N.Y. Post / Mike Vaccaro / Mullin / Xaverian H.S. / Coach Carnesecca

[jsk68/73]

Played stoop ball on E 95th St in Manhattan, stickball in Queens everywhere, handball at Jewel Ave park and Junior High 216 & PS 173 in Queens, intramural handball at SJU, punchball in Fresh Meadows Queens. Loved it all and have great memories! Those were the days!

 

[beast of the east]

Stickball at PS 62 in Ozone Park.   A strike zone on the brick wall between classrooms, with all windows protected by steel grates.     Strike zone heavily chalked with those giant chalk sticks helped resolve any ball strike disputes.   Short 15 foot high fences made homes across the street war zone targets for windows annihilated by line drive spaldeens or pensy pinkies.  Spaldeen split along seams.

With a narrow stick and fast pitch, stick ball was great training for baseball because if you could hit a fastball with a smaller ball and stick, a baseball seemed easier.

most amazing stickball hit I ever saw was when a st John's baseball player, sal schembre, took a challenge from a neighbor who could throw peas you coul hardly see.   Occasionally in that schoolyard kids could hit a ball over the houses across the street.    On that day schembre hit one of those peas no one could touch, clear to the next street, maybe 350 feet.  I never saw anyone come close to that.

 

[Knight]

Stickball at PS 62 in Ozone Park.   A strike zone on the brick wall between classrooms, with all windows protected by steel grates.     Strike zone heavily chalked with those giant chalk sticks helped resolve any ball strike disputes.   Short 15 foot high fences made homes across the street war zone targets for windows annihilated by line drive spaldeens or pensy pinkies.  Spaldeen split along seams.

With a narrow stick and fast pitch, stick ball was great training for baseball because if you could hit a fastball with a smaller ball and stick, a baseball seemed easier.

most amazing stickball hit I ever saw was when a st John's baseball player, sal schembre, took a challenge from a neighbor who could throw peas you coul hardly see.   Occasionally in that schoolyard kids could hit a ball over the houses across the street.    On that day schembre hit one of those peas no one could touch, clear to the next street, maybe 350 feet.  I never saw anyone come close to that.

I remember the legend of Joe Pepitone who, as a teenager,  allegedly hit a ball in that park nearby on Utopia Pky. that may still be traveling.

 

[redken]

Greenpoint for me, along with punchball, slapball, boxball, etc.


In the Bronx, we also played jack-king-queen, a variation on handball, but played against the wall of a building.
 

 

[monte]

Stickball at PS 62 in Ozone Park.   A strike zone on the brick wall between classrooms, with all windows protected by steel grates.     Strike zone heavily chalked with those giant chalk sticks helped resolve any ball strike disputes.   Short 15 foot high fences made homes across the street war zone targets for windows annihilated by line drive spaldeens or pensy pinkies.  Spaldeen split along seams.

With a narrow stick and fast pitch, stick ball was great training for baseball because if you could hit a fastball with a smaller ball and stick, a baseball seemed easier.

most amazing stickball hit I ever saw was when a st John's baseball player, sal schembre, took a challenge from a neighbor who could throw peas you coul hardly see.   Occasionally in that schoolyard kids could hit a ball over the houses across the street.    On that day schembre hit one of those peas no one could touch, clear to the next street, maybe 350 feet.  I never saw anyone come close to that.

I remember the legend of Joe Pepitone who, as a teenager,  allegedly hit a ball in that park nearby on Utopia Pky. that may still be traveling.

I think it may have been Pepi himself who created that legend lol 
 

 

[IDRAFT]

All that were mentioned above in my old Astoria neighborhood, as well as "Hot Beans and Butter" (also sometimes known as "Hot Peas and Butter") which led to no one from my block growing up slow of foot. 

 

[Mean Gene]

Played stickball all the time in P.S. 222 schoolyard  on Quentin Road between East 33rd and East 34 st. in Marine Park , Brooklyn. I grew up on East 31st between Quentin Road and Ave P. Played touch football there and softball also. 

 

[BrookJersey Redmen]

Nostrand & Newkirk Aves,. St. Jerome's grammar school  "parking lot", Sunday morning had "two hand touch" football games with "rushing&blocking", it was fierce, lots of scrapes and bruises.

PS 89 Ave. D and E. 31 Street stickball against the wall.

Stoopball was great when you got a "pointer".

Foster Park getting to play on Court One with the "big time boys". 

 

 

[matt105]

If you suggested playing Hot beans and butter  in Woodside  they would chase you back to  Astoria .WTF ???????