Stick Ball Games

[NetShrine]

Back in the day, when I was a kid, we used to play stickball. Not the stickball game that you always see in those Willie Mays film clips from the '50's. (Teams playing each other, with bases in the street.) We played one-on-one, where a wall was your backstop and the pitcher threw to a box on the wall for a strikezone. You hit it - if he (the pitcher) fielded it, you were out - if not, it was a hit (and the distance determined the type of hit).

But, we also played a "short court" version of this game - called "Yankee Doodle." In this game, the batter FACED the wall (standing about 10 feet back from it) and the pitcher stood (about 20 feet) BEHIND the batter. The pitcher would throw the ball (from behind the batter) against the wall. The batter would then have to hit the "pitch" as it bounced off the wall - back towards the wall. And, then, the pitcher would have to field the batted ball as it bounced off the wall. Same rules - catch was an out, miss was a hit (of some kind).

Anyone else ever play something like this? We didn't invent it - we weren't that smart. Any other variations of stickball played out there?

[ChrisCary]

I played stickball the long way in the center of the street, the way you see it in the Torre TV commercials.
I played wiffleball the short way, across the street with the strike zone chalked onto a stoop.
We played wall ball, which is the same as your short ball in the shool yard.

Every street has it's own team.

There was alway chips on the ball and a roofer was an automatic loss unless the roofing team got another ball.

I also played stoop ball.
You throw the ball against a stoop and catch it coming off. You had a lins that you couldn't go forward of unless you leapt and caught the ball in the air.
One bounce was 5 points, on a fly was 10, a pointer was 50. You went until you dropped it, first on to X points, usually 1000 was the winner.

[NetShrine]

We also had a game called "Ace, King, Queen" where we would line up side-by-side, shoulder to shoulder, usually 4 or more, facing a wall (about 8 feet away). The guy on the far left would start off by throwing the ball against the wall. If it came to you, on the bounce or fly, you had to catch it cleanly. If you did, then you got to throw it against the wall. Miss it, and you had to move all the way to the right (end) in the row. Best and hottest catcher was always to the far left (hence he was the Ace). Last guy with a miss was always at the end - as the Queen, Jack, or 10, I guess.

Makes me wish I was 10 again, playing Ace, King, Queen.

[Jen]

I must say, I've always envied you city kids.
Try playing wiffle ball in a cow pasture. Hell yeah we used dried cow patties for bases. :D But if you spooked the wrong cow, just once, the game turned into a running of the bulls. Not so bad as a added fun factor, but it sure taught us how to be quick.
We tried playing in the soybean fields, too, but if the ball hit the ground, it could take hours to find it again. You were pretty much guaranteed a homer. (And my grandpa always scolded us for trampling the crops.)
But I think the best games we had were after harvest, we'd take all the rotten apples, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant...whatever was there, and smack 'em to bits with a slugger. (If you caught or picked up a tiny piece of the "ball", it was still playable) Sure it was messy, but great fun.

[NetShrine]

Originally posted by Jen
But I think the best games we had were after harvest, we'd take all the rotten apples, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant...whatever was there, and smack 'em to bits with a slugger. (If you caught or picked up a tiny piece of the "ball", it was still playable) Sure it was messy, but great fun.

Gotta think every kid would love that game.

[Jen]

What's the deal with "official" sticks for stick ball? I thought you used a broom handle or something like that? Is nothing sacred? Does everything have to be turned into making a quick buck?
Kids these days must be losing some of their imagination reserves. Glad I'm not a kid today.

Net, yeah, it was a great game...only real problem that occured was if more than one person caught a piece of the "ball"...our umpiring skills consisted of "who was the biggest or who could yell the loudest and longest."

[NetShrine]

Originally posted by Jen
What's the deal with "official" sticks for stick ball?

Longer, thicker, and heavier. Less likely to break. And, yeah, another way to make money.

[ChrisCary]

It would have made my mother happy.

I could never understand what was so upsetting about going to clean the house and not having a stick on any broom, mop, etc...

I reember her once using the stick from the toilet bowkl plunger in the mop, poor women...I'm laughing as I write this.

Once for Christmas my father got me a broomstick with the tape and President St. Players, Chris Cary engraved on it.

[NetShrine]

Chris - did your friends razz you on the personalized bat? Mine would have........ :loud:

[ChrisCary]

I only used it once.

Too bad it didn't have the threads to go into one of my mothers mops because it ended up in that closet as I removed the brrom stick from her newest mop

[NetShrine]

"Wonderboy" it wasn't - I guess. :rolleyes:

[BuzzBuzzard]

My father grew up in Astoria, not far from Shea. That explains a lot about the Buzzard right off the top. He taught me stoop ball in the NJ suburbs, but in contrast to how Chris has described it, if the ball was not caught, depending on how far it traveled would determine single, double, etc. The point catching game Chris described was a game my Dad called 5-10-100.

My father and I would cut out a box score from the paper of the previous night's games and 'play' the best match up. I was just coming of age and was alligned with the Big Red Machine. I don't think I did those guys justice. I can recall, vividly, the first time I beat my old man. He was not pleased. We used to play with a ball called a Spaldine. Made by the Spalding company, basically is was a tennis ball, minus the hair. Rejects for the tennis world. I found some in my grocery store this weekend and had to buy a few.

I also used to play the field with my glove. My dad would play bare handed. He'd razz me to no end about using the glove to catch a Spaldine. I think more popped out than stayed in. Without doubt, it cost me a few games early on.

Some day, I hope to share this with my kids. Not only just for the pure enjoyment, but as an honor to my Dad.

The other version of stick ball he taught me was a game he called Strike Box. Same basic approach as stick ball, but the pitcher would have to bounce the ball into the hitting zone. If, off the bounce, the pitch wound up in the zone, it was a strike. Outside the zone was a ball. Talk about learning to put new spins of pitches, if you could throw a good top spin ball, you were in the drivers seat.

Thanks for taking me back. I feel kind of melancholy now, but will have some great memories to go to sleep to tonight.

[NetShrine]

Great stuff Buzz!

Ah, Spaldines and Super Pinkys (a sponge ball that we used sometimes too) - - - what a great thing.

[BuzzBuzzard]

You ever leave a Spaldine outside in the grass for a few days. It would get flat slick leathery surface to it and it would start to deaden. That made stoop ball a real challenge.

I'd take a dead Spaldine over a Super Pinky any day. Super Pinky's are nothing but a cheap imitation. Ban them.

[NetShrine]

Yeah, but you could divot a Super Pinky - and, then you really see some funky hops.

[ChrisCary]

We'd often play with a half a spalding.
It prevented roofings, gutter losses and allowed us to use more fielders and keep the game interesting.

[NetShrine]

Originally posted by ChrisCary
We'd often play with a half a spalding.
It prevented roofings, gutter losses and allowed us to use more fielders and keep the game interesting.

Never heard of that! :eek2:
Most have made for some nice curveballs!

[Jen]

I'm still betting produce is better.

[NetShrine]

Just thought of something that I had not in a long time. Very long time.

The other day, on my way to work, I saw a baseball with no cover on it.

Reminded me of what we used to do 25 years ago. (Christ, I am old.) We would play with a baseball in the street, and, eventually, the cover would get shot.

So, we would take the cover off and then cover the "string ball" with tape - - and continue to use the ball.

But, very often, albeit due to stupidity or lack of materials, we would use black electrical tape to cover the ball. This would result in:

1. A very slick ball to throw.
2. A "harder" hardball - - since you could really get the electrical tape tight. It was almost like the thing that would come out of a musket in the old days. A mini-cannon ball of sorts.
3. A ball that was very hard to see when you had an "after dinner" catch (around 8 PMish in the summer time).

This just a stupid thing that we did? Or, anyone else use tape - esp. electrical tape........

[BuzzBuzzard]

My father told me stories of how he would use a roll of electrical and/or friction tape to play street hockey in the city. Make sense. It is about the size and shape of a puck.

[BuzzBuzzard]

Another thought. Ever doctor up a wiffle ball with a little tape. Cover a hole here, or though off the balance there. It could give the average pitcher unbelievable junk.

[NetShrine]

Originally posted by BuzzBuzzard
Another thought. Ever doctor up a wiffle ball with a little tape. Cover a hole here, or though off the balance there. It could give the average pitcher unbelievable junk.

Never did it - 'tho have played with a cracked one, and the crack made for a nice groove, hence a doctored ball effect on a ball that already moves.

[ChrisCary]

Done all the things mentioned.

Net,

Never thought of it then, but what the hell were we thinking using black tape??

Some kids used to stuff wiffle ball bats with wet mewspaper.

[BuzzBuzzard]

I was a big fan of putting some sand it the bat through that little hole at the bottom and then sealing it. When taking a stance, the weight of the sand would be in the grip of the bat, but through the swing it would move towards the barrel. Talk about putting a charge in the ball.

[ChrisCary]

Smart Buzz, I never thought of that.

I used that little hole to aim my bottle rockets.

[NetShrine]

Originally posted by BuzzBuzzard
I was a big fan of putting some sand it the bat through that little hole at the bottom and then sealing it. When taking a stance, the weight of the sand would be in the grip of the bat, but through the swing it would move towards the barrel. Talk about putting a charge in the ball.

Chris - I dunno what we were thinking? Kids, I guess we didn't think?

Buzz - this is a big league trick too - - - in lieu of corking, some put a tube with some mercury in the bat - - the mercury rushes to the end of the tube in the swing for an extra whallop. I think they used mercury because it was a heavy liquid.

[bagger015]

wow this thread brings back some very fond memories playing ball with whatever was hanging around. taped balls broom and mop handles. :) i don't think a day went by in the summertime that i did not play a form ot two of baseball. what fun. don't play much now. young at heart but the body keeps telling me to go :finger: myself. :)

[NetShrine]

Bagger - been there, know that.
I played some kind of ball up until I was 27.

At age 36, I was talked into playing softball at a company picnic.

First AB, I hit a slow roller to SS. I figured, ah, company picnic, if I bust my tail down the line, I can beat this - and, at least I would have reached base.

I ran as hard as I ever did in any game in my life towards the bag - - problem was, I was just not getting there. It was like running uphill in sand.

Was it Lefty Gomez who said at the end of his career "I'm throwing as hard as I ever did - - it's just not getting there as fast as it used to............"

That summer day in 1998, I knew exactly what he meant............it sucks getting old.