Hi, I grew up on Long Island, and I can still smell that new ball smell of the Pinkie. Spaldeens just didn’t smell as good. If anyone still wants to find any pinkies, (the spaldeens are now at Sports Authority, and Modells) I would suggest cruising the old neighborhoods and look for older run-down homes. Then ask permission and check those gutters!!
I grew up in Brooklyn and we called them pinky balls. At one point I remember inserting the ball into (god this will age me here!) tube sock, standing against a brick wall and whacking it against the wall between our legs and under our arms to the tune of “hello, hello, hello sir”. Does anyone have any recollection of this? Also, will the new principal at PS 236 please check the roof…there must be a zillion pinky balls up there…unless Mr. Rahinsky got them first!
if anyone out there played the way we did in the projects you would know the pensie pinky was the rich mans ball. I would save for that ball and wait for the sunday morning game to break out that baby. The first three or four batters would have the opportunity to knock that baby senseless. There was nothing like the feeling of a long fly ball coming off your bat from a fresh pensie pinky. Loved that ball.
I used to play stickball on 54th and 9th ave in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn in the 60’s and 70’s. First, spauldings and then Pense Pinkies. Georgie Williams was the first on the block to hit it 3 sewers. Joe Martone spent the entire time out on his stoop to make sure we didn’t hit his cadillac. Lots of fun and memories. I think back and wondered how we could keep our eyes on the ball – through trees, phone and power wires, cars (parked and moving) and still catch a small ball hit two sewers long and five stories high!
I used to play stickball with both spaldeens and pensie pinkies. I preferred the pinkie as it seemed I could do more with it. when I was 15 I used to be able to throw a curve ball that would make the batter duck out of the way, just as the ball broke over the middle of the box. I was a stickball king. a God of sorts. I still play at age 52 and can beat most kids. Those were golden times and the pensie pinkie was part of it. I could also hit that ball into orbit. Like Mickey Mantle, my hits were high and far. Many times the balls were lost, presumed to be in orbit over the earth. So if you ever hear of a UFO and it is described as pink and round, please let me know.
Hi – I grew up in Jackson Heights, Queens and played all of the street games everyone else did: Handball, stickball, stoop ball, Chinese handball, boxball, single-double-triple, slapball, errors, etc. Pensie Pinkies definitely were higher bouncers than Spaldeens and easier on the hand for both punchball and handball, especially on cold days. I haven’t seen a Pensie Pinkie in maybe 30 years, but I recently bought a “Spalding” at a Modell’s where I now live in Fairfax County, VA. It cost $1.99 – a far cry from the 15 cents or so when I was a kid, but probably equivalent with 35-40 years of inflation. Anyway, I got to play some fungo stickball with my 10 year old son today, and also introduced him to boxball. I have a stickball bat I bought about 10 years ago. If anyone knows where you can currently get a Pensie Pinkie, let me know. It was great finding this site.
I am interested in games that we can paint on the black top of our schools playground. I have enjoyed reading some of the memories of playgrounds of the past. I,too, remember the big slides (which in western Pennsylvania we just called slides!) and the names on the steps. I remember underducks and being dropped to the ground from the high side of the see-saw!! Our kids today don’t seemto know how to play like we did. They just want to run, knock each other down, and wrestle. I would like to share some of the games that we used to enjoy. Right now we only have 4-square blocks and basketball hoops (and they are’t up every day!!) Can anybody help? Email me at bobobollingerb5 [at] hotmail [dot] com Thanks