Backyard ball. How did you play?

[Chin Diesel]

We did the same thing but with no shields and used these huge acorns from a certain oak tree. Lasted 2 years of great fun until 3 of us in the 3rd year were hit in the mouth and broke teeth. Parents put a quick stop to that game via chain saw action on that tree.

Crab apples and weeping willow whips made for good "fights".

 

[ElPresidente]

crate is still a childhood favorite

 

[boog204]

Cross Lane in Old Lyme... A mix of a million different ages and abilities. Call your own fouls, but it was really a no-blood, no-foul expectation.

At one point, they had 9-foot rims, and probably my greatest basketball moment ever was dunking on my friend to secure victory in front of a girl that I dug. Let out a yawp like few ever have. 12-year-old me was briefly the king of the world.

 

[alexd]

Yep - HORSE, down the street in beerfan's driveway in West Hartford in the mid/late 70's.
He was deadly with the "from behind the forsythia bush" shot.
One great memory is shooting hoops on a warm March Saturday in 1979 while listening to the radio and UConn beating Rhode Island in the ECAC finals at the Providence CC to grab a spot in the NCAA's.
The following season we were off to play with the big boys in the BE.

Also....football and street hockey (The Mildred Maulers vs. the Echo Arrows) on the St Helena's church property with the groundskeeper always trying to kick us off. LOL
Ice hockey on the pond in Wolcott Park.

 

[LBird33]

Basketball and wiffle ball ( had a small backyard)

 

[StllH8L8ner]

Night Gym in the Hood back in the early 80's... 6pm-9pm at the neighborhood elementary schools, we got next as our 5 walked in the gym

You haven’t lived until you’ve played in a midnight league at the YMCA in downtown Waterbury.

 

[DaddyChoc]

Who got next, can I run with you? Fran Laffin, Mike Williams (UMass). Downtown YMCA (Hartford)

 

[CL82]

Bike races were fun. Our house was at a good center point of a neighborhood loop which was probably a half mile long. Bikes would take off in opposite direction. Both riders had to go up hill on the first half, cross paths at the highest point and then all downhill from there. As you came back around the loop to the start/finish it was a good 1000' of view to the other side so you could see your opponent coming at you. More than once kids wiped out coming down the hills and trying to turn on to the front stretch.

A friend's farm had a long steep hill. We'd ride along the top to pick up speed and then turn downhill. About 10 feet from the bottom we build a ramp out of whatever board we could find and a hay bale and do tricks off the jumps. People wiped out semi regularly. Occasionally, we'd have to walk a kid home, but I don't remember anyone being too seriously injured.

(I also remember those hockey games when the ponds froze over.)

 

[mauconnfan]

Crab apples and weeping willow whips made for good "fights".

And sometimes (unfortunately) nice items to toss at moving vehicles. We were not understanding of the potential damage we could create until one guy was caught and we all were “talked to” by the Meriden police. It ended there thank God.

 

[Deepster]

Who got next, can I run with you? Fran Laffin, Mike Williams (UMass). Downtown YMCA (Hartford)

Wow. Struck a nerve with that one. Fran Laffin was a teacher at my high school (South Catholic). Supposedly was set to be drafted by the Celtics and they took Charlie Scott, so he ended up overseas where he actually had his own sneaker deal.

When I was a junior, our school took a class trip with the history club to Oahu. We stayed next to a naval base and there was a basketball court. He rounded a few of us up, skinny nerdy 17 yr olds and told this group of grown Navy guys "we got next". We thought he was nuts and were immediately intimidated. These guys were specimens.

What happened the next 2 games was insane. He pretty much single handedly beat the pants off them and the games weren't close. It was a highlight reel of passes, shots, blocks and lots of trash talk by him. It could have been a movie scene. One of my favorite memories.

 

[Hunt for 7]

Wiffle ball in my friend’s driveway which was across the street from my house. There was an oil stain in the drive way about twenty feet in a perfect place for home plate. First and third were the corners of the drive way were it met the street. Second base was across the street. Luckily my parent bought the vacant lot next to our house and then put bushes up about ten feet from the end of the street. They made a perfect fence.

We could play three on three no problem or even four on four. It was kind of slow pitch but we had a catcher who wore a mask to protect against hard foul tips which could be hard and cause damage if it caught you flush in the eye or nose.

My best friend and I were a year or two older and had to bat lefty since we were both right handed hitters. We kept stats. This went on from the time we were 12 to around 15 to 16 and high school which was 10th grade for us.

Worse thing I experienced is trying to skip the family summer vacation because I had the home run lead and new the two weeks away would give my friend a chance to catch me. Which he did but I found out later a few years later that he was struggling to catch up and the kids in the neighborhood let him bat right in the last three games to catch and pass me.

I came back with only one week left in the season (yes we had seasons) and could not catch up.

The best part of the game for me was robbing home runs by jumping into the bushes.

Man it was fun.

 

[Hunt for 7]

I had the back of my heel scraped off from a guy covering me who was wearing steel toed construction boots. We didn't tackle playing in the street, but a favorite pass play was an out thrown just OOB where the receiver would hook his feet on the curb. We eventually moved to a grass field every Sunday, then just a Turkey Bowl till I was 45.

Had a backyard hoop. Played mostly one-on-one and horse. Also played street hockey and street baseball (with a couple broken windows) as well as wiffle ball. At one point we made up a golf course of things around our block, and used crushed soda cans as golf balls.

The only time we played tackle in the street is when it snowed. The plowing was not always consistent in the 70’s and you could get that hard pack from just the cars. We figured it was not much harder than turf so when that happened we played tackle in the street.

But that was only if we could not get a street hockey game going. We had goals made with two by fours and chicken wire. And then you would hear the dreaded car and we would have to rush to get the goals out of the middle of the street. It was the goalies job to look for the cars they were actually goalies with pads mask goalie stick and a baseball glove first baseman’s mitt.

But those snow banks that the plows made worked perfectly as side boards and the checking always picked up when they got to be three or four feet high. Those games were a blast.

 

[tjhusky]

Reading all of these brings back tons of memories.
My brother is 5 years younger than me. From the time I was 8 until I moved out in my early 20’s we lived in West Have on Forest Rd. a great spot to grow up. We had a basketball hoop in the driveway, decent sized front and side yards. Across from the front yards was a big wooded hill with a pond where neighborhood kids would gather to skate and play pickup hockey.
Behind our house were the Yale practice fields where the same bunch of us would gather to play football and baseball. We would make do with whoever showed up.
We played standard backyard baseball rules, designated pitchers and catchers, ghost runners, call your field. No called balls, only swinging strikes and fouls.
I also spent hours seeing how far out I could punt a football over a goal post (50 yds, but I could never get kick an actual field goal from any distance).
Mom sent us out to play year round so we invented lots of games, We made a golf course around our house (pitch and put) with 3 holes.
For basketball we played horse, 21 and when alone a game ii made up where I would play to 100 pts. Points doubled on a made shot, shoot from where you rebound. Point value back to 1 on a miss.
We had many other adventures. It was a great time and great area to grow up in.

 

[Umami Zen]

Was your cousin Tom Roy? Good ol days I was a little younger but my brother played for a Meriden team that traveled and played against Holowaty and many other exHuskies early 70s. I waited for HS on easier games against Bruce K and Corny. Like you while 15-16 I was playing with the 19-22 year olds as well. Fun times

Ronny Riordan?

 

[husky8273]

Wow. Struck a nerve with that one. Fran Laffin was a teacher at my high school (South Catholic). Supposedly was set to be drafted by the Celtics and they took Charlie Scott, so he ended up overseas where he actually had his own sneaker deal.

When I was a junior, our school took a class trip with the history club to Oahu. We stayed next to a naval base and there was a basketball court. He rounded a few of us up, skinny nerdy 17 yr olds and told this group of grown Navy guys "we got next". We thought he was nuts and were immediately intimidated. These guys were specimens.

What happened the next 2 games was insane. He pretty much single handedly beat the pants off them and the games weren't close. It was a highlight reel of passes, shots, blocks and lots of trash talk by him. It could have been a movie scene. One of my favorite memories.

had not heard of Fran - impressive D II player -

The only man in Saint Michael's history to score over 2,000career points, Laffin is certainly the most prolific scorer ever to wear the Purple Knights uniform. Set the College's all-time scoring mark with 2,005 career points. Was our-time All-State, two-time All-New England, and two-time All-East selection. Was named to the NCAA All-Regional Tournament Team, First Team twice. Was Vermont's Athlete of the Month in December, 1973. Named New England Division II Player of the Year for 1974. Named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches District I All-Star Team, First Team in 1974. Named a NABC All-American, Second Team in 1974. After graduation, Laffin played professionally in Holland for Markt Utrecht from 1974-1976. Hestill holds four individual College scoring records. Laffin's jersey, #45, has been retired from active use.

and impressive career - Directory & Departments

 

[HCCForever]

had not heard of Fran - impressive D II player -

The only man in Saint Michael's history to score over 2,000career points, Laffin is certainly the most prolific scorer ever to wear the Purple Knights uniform. Set the College's all-time scoring mark with 2,005 career points. Was our-time All-State, two-time All-New England, and two-time All-East selection. Was named to the NCAA All-Regional Tournament Team, First Team twice. Was Vermont's Athlete of the Month in December, 1973. Named New England Division II Player of the Year for 1974. Named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches District I All-Star Team, First Team in 1974. Named a NABC All-American, Second Team in 1974. After graduation, Laffin played professionally in Holland for Markt Utrecht from 1974-1976. Hestill holds four individual College scoring records. Laffin's jersey, #45, has been retired from active use.

and impressive career - Directory & Departments

Saint Michaels had two more 1,000 plus scorers from South Catholic besides Fran Laffin.

Games Seasons
1. 2,005 Fran Laffin* 99 1970-1974

12. 1,569 John Balczuk* 100 1972-1976
13. 1,548 Ted Mauro* 96 1974-1978

All three were CIAC champions as South won in 1970 (Fran and John) and 1974 (Ted).

 

[Yardigan]

Yeah. The safety factor is crazy to imagine. I remember if it was snowing we'd play tackle on the street.

The uncertainty of the footing added to the thrill! It was best with snowbanks on the side for out of bounds

 

[Yardigan]

Buddies of mine used to shoot each other with BB guns. The only rules were that 1) it could only be BBs no pellets 2) you could only pump the gun once and 3) no head shots.

eventually, they realized that something bad was going to happen and stopped. I heard about it after they stopped doing it.

My buddy and I used to do this in the woods in Maine...we'd wear safety glasses...give a head start and hunt each other down in the woods around his dad's property. I don't remember either of us getting hurt, so we were probably really bad shots

 

[temery]

Yeah. The safety factor is crazy to imagine. I remember if it was snowing we'd play tackle on the street.

Bumper sliding was popular back in the day.

 

[HCCForever]

Bumper sliding was popular back in the day.

We used to do that after a snowstorm behind an MGB. I wore out the soles of my shoe one time. Thanks for the memory.

 

[temery]

We used to do that after a snowstorm behind an MGB. I wore out the soles of my shoe one time. Thanks for the memory.

We played for points:

1 pt for the back bumper
2 pts for back wheel well
3 pts for passenger side front wheel well
5 pts for driver side wheel well.

 

[BigErnMcCracken]

I can relate to all of these posts and the crazy thing is the idea of manufacturing fun out of stupid invented games is probably completely foreign to my kids.

I remember when I was in elementary school there was this abandoned development or something about a mile from my house and some enterprising person had plowed the dirt into a makeshift track with some big-ass jumps where we used to ride our bikes. One year on the last day of school we convinced my degenerate bus driver to take us for a few laps off the jumps on our yellow school bus. Kids flying around all over the place, bouncing off the ceiling. The 80s were great.

 

[Chin Diesel]

A bit of a one off and I was a bit too young to remember this right, but......

Kids in the neighborhood would take the metal tennis ball cans and put some lighter fluid in the bottom of the can, load a tennis ball, and then light the fluid to make a one shot tennis ball roman candle.

I think there may have been a small hole on the bottom of the tennis can to get the match to light the fluid.

I think my job as one of the younger kids was to recover tennis balls.

Then they started selling selling tennis balls in plastic cubes and the fun was over.

 

[Jaydumo20]

We played for points:

1 pt for the back bumper
2 pts for back wheel well
3 pts for passenger side front wheel well
5 pts for driver side wheel well.

That's the most dangerous thing I've ever heard! Ha! But If you tell me someone died from it can you erase my "ha?"

 

[QuickDraw]