They don't seem to have the same kind of lifestyle that we had. Most kids today are video junkies who can't take their eyes off the computer games or video games at home. Socializing isn't done in the street; it's done in shopping centers and fast food places that have to be driven to. Walking to the park is something out of Currier & Ives. Playgrounds are for losers, the mothers have to arrange "play dates" for their children.

When I was a kid, the playgrounds were literally teeming with kids, you could hardly see the ground for all the kids. Nowadays it's much more sparsely populated. It's as if people don't like to be in contact with each other any more. Look at the current homebuilding trend - Huge rooms, many houses have to have a home theater, all kinds of home entertainment so that you don't ever have to leave. I don't think this is a good thing.

I would not trade my growing up days on the Bronx streets for anything! My Dad once mentioned to me and Andy that he regretted that we had to grow up in the "concrete jungle". We both laughed and told him that we had no regrets whatsoever!

i totally agree mike i wouldnt change my upbringing in the bronx for nothing. thats why im still here funny when i go visit my sister who lives up in putnam county i laugh at her sure there is a beautiful scenery of hills of grass and trees but sitting on her back porch alls you do is keep swatting yourself with the misquitoes and hearing of her termite problems and seeing my nephew with only maybe 3 friends to play with everday is a bummer i remember having hundreds of friends and much more to do as a kid.

Absolutely Bob. stoops, spaldeens and schoolyards!

Its not only the area but time that matters. Growing up on the sreets of the Bx now a days is a lot different then when we were kids. Im glad my kids could grow up in the country, nothing like the old Bx exists anywhere.

I have a question for you stickball players here.

i would watch the guys play with the stickball bat that had the tape on one side. But most of the guys would hold the non-taped end of the bat and hit the ball with the taped end, was this normal? Did the ball get hit better with the taped end? I would have thought it was better to grip and hold the bat on the tape end.
just something I noticed while watching the guys.

Yvonne, the only reason I can think why anyone would do that was because the friction tape was notorious for becoming very sticky when wet by perspiration. I very rarely ever used friction tape on the old broom handles. The Candy Stores used to sell the authentic S/B bats with the tape already on it....somewhat expensive

billy maybe the parks are not used today because most of the moms are out working, or maybe because crime is prevalent. no one has time to do anything with their kids today that is why they are growing up without values or morales. moms are their to teach them and dads aren't there to be role models. you don't hear kids saying i want to grow up and be just like my dad, anymore do ya.its really sad to be a kid today.

I'm happy to say that games like stick ball and potsy are back. Unfortunately I only know what I have seen in Brooklyn where I take my Grandson to the parks. They live by Prospect Park and the kids there are playing with Chalk, playing stick ball in the playgrounds courts but most of all playing the way I remember my kids playing on the streets of the Bronx.

Good old spaldeens stickball, stupball, Ace king, queen and punch ball.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike B:
Good old spaldeens stickball, stupball, Ace king, queen and punch ball.

Hey, watta 'bout "Curb Ball" and "I Declare War"???

I sure wish I would have saved a Spaldeen so I could just hold one, one more time.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike McWatt:
Yvonne, the only reason I can think why anyone would do that was because the friction tape was notorious for becoming very sticky when wet by perspiration. I very rarely ever used friction tape on the old broom handles. The Candy Stores used to sell the authentic S/B bats with the tape already on it....somewhat expensive

I, too, remember those store-bought bats. They were shorter and fatter.

To me, there was NOTHING like screwing off the top portion of moms broom and racing downstairs for a game of stickball. Mom didn't like the idea of having about three or four bottoms in the broom closet with no tops there to attach so she could sweep. The other thing about the "home grown" bats was that you had to be a REAL GOOD good hitter to hit with them: for one, they were MUCH thinner than the one's from the store, and two, the one's you stole from the broom clopset had about a 27 degree bow in them, so you had to carefully place the bat in your hand so when you swung, the bow wouldnt affect your hitting. Of course, with a curve ball, the bow COULD be an advantage.....

ah, memories of a two-and-a-half sewer shot!!!!!

I have the updated version of the spaldeen..not the same. The texture and smell of the 60's era ball is just not there.

I grew up next to jhs 82 175 st and maccombs rd. Now live in suburb of Philly. I won two tickets to game five. Oh well there goes my sixty one years of rooting for da bums (Broolyn and LA). Go Phillies

quote:

Originally posted by Mike McWatt:
I have the updated version of the spaldeen..not the same. The texture and smell of the 60's era ball is just not there.

It's sad; they sell them in Bed Bath & Beyond. The young girl at the check-out had only a faint clue. I started to talk about the ball and she said that many people see the canister and start to tell her about the good old Spaldeen.

Do you guys remember A sses Up?

Wound up with many a welt.LOL

If you didn't lose it in a sewer, someone would eventually 'roof' it.

I remember that the crappy balls used to go for a dime while the Spaldeens would be a quarter.

quote:

Originally posted by B3EddieB:
If you didn't lose it in a sewer, someone would eventually 'roof' it.

I remember that the crappy balls used to go for a dime while the Spaldeens would be a quarter.

There was one called Pensey Pinky. It S*cked!

PLAYED MANY A GAME OF FAST PITCHING STICKBALL WITH THEM IN LORETO PARK,YOU HAD TO LOVE WHEN YOU HIT THEM ,THE EGG BALL,OR WHEN THEY SPLIT IN HALVE COMING AT YOU

Bronxbob, if you were crazy for smelling spaldeens then so was I...oh that rubbery smell was so good, and "spaldeens" were better than Pennsy Pinkies....I felt so lucky when I found a good bouncy and not flat one up on my roof....it was like covert gold...finders keepers...I'd put my name on it and covet it...Wish I could sniff one now.lol.