New York Street Games - The Movie

Boxball and Boxball BAseball

Does anyone remember the rules for playing boxball and boxball baseball. I have my grandson interested in learning the game after seeing the Streets of New York trailer

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Permalink Reply by Mike Flynn on May 3, 2009 at 4:21am: Hm... boxball we often called handball, even though it wasn't the handball you played against a wall in the park.

For boxball, you lined up in a box (marked by lines in the concrete) and bounced a ball against a wall. We used the server as ace, player to immediate right as king, etc. (Wonder why no one made a big deal about queen? Am I forgetting something? Maybe it was ace and nothing?)

Serve was hit by an open hand and bounced to any player to the right. Player had to hit the ball to any box on no more than one bounce or he was out and moved to the end of the line and took a point. I think we usually played to 21 points, but maybe it was 11.

We also played a game called box ball on two sidewalk squares. You had to hit a ball on its first bounce and into the opponent's box. He had to hit the ball into your box on one bounce. Again, we played to 21

Box ball baseball... it's ringing a bell, but I can't get the rules. Closest thing I can remember is bouncing the ball off a stoop for singles, doubles, triples, home runs, and outs... but I'm having trouble remembering those rules now, too. Wow, it's been 40 years...!; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Matt Levy- Director/Producer on May 7, 2009 at 3:04pm: boxball baseball used 3 boxes. pitcher would pitch and hitter had to slap ball into middle box. if it bounced 1 x in the middle box it was a single 2x a double 3x a triple and 4x a homer.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Eugene Schmuckler on May 7, 2009 at 4:13pm: Thank you Mike and Matt for your replies. Having found a source to buy "Spaldeens" I stocked up on 6. As a lark I tried showing my oldest grandson how to play boxball. He immediately took to it and so I figured let's up the ante and go to boxball-baseball. Unfortunately I forgot the rules of the game. I'll get him going on that and then start him on stickball. The only problem is that it's not possible to "borrow" broom sticks form the neighbors.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Philip Van Cott on June 19, 2009 at 7:59pm: I`m originally from brooklyn new york and weplayed all the street games. You should try out my sight at www. philipvancott.com I paint many of the games we used to play in the streets of new york . Fistball stickball box ball and many others. Philip Van Cott Ps I live quite close to the Spaldene factory; ▶ Reply to This