Category Archives: Punchball

The PS/JHS 79 schoolyard…

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The PS/JHS 79 schoolyard in Da Bronx was the best place in the world when I was growing up. We had THREE fields in which to play stickball – one for fungo/running bases, two for pitching in. The fungo field became the football field in the fall and winter. We had two punchball areas, a full-court basketball area, a place to place off the point and 3 Steps to Germany… Two great candy stores, a great grocery store, two delis, a pizza place and the BEST luncheonette (the Village Green) all within a couple of blocks of the yard. What more could a kid want or need??

Spaldeens had a better feel…

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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…

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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.

In the ’60’s in Far Rockaway,…

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In the ’60’s in Far Rockaway, Spaldeens were to Pensie Pinkies as the Yankees were to the Mets. Spaldeens were the official, respected standard. Pensie Pinkie were the unorthodox, seamless, higher bouncing challenger. Personally, I preferred the livlier Pensie Pinkie. Especially for punchball. Also much easier to control in “squeeze” and “spin” games like box baseball. As I recall, the Spaldeen had a rougher, powdery-when-new feel to it. It was firmer and tended to get brittle more easily than the Pensie Pinkie. The Pensie Pinkie was smoother, super-lively when new, more easily squeezed. When the Pensie Pinkie got old, it lost much of its bounce and was very easily squeezed. Still, nothing like a new Pensie Pinkie. It would just fly off of your fist. Pensie Pinkie’s are a lot like the consistency of a new racquet ball, but pink instead of blue.

I grew up on 181st between…

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I grew up on 181st between Vyse and Bryant in the Bronx. (right around the corner from the Bronx Zoo-South enterance “West Farms Square”) We called it skully. Had to go 1-13 and around the center and back down to become a killer. If you ended up in the sections around 13 you were stuck till someone hit you out. We all had different size caps filled with wax. When it rained we played on the linoleum in my bedroom (6 story walk up) that had flowers located in the in the shape of the “skully”. I am now a Phys Ed teacher in Phoenix and we play skully, stickball, one wall handball, off the curb, punch ball and Johnny on the Pony. The kids love thses games and I really enjoy the memories while playing with them.

Pennsie Pinkies were made…

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Pennsie Pinkies were made by Penn. They are the core of a tennis ball. Good pinkies were given a coat & sent to the tennis clubs. Rejects were sent to the cities to be punished. Pennsies were softer, and a little stickier, even though they were a bit smoother than Spaldeens (Spalding). Best for box baseball (easier to pinch & spin), punchball & other bounce sensitive games. Spaldeens were more likely to show up in stickball games (they were 5 cent cheaper). If money was a problem, you went into the corner store & asked for an ‘egg’ ball. These were half-price off-brand (unlabeled) balls that were kinda round, kinda bouncy, and kinda ugly (not always pink).

Born in Brooklyn in 1959…

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Born in Brooklyn in 1959 and grew up in Sheepshead Bay around Ocean Parkway between Y & Z (Manhattan Court). I moved to Rochester, NY in 1980 after graduating from college to work for Eastman Kodak. I am 39 now with two kids and my boy is 9 years old. We where home (I still call Brooklyn home) this weekend and I played stickball with my son. The school yard (PS 209) I used to play in is under some kind of destruction/construction so this was just an introduction. It was great to be out there again. Can’t wait until I get my hands on a Spalding though. Pensee-pinkie’s where better. The Spalding’s used to crack in half. I still have my stickball bat from the 70’s so I remembered to bring that along. Remember how many sneakers we used to go through because the toes would be gone from pitching. I remember begging my Mom to buy me PUMA’s when they first came out. I never liked those heavy ADIDA’s. They where $20.00 back 25 years ago. After our little stick ball game I introduced him to PUNCH BALL. We then went home and played “HIT THE PENNY”, “5 boxes”, and “Box Tennis”. I even had a chance to grab a Nathan’s frankfurter and a BAG of fries in Coney Island. I think they still use the same grease for the fries.

Okay, here’s a suggestion….

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Okay, here’s a suggestion. Problem is, it’s not tongue in cheek, and technically it’s not losing money, more like giving it away. If you’re all about street games, take the money to the streets! Start with New York since that seems to be where many of our roots are. Have a city-wide street games tournament and exhibition – give prizes and award money! Get sponsors – that way they can lose their money too! Maybe make it an annual thing. Imagine streets of the City closed off to punchball games, stickball games, skelly (or skully depending on where you were from), jacks, jump rope, etc. If it loses enough money in New York, you can take the show on the road and lose money in other urban areas.

Grew up on Wilson Street…

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Grew up on Wilson Street and Lee Avenue in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn. Attended Boys High School. Most friends went to Eastern District or Seward Park High School. Most of us played punch ball with a “baby line.” three steps to Germany, Johnny on the Pony, Chinese handball and box ball. We read and traded comic books. “Action Comics, Detective Comics, Marvel, King Feature Comics and read the comics in the newspapers. Dick Tracy, (my favorite), Smiling Jack with Fat Stuff losing a button to a ubiquitous chicken who followed him everywhere. Saturday matines for 5 cents we saw a chapter (Tim Tyler’s Luck or Flash Gordon) the Paramount News (Monkees do the craaaaziest things,)two or three features, a cartoon and sometimes a door prize announced from the stage. I could go on forever and include the radio programs for which we raced home from the school playground to hear.

P.S.114 in Canarsie was…

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P.S.114 in Canarsie was the place to go for a game of stickball, handball, football, basketball, skulley, Johnny on the Pony, Marbles, Knock Hockey, Punchball, Pitching nickels against the wall or the line, ringalevio, war, slapball and softball just to name a few. There was even some weird guy from Czeckloslavokia who used to hit a soccer[?] ball off his head, {what a strange boring game} but we could never get the ball from him. Glory Days! Mousey