You’d always want to win Chinese Handball, because if you lost Booty’s Up Chinese handball was very skillful, unlike regular handball you really had to cut the ball, like table tennis. I had a friend named Maxine in East New York, she could make that ball die. She beat all the guys in regular handball and Chinese handball. She was murder on us. I’m going to call her up and tell her about today.
I grew up in Crown Heights. I’m from a family of 7 children, 5 boys and 2 girls. My brothers would never let me hang out and play stickball, probably because i was really and I could beat them. They wouldn’t let me play – but I played anyway. i plaed hopscotch, stoopball, all those games you have. Some of my best times was doing that. I enjoyed being a Tom boy.
I thought I’d make it in to the event today, but instead will join in from New Jersey. Hope it all goes well. I was in that area on Friday, kind of taking a tour with my father. He took me to the spot where he played stickball as a kid (near the Prospect Expressway, but before it was built). It was a nice stroll down memory lane. I’ll try to make it next year!
We’re just starting to get into the groove here. There are many absolutely great reactions of people when they come by, look at the games and see the spaldeens. It takes them back to very fond memories. One guy is sending one to his sister in Texas. He’s not going to tell her – just have her get it and be surprised. Liz from Spalding is here with several hundred balls. We’ve been giving them to people if they contribute a few bucks to the Park Slope Baseball League. We’ve started the stickball fun. Anyone who wants to take a whack can come by and do it. Bob Catell, head of KeySpan Energy came by, put on one of our tee-shirts and took a few shots. At first he was a bit rusty, but then he clobbered one. Right in the middle of Bob’s turn a parade starts going by! Several hundred kids in a couple of marching bands. And here we aremoving out of the way as we try to manage the event and record it on the Internet. What a scene! We will post shots of it soon.
Greetings all – It’s about noon. We got here a couple of hours ago under erribly threatening skies, and some light showers. It was a little hard setting up as we were keeping the books and computers under tarps. We were pushed much farther down Flatbush than originally anticipated. Seems the festival got a lot more vendors, and since we require several hundred feet (at least 300) for a field, we are by default the last booth. We’re more than 500 feet further down Flatbush than originally plannned. Hopefully people will make their way over to us. The weather is looking better & we’re all set up. Cari Best is here with her book – Let us tell you, she took some shots with the stickball bat. She can hit!! We’ve had the old Dodgers Band stop by, Hugh McNally is teaching some kids Skully – so far so good. Will post more later.
Spaldeens had a better feel to them and were much more lively. When playing punchball and the outfielder was playing deep I would hit the ball between the infielder and the outfielder and hope that the ball would bounce over the outfielders head. Couldn’t do that with a pensie pinkey.
Folks, On Sunday June 13 from 12 to about 5, we’re going to be on Flatbush Ave – near Grand Army Plaza – along Prospect Park between the library and the zoo. We’d love to have people come visit us and play a game of punchball, skully, boxball – or take a whack at a new Spaldeen in our Benefit Stickball event. Can you imagine – Flatbush as the stickball field!! If you can’t come – check it out on-line, we’ll be putting pictures and stories from the event. See ya then.