Stickball
Stickballis astreet gamesimilar tobaseball,usually formed as apick-up gameplayed in large cities in theNortheastern United States,especiallyNew York CityandPhiladelphia.[1][2][3]The equipment consists of abroomhandle and a rubber ball, typically aspaldeen,[4]pensy pinky, high bouncer ortennis ball.[1][2]The rules come from baseball and are modified to fit the situation. For example, amanhole covermay be used as a base, or buildings for foul lines.[1][2]The game is a variation ofstick and ball gamesdating back to at least the 1750s. This game was widely popular among youths during the 20th century until the 1980s.
Variants
[edit]
In fungo, the batter tosses the ball into the air and hits it on the way down or after one or more bounces.[5]Another variant isVitilla,a popular variation of stickball played primarily in the Dominican Republic and areas in the United States with large Dominican populations.
Stickball in popular culture
[edit]- In a scene from the 1976 movieRocky,a group of youths playhalfball(a variant of stickball) on the streets ofPhiladelphia.[6]In the 1979 sequelRocky II,the main character himself plays stickball/halfball in one scene.[7]
- The season 4 episode, "Lisa's First Word",of the animated seriesThe Simpsonshas a scene taking place in the Lower East Side of Springfield (visualized like a typical 1930s urbanNew York Cityneighborhood) where a boy says to his friends if they want to play stickball and they agree; instead of actually playing stickball, the group of kids head over to anarcadeand play avideo gameof the sport.
- White CollarTV series (Episode 2.02 - "Need To Know" ) protagonist Neil Coffrey comes up with a clever plan to create a park in honor of the fictional boy Timmy Nolan, who loved to play the old-fashioned game of stickball.
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^abcDandes, R. B. (May 5, 1985)."For These Boys of Summer, the Game Is Stickball".The New York Times.RetrievedJuly 2,2024.
New York City was the hotbed of stickball interest. Devised in the 1920s, for many years the game was calledOne-Bounce.A pitcher would bounce aspaldeen- the little pink rubber ball that cost a nickel - to the plate. When it was hit with the sawed-off broomstick handle that served as a bat without being caught, the batter advanced to impromptu bases (sewers, for instance). [...] Stickball's popularity peaked in the 1950s. By the 60s, with the increasing number of cars that clogged city streets and the mass exodus to the suburbs, the game fell into decline.
{{cite news}}:CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^abcDupont, Kevin Paul (May 26, 2013). Written atNew York City."Stickball in New York is a vanishing game".The Boston Globe.Boston.RetrievedJuly 2,2024.
What's more quintessential New York than stickball, right? Uh, no, not right. Stickball doesn't live here anymore. At least not in the way it does in the mind's eye, how it did when a young, vibrant Willie Mays swung a broom handle in the street outside his old home in Harlem in the 1950s or when Joe Pepitone did as a stylish Yankee in Brooklyn in the '60s.
- ^Gold, Jonathan (September 11, 2017)."Welcome to Stickball Boulevard".ESPN.RetrievedJuly 2,2024.
Stickball was once an integral part of the urban youth experience. Images of ragtag groups of children playing in the street became iconic depictions of New York City and helped shape the world's perception of New Yorkers as the street-smart, rough-and-tumble class of America. Slowly, like so much of Americana, it has faded from the streets, cars and buses rendering the roadways perilous, Xboxes and iPhones commandeering kids' attention.
- ^Koerner, Brendan I.(March 13, 2005)."The Spaldeen Is Back (Even if the Dodgers Aren't)".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on September 13, 2017.RetrievedFebruary 18,2017.
- ^"Stickball Basics".Streetplay.com.RetrievedAugust 24,2012.
- ^"Rocky".www.awesomefilm.com.Retrieved2022-08-27.
- ^"1979 Topps Rocky II #3 Stickball Champ! | Trading Card Database".www.tcdb.com.Retrieved2022-08-27.
External links
[edit]- Fast pitch Stick ball (An Unheard Pastime)(2007) Directed by Jesse Tornabe
- Coverage Of Stick ball Opening Day(2008)
- Bragging Rights: Stick ball Stories(2006). Directed by Sonia Gonzalez.
- Stick ball Night Coverage: Stick ball Highlights(2006). Directed by Ross O Fomerand.
 | Thisbaseball-related article is astub.You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |