a Spaldeen ball could be easily lost or stolen. By the way, does anyone remember 4-box baseball and War?

IT WAS THE 60’S. Growing…

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IT WAS THE 60’S. Growing up in Mid-town Manhatten, East 79th St. to be exact. EVERY SINGLE DAY after school (PS 190 on 82nd st.) the Chinese Handball Games got started. It was me and Dennis Gross, Toby Edwards, Cam, Seth Rosten, and some other guys. We would play for hours. 3 o’clock, 4 o’clock, 4:45 pm we would start to leave, but there was always a couple of guys who would hold out until the very end… right up til the time the streetlights would come on. Once they started to flicker, you better run home, because it meant you were right at the supper deadline. If you were late, you didn’t eat. That was the rules. Anyway, Chinese Handball ruled, and we didn’t like it when the losing kids would leave early, because it meant we couldn’t nail ’em with Asses Up. Man, those were the days – so innocent. It seems like a dream. But, it really happened. I was there. I saw America when it played – before it lost it’s soul. I grew up in an America that had heart. Now, people just want to have virtual fun, play artificial games, and rather than having the heart to pursue their own passions, they sit at home, content to watch reality shows in which other people pursue their passions. Man, I would love to play just one more game of Chinese handball with Dennis and Toby. You guys out there, anywhere?

OK, fast pitch stike ball….

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OK, fast pitch stike ball. We played at several school yards around the Kings Highway Coney Island Ave area. PS 153 on East 12th st Between Ave S and Ave T had a small fast pitch field. We chaulked a strike box on a wall. We would us either a “Spaldeen” High Bouce or a tennis ball which we had rubbed all the covering just about off. What were our favority pitches. Fast ball, Curve ball and screw ball. The PS 153 field had a short fence about 30 feet high on the north behind the pitcher. On the other side of the fence was what appeared at that time to be a large house with a black iron short fence around it. I think the rules were: off the fence catch and out, ground past the pitcher, single; hit the lower part of the fence – double; hit the upper part of the fence- triple; hit over the fence home run. Hitting over the fence required that you carryfully sneak into the yard (Mrs. Hardish/) and try to recover you ball.

G. Gallagher is absolutely…

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G. Gallagher is absolutely correct. Kelly park on East 15th St and AVE S. The entrance was of Ave S about 150 feet east of East 15th ST. Walk in, and we had swing sets all the way to the left against the 15th St Fence. In front of that on the left of entrance was what I recall were paddle tennis courts. Behind the paddle tennis courts to the north and west were some stone Chess tables. On the right side of the entrance, we had a full court basketball court and all the way to the right, or up against the BMT line were two hand ball courts. beyond the basketball court going north, you and a large open feild area that was paved in blacktop With two softball diamonds. A homeplate on the North East corner of the field and one on the southwest corner. As I recall, the size of the field was somethink like 250 or 300 feet east to west and about 170 feet north to south. To the north of the softball field were I believe 6 or 7 tennis courts. Spent many a summer day playing softball, stick ball, Squash and tennis at this location.