Games of my youth

After a conversation with a good friend who had just been promoted into the top 4 on the list of my friends, i wanted to post this. I had FUN as a kid. I did not need a nintendo, xbox, or anything. My daughter will grow up with video games, and internet, and mobile phones, and it is a shame. I will do my best to try to show her the games of my youth, and should the good Lord permit, my grandchildren. Top games that can be played with little to no money spent:

1) Kickball - Requirements: two large teams, feet to kick with, and one red air-inflated ball. Most often purchased out of large, metal silo like structures at Walgreens, Osco, or Mexican Grocery stores for aboput 1 dollar. Fun? Shit yeah. This was baseball without the need for bats and gloves. Poor kids hadto get a running start, and kick a ball that was rolled to them. The poor ball was booted and chased about by the opposing team. The lightness of the ball led to funny flights and caused the smallest kids to be the best at the game. They understood that you didn't need muscles, just to kick the ball in the sweetspot every time.

2) 4 Square - Requirements, two people, a piece of chalk (Usually stolen from school), and sidewalk. This was basically table tennis without the table. The best players were those skilled at spinning the ball with a twist of the wrist. Thise players also threw the elusive "Spinner" in softball.

3) three outs - Requirements 2-3 people, and one tennis/rubber ball. The idea was to find a wall, and bouce a ballon the floor, riccochet it of of the wall, and have it bouce behind you. depending on the length of the bouce, it was a single, double, triple, or homerun. Defenders cought it on a bouce for an out, or one-handed for a "THREE OUT PLAY." The fun here was running in, getting a one-handed out, and in one smooth motion, throwing a homerun. Those players were in high demand, and always had challengers.

4) fast pitch - Requirements one rubber ball, and a spraypaint can. Usually one abandoned factory or wall, and three players. The idea here was to draw a square on a wall . and have that be a strike zone. The batter would then get 3 outs to score runs. If you played in my neighborhood, you dunked the ball in water to have the wet circle show where the pitch was. This also made a batter aware of the wet bean ball.

5) street football -Requirements even number of players, a football, usually nerf, and a street. Uneven number of players usually created a need for "Official Quarterbacks" and "Pass rushers," who usually did jumpping jacks until the count of "Five-one-thousand." Favorite play: go deep, and cut at the buick. Second favorite play, the throw that shit play, where the wide reciever books off the line, and the QB throws it as soon as he hikes it. the result is an overthrown pass, or a touchdown.

6) Tag - Requirements: People. Variations include Freeze, gender, to-tag-backs, and others. point of the game was to run and remain untagged. Games were often started simply by saying "You're it."

7) running bases Requirements: two basebal gloves, and a flat piece of land. The idea here was to run like hell, and not get tagged. Some were fast, some just broke up a double play, some distracted the players so a ball was missed, wich led to the runners scoring uncontested. Fun? Shit yeah, especially when you had the ballsy kid slide to take the catcher out.

8) dodgeball - Requirements: (1)Dollar ball, players. Just like the movie, we ran like hell and tried to keep from getting blasted in the face with a thrown ball. R.I.P several pairs of glasses I had as a kid

9) softball Requirements, players, and parents with access to a bat, and a ball. Often, we would have a few bats that we used for fast pitch/baseball/etc. Those became our softball bats. A parent would give a kid 10 bucks for a CLINCHER(tm)
softball. We all got one, and would take turns playing with it. On the rare occasion that a ball was hit into a puddle., the ball would be allowed to sun-dry, and a new ball was introduced. Often, we would play block versus block, with the loser, forefeting their ball. A Loss hurt, because it meant the loss of 10 bucks. All we needed was an intersection, and hours of playing time. The sewer caps were bases, and it helped to have a bridge/high-roofed-house/parking lot act as a hore-run area. it also helped to be able to quickly jump a fence to retreieve a ball.

Many summers were spent this way, and for the cost of an extra value meal, i had the best childhood growing up. My hope is that Isabella looks fondly on her childhood like I do on mine.

Join me next week for,

"Board Games of my YOUTH"

Thanks to schweez for the memories

As always, I remain

JJ, ESQ
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