Brooklyn natives and their stickball league in Florida
Most of the Brooklyn natives I have interviewed for this “Brooklynites in Florida” series, especially those who grew up in the 1950s and ’60s, played stickball in the streets of Brooklyn at some time in their childhood. In fact, one recent interview subject (Charles Randolph) was playing stickball in the street with a group of friends in 1955 when a car full of boisterous Brooklyn Dodger fans celebrating the 1955 World Series win, drove through and interrupted the game, and to the surprise of the kids, the jubilant fans in the car started throwing money out the windows at all the young stickball players.
Stickball is still played in the streets of New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Orlando, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic.
Another place where stickball is still played on a regular basis is on “Stickball Boulevard” in Wellington’s Village Park, Florida, in Palm Beach County.