Category Archives: Punchball

I am almost 48 years old…

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

I am almost 48 years old and grew up in brooklyn. At Saint josephs school(I was in the last graduating class 1973)we called it cocolivio.St Joseph was on Dean street and vanderbilt avenue.When we moved to the linden houses(off of linden blvd.wortman ave to be exact)I think then it was called ringalivio. At St.Joseph we played cocolivio,skelly,off the wall,stoop ball,kings,hand ball,stick ball,punch ball,we had tops,yo yo’s,and flipped baseball cards.Who needed a play station?GOD I miss those days.

I have at last got my pimple…

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

I have at last got my pimple ball. I can now die in peace.I bought some from a guy named Marc Polish.Iam 82 years old and played punchball, we used to call it fistball in south brooklyn red hook. they sure were great games. if interested Marc Polish has some Ph. 609 823 7661 or e=mail mpolish [at] verizon [dot] net frank oropello e-mail oropello [at] aol [dot] com

In Washington Heights (181st…

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

In Washington Heights (181st Street)in the late 50’s/early 60’s, you could get both – Spaldeens were harder and cost 25 cents, while the Pennsie Pinky was only 15 cents and a lot softer and smoother. We preferred the Spaldeen for stickball and the Pinkie for punch ball. When they went “dead” and lost their bounce, the game was to “roof” the ball by throwing it onto the roof of a 6 story apartment building. Sid’s candy store on 181st street was the only place in the neighborhood that let you check all of the Spaldeens and Pinkies by giving them the “bounce test” before buying – holding a ball at about chest height and letting it go to see how high up it would bounce. I broke Mrs. Morrison’s living room window with a Spaldeen and hit the super of the building across the street with a Pennsie Pinkie!

I grew up in East New York…

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

I grew up in East New York and Howard Beach. We played punchball in both neighborhoods,but not as Peter B. described above. Punchball, which we prefered the Pensie Pinkie for due to it’s being softer was basically played the same as baseball (on the street, in parking lot, even a driveway between houses when we were younger (in this version if you hit the wall on the fly you were out). The “batter” punched the ball (anyway he pleased), but overhand produced longer hits. In H.B. we played a game called “slapball” which was similar to Peter’s version of punchball, but played with out 2nd base. The field was a small triangle, the pitcher who stood in the center of the triangle had to pitch the ball over the plate, underhanded, on one bounce. The batter could wait for a pich he like, when the ball was hit, openhanded, it could not pass the line between 1st and 3rd or the batter was out. All other rules were the same as baseball (no stealing). The Spaldeen was our preferred ball for stickball since it was more durable. Of course most of the time we played with any ball we could fish out of a sewer, or pull out of a drainpipe that we’d climb up to.

I agree. I grew up on the…

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

I agree. I grew up on the Carlton Ave side of Ft. Greene. There was truly a sense of family Skelzies,punchball,co-co-levio,rollerskating were some of the regular games. On our side we had the Willoughby Center, were we shot pool, played ping-ping, and spades till 11:00 at night

Spaldeens. I was just telling…

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

Spaldeens. I was just telling my wife about Skelly, and how back in East New York Brooklyn Sutter Avenue projects we used to cram the everyday essentials into a pair of Lee or Wrangler jeans: Bazooka gum Baseball cards Wooden metal tipped top with string Skelly top (I preferred the wax filled cap, mostly due to the fact I could never skim the beer bottle neck just right to get the sweet glass cap.) Spaldeen Somewhere, back in NYC there has to be all the Spaldeens that were roofed, hit between building cracks, sewer bound, between the spokes of our old bikes, and those broken ones used by Mom and Dad to cover sharp objects and second as couch leg lifters. When I see a piece of Bazooka gum today, I think of how we used to break it in four, share the comic, chew up the gum, and place it on the end of a broken mop or broom handle and fish out the coins and subway tokens to buy penny candy. Fish enough coins, you got a new Spaldeen. Pensie-Pinkies were foamier, as I recall. When they got chipped, well, there went the homeruns of the punchball team.

I grew up on Linden Avenue…

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

I grew up on Linden Avenue in Belleville, NJ. My neighborhood friends and I all played punchball with the Pensy Pinkie. They were the best!! Back then it was almost a right of passage as each new generation of street urchin claimed rights to the open spaces between parked cars. As others have said the Spaldeen is harder than the Pensy, so better for stick ball. We used wiffle balls for stickball. We had houses with windows on both sides of the street and parents to answer to when we broke those windows. ( It seems like that happened at least once a year.) The Pensy was a great ball just to practice eye/ hand coordination by yourself. Throw it up as high as you could than catch it. Bounce it while you walked. Bounce it against a wall as you walk and than catch it. Bounce it between yourself and a friend and play catch walking down the street to get a Coke at the corner store. Pop it out in front of you with as much backspin as you could and make it come back to you. See who could bounce it the highest. And don’t forget “Keep Away” when you just had to pester one of your friends who just got a new Pensy. I am now 49 and living in North Carolina. I recently picked up the Pink Ball Book that has a Spaldeen in it. ( The first pink ball I’ve seen in 30 years.) I’ve been using it to play with my 11 year old nephew who had never used a pink ball. He loves it now! I like the Spaldeen a lot but if I could find a Pensy I would buy it.