Category Archives: Stickball

“By Bruce Deitchman on…

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“By Bruce Deitchman on Wednesday, May 26, 1999 – 12:05 am: Please allow me to share my views on the subject. IMHO, Spaldeens (as they are pronounced) are the proper tool for games such as stickball, however I have found Pennsy Pinkies more appropriate for Chinese handball and boxball.“ I gotta agree with everything the guy above me here says. Additionally, the Spaldeens were great for the game of Steem. Where a few guys choosed up sides and ya pitched the ball to the batter as if it were a hardball. A box for the strike zone was drawn on a wall with chalk behind the batter, and the pitcher paced off (I forget how many) several yards to the chalk drawn pitchers mound. Regular balls and strikes added an more action. Ground rules varied depending on how many players were in the game. This was one of my favorites when I was a young teenager. We usually played in the school yard courtyard. Spaldeens were the ball of choice because of their liveliness bouncing back to the pitcher when the batter missed your pitch. 🙂

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??

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If you are looking for a source to purchase halfballs contact me at sedonamax [at] aol [dot] com I grew up in the Logan section of Philly. We played two ways. Sidearm, with balls and strikes. Underhand, one swing and you were out. If the catcher caught a foul tip you were also out. We play against the wall, 1st story was a single, 2nd was a double, 3rd a triple and if you roofed it, it was a homer. If you caught it off the wall it was an out.

I played hundreds &…

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I played hundreds & hundreds of stickball games in the ’50’s and 60’s, and it was mostly “fungo,” which we called “hitting out.” 2 sewers was an incredible shot; on the roof = out (lost ball). The best part of the rules was that WE MADE THEM, NOT SOME LITTLE LEAGUE OFFICE SUITS! We learned how to get along–to argue, but how to give in (“Okay, cheater–you can have your way! Let’s play!), and was that ever empowering (although we never heard that word). I’m 50, and I’m ready for someone to “call on me” to play next Saturday morning! Whattayousay? I STILL have my stickball bat from Brooklyn (circa 1968)…

The Spaldeens would break…

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The Spaldeens would break more easily, but they were real. The Pennsy Pinkies? They bounced great, but we couldn’t afford them–Phil’s Candy Store on 36th St & Clara sold plain ol’ “pinkies” that were pink, yellow, or blue! They were 15 cents when the Spaldeen was 25 cents. But the pinkies were awful. Where can I buy a Spaldeen? I swear, I have taught 5 kids in Vermont to play stickball (we pitch in against my brick chimney), and they love it! With a tennis ball, no less! Help–we need a real Spaldeen!!!!

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What a great day. All kinds of dialogue going on around from broad philosophical conversations on the meaning of sports for kids, to heated debates on the real rules of skully and whether or not the Bronx rules should apply here in Brooklyn (Masta Blasta Hugh McNally is a Bronx boy). The mood here has been fantastic. Anyone who’s come by has said how great it was. We’ve had a constant line of people ranging in age from 3 to 70 come by to take a swing with their choice of stickball bat. The hardest part of the day has been maintaining the computer connection. Several times we lost network connection (we’re wireless and coverage in this non-residential, non-commercial zone is weak). Well, now the batteries are failing – will have to post more pics sometime tommorow – Great day

I think these games were…

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I think these games were the great equalizer. The way we’d solve our mini racial conflicts was we’d have a showdown with a game. Handball, stickball, touch football. I’m not saying we won all the time but you lost you shut up. It was a humblin experience It took out the tensions. A lot of negative aggressions were turned positive from sports. Now MTV is raising the children You see now, they’re cutting the funds from sports and music and those are the thins that brought people together