Below Phil Starr describes favorite pick up games that he and his boyhood friends played on the streets of Brooklyn. We presume that this goes back a full seventy-years!
Many know Phil from his leadership of the South-East Clinic in Lancaster and through his many other services to the community.
Other popular street games are described at “Games Grandpa Use To Play”.
Game # 1 Punch Ball
In my neighborhood, punch ball was the “premier” game. Punch ball got its name from a person punching a rubber ball with a closed fist. It is a street variation of baseball in which each child could make believe he was Jackie Robinson, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, or Pee Wee Reese. Like baseball, the goal was tocsecure the most runs in nine innings.
As a child growing up during the depression and W.W.II, I could not afford to own a rubber ball. We got the ball in one of two ways; first, a group of us would chip in and purchase what became a community ball; second, we would obtain a tennis ball and rub it against a brick wall until all the fuzz was removed and the rubber ball became apparent.
Generally, there were two types of players in punch ball. Some could hit home runs by punching the ball a great distance or so hard that it was difficult to field. Others, who slapped the ball using an open hand, sliced or curved the ball so it was difficult to field. I was the latter type of player.
Most of the time six or eight of us would gather after school or on a Saturday morning and play until mealtime. I was a rabid player who would slide into second base (remember that the game was played on asphalt) even when the rare car was approaching. I had the teenagers sense of immortality that nothing could hurt me. Because I was a good player, I was usually the captain of one team. I purposely selected players who tried their best regardless of their talent; instead of talented players who only played half-heartedly.
Third base was located in front of an apartment building. On the top floor of the apartment building, there was an elderly woman who was convinced that our consistent playing of punch ball was a factor in her daughter’s miscarriage . She would throw at least a milk carton filled with water at the players, especially the third baseman. Thus, he had to watch for the elderly woman’s missile while playing the game.
Sometimes, punch ball became the means to express rivalry between streets. My best memory of this occurred in 1943 when I was eight years old. My 13-year-old brother Irving and his buddies represented Miller Avenue in a punch ball against
a team from Bradford St. Before the game began, ten dollars was wagered on the game.
In 1943, it cost a nickel to ride a bus or subway in New York City (versus $2.00 in 2009) so $10.00 was a lot of money. A huge crowd gathered to cheer on the players from the respective teams. After the game, the winners silently gloated and the losers vowed they would win a rematch.
Materials Needed:
A rubber ball
Player: Six or more divided into two teams of equal number.
Playing Area: The playing area for punch ball was Belmont Avenue between Miller Avenue and Bradford St. You played in the street with one sewer cover as a home plate and the next one was second base. The lack or the infrequent appearance of cars in my youth made it possible to play directly on the street.
