The Game

It was about 9:30AM on a warm summer morning we had just finished our school year a few days before and I was eating my breakfast when I hear "Bobby" my mother went to the door to tell Rocky I'd be right there. Rocky was one of the better stick ball players in the neighborhood and the only Yankee fan on our block. I finished my breakfast then ran out the door with my bat and ball. There was no need to tell my mom where I was going she knew exactly where we were going. Rocky was dressed in his Yankee shirt and hat, I wore my Dodger stuff so you know I looked better. We headed down the block to get Jimmy and Tommy another two very good ballplayers, we now had enough to play our pitch in stick ball game between the Tamaqua and Civic Club. We also had two other regular players Victor and Vinny who weren't from our block but good friends from near by in the Beach, normally we played with all six players it was always a better game with all the guys there. We had another friend Ralph who came to visit his grandparents for the whole summer, he was the only lefty thrower we had and he could really hit. On this beautiful morning when we got to the field Victor and Ralph were waiting for us, Rocky and I as the oldest choose the teams I won the draw so I choose Victor. The teams wounded up Victor, Jimmy and me, Rocky choose Tommy then Ralph. We were the home team so I went to the mound with Victor playing near second base and Jimmy catching. Tommy stepped up to the plate with Joe one of the regulars at the Civic Club calling balls and strikes. Tommy was a good contact hitter with a little power but he could run like a deer, if he hit the ball and it wasn't caught he'd be on base. With Rocky on deck and Ralph hitting third you had to keep Tommy off base, I tried sneeking a fast ball by him Tommy hit one into Jimmy's yard. The game went back and forth until the seventh and last inning, the score was 19-17 in favor of Rocky's team after six innings, I had to shut them down in the top of the seventh. Ralph led off the inning I threw him 2 straight fastballs he hit both of them deep to right foul one wounded up in the water the other under a car in the next lot. Jimmy calls for the curve I load the ball up(spit ball) then throw a big sweeping curve that dips down that caught Ralph by surprise Joe the umpire calls "Strike Three". Tommy steps in and on the first pitch hits a high fly ball to deep center field but Victor had him played just right catching the ball with his back against to the wall. Now with two outs Rocky their best power hitter steps in, I start him with a curve he takes it for a strike then I try to get a fast ball by him he hits a long home run over the peak of the Tamaqua roof. Ralph hits a single off the wall, Tommy hits one up the middle Victor fields it and touches second base for the force out. Now to the bottom of the seventh Rocky is still throwing bullets, with the score 20-17 we need four to win. Victor hits a first pitch fastball off the roof for a double, I step in and foul off 2 pitches then hit a long fly ball that Tommy catches Victor tags up then goes to third. Jimmy looks at two pitches then hits Rocky's next pitch way up over the peak of the Tamaqua roof for a home run Victor jumps on Rocky's first pitch to hit a shot way over the peak. With one out and the game tied I step into the lefthanded batting box with 3 home runs in the game I'm looking for another one. Rocky throws the first three pitches out of the strike zone like he's pitching around me then he throws a strike I hit it off the wall for a single, Jimmy comes up hits the first pitch off the lower roof for a double. Now its up to Victor, knowing its second and third all he needs to do is hit the ball, he chokes up a bit on the bat the tension is now higher then anytime during the game. He punches at the first pitch and hits it foul into the water, the second pitch is a called strike it looks low to me then Victor lines one over Rocky's head Tommy dove for the ball just missing it. We win 21-20. It's time for a lunch break before we come back and play a few more games. Mr Lombardo retreats into his house with his dog, he will be back in his box seat for game two.

Our Block

Dictum Ct was a wonderful place to grow up, we were a few hundred feet from the water, a few blocks from the park. We had a bunch of kids who were always up to play Stick ball, we had our own field in the sand between the Tamaqua and the Civic Club. We'd chip in 10 cents a piece to buy a few "Spauldeens", a few kids had bats  made from a broomstick some even bought the new factory made Sticks for about 50 cents. We played there mostly during the week and we always had spectators watching us like it was a Dodgers-Giants game. One of these spectators was Mr Lombardo a retired cop who had a box seat on his back stoop then we had the regulars at the Civic Club taking up a seat by each window. One guy sat at the window behind home plate and called balls and strikes for us, we only played pitch in stick ball on that field. We had ground rules too, anything over the peak of the Tamaqua was a home run if it just hit off the lower roof it was a double. The big problem we had was the water being 50 feet off first base so a lot of balls had to be retrieved from the water with a crab net. We had to find another place to play on weekends because "our field" was filled with cars from the fisherman, we tried putting up no parking signs but that didn't work. Today I just touched on a few highlights of  growing up on Dictum Ct., next time we'll go a bit deeper until then keep the memories coming.
BobC 84 Dictum Ct