Category Archives: Spaldeen games

Hello from Southwest Philly!I…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
[e-mail]"; } ?>
 

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?

Hello, My name is Dan Harrell…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
[e-mail]"; } ?>
 

Hello, My name is Dan Harrell and I was raised in Southwest Philadelphia. I’m 56 years old and I’m doing a paper on the game of “Box Ball” as we played it back in the 50’s.I recently had a reunion game with friends of mine of my own age . Since they no longer make the “Pimple Ball”(a little bigger and not quite as bouncy as the pink,or bubble gum colored,ball)we used what I guess you call a “Spaldeen” in New York.Maybe its because we are older but the pink ball is a shade too small for our game and a little too lively.In fact, I’m not too sure but, I believe the “Pimple Ball” was the only ball we used for our street games-I don’t recall any other ball outside an occasional “Star Ball” being used. I enjoy reading your site and wish you the best with your ‘bounce off’. Yours In Street Games Dan Harrell

in the bensonhurst section…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
[e-mail]"; } ?>
 

in the bensonhurst section of brooklyn in and around seth low jhs, stoop ball was played as described,and a different game when the street was clear and we could really blast the ball, we played single,double , triple…but stoop ball was king, one bounce 5 pts, on a fly ten, pointer 100, and we had a stoop that if u hit the pointer above the top step, which was really the door sill on the top step, it was maybe 1 inch high, so if u hit it just right…500 points, but if you were just a hair high on it, u would hit the door, and thats an “out”. next person would go.

Spaldeens were used for…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
[e-mail]"; } ?>
 

Spaldeens were used for Stoop,Stick and Wall Ball. In the area known as Red Hook south Brooklyn. There was a street game that most called “punch ball” We chose to call it fist ball, since you didn’t hit it with a punch but rather your closed fist or in some instances an open hand, to slap it or slice it. The ball was hit with the exposed flat joints and heel of the hand The prefered ball for this was known as a “Pimple ball”, it was white and a little softer than a Spaldeen. The ball had dots in between lines that ran around the ball. Some had a star at the top and bottom of the ball. There was no room on our block to play stick ball, with cars parked on either side and there were only a few stores in the area that sold it. One was Scamadellas, on Court and Baltic Streets. 15 cents each.

Fantastic to read about…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
[e-mail]"; } ?>
 

Fantastic to read about all the stories from the old days. As an ex-Brooklynite from the 50’s, the question is where can I play stickball in Manhattan when I’m in town? Any suggestions about specific places to play stickball will be greatly appreciated. At my age, anything that bounces will suffice, although Spaldeen was the ticket in my neighborhood.

SPUD Here’s how we played…

Streetplay Discussion Archive Posted on by
[e-mail]"; } ?>
 

SPUD Here’s how we played spud. One kid threw a ball up and called out another kid’s name. That kid tried to catch the ball while everyone else skattered. When he caught it he yelled “Spud” and everyone froze. He then tried to hit someone with the ball. There was some kind of point system to win or be out. Which reminds me, anyone remember the name of the stickball game where you threw the ball up and hit it with a stick and whoever caught it would role it toward the stick (which you placed on the ground) and you’d try to catch the ball as it popped up off the stick?