OT: Games We Played as Kids

[Deus Irae]

I think those are the kind of memories that makes being a parent a little harder.

I always go with something like

"Yes, I did __________ as a kid. And, yes, if you do it, I'll kill you myself."

That's worked surprisingly well.

 

[1960Pats]

and if you're a single parent and take your child to the doctors , you get grilled about every scrape and bruise

Oh yeah, that's right, and not just single parents. I remember my youngest got tripped up by the neighbors dog and when I went to explain to the doctor what happend he shussed me. He wanted to hear it from my son.

 

[Deus Irae]

I have to think we were lucky to live in a time when boys were expected to come home from play with a few bumps and bruises. Now days a kid gets a scrape and his parents are looking for a lawyer in the phone book.

Absolutely. Just swimming in the local reservoir can get you a Homeland Security visit nowadays.

 

[patman52]

Anyone here ever play speedball/stickball (drawn strikeout box on wall, tennis ball, hockey stick for "bat")? Only the Lord knows how many tennis balls we lost to school and church roofs.

Well we used a broom handle. And instead of a tennis ball it was a red ball we called a
"pennsy pinkie" it had the state name "Pennsylvania" stamped on it.

We also played a derivative of cricket with stacked cans.

We also played "baseball" by standing next to the curb and throwing a rubber ball at the sharp corner of the curb, this was also played before school on the school steps

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

Hide the Salami was my favorite game.

Smartest kid in the thread.

 

[patman52]

Yeah, it was always called box ball in my iteration and was a big part of every inner city kid's life. I grew up in one of those red brick housing projects with lots of windowless walls. It was perfect. You'd see a dozen games going on all the time. BTW- it was a great game for 8 year olds and we were still playing it in HS. Usually played with 2 kids on a side (pitcher and fielder) caught ground balls were outs as well as flies. Over the head of the fielder was a homer.

Other games the I remember:

flipping baseball cards against the wall, with nearest wins (leaners were the ultimate)

Marbles for keepies

Billy Buck Buck - That was a tough one. One team would line up and interlock hugging each other, while the other team would send individuals to vault on the line and try to break it. You won if all their players leaped and the line held. You lost if the line broke or one of you players didn't stay on the line. I have one indelible memory of that game over 60 years later.

Usually the team anchored on something like a tree or pole. Well I had a particularly good run and well timed hand placement, and vaulted head first right into the tree. Probably my first concussion.

But you are right, you were NEVER in the house after school. You got home, changed into "play clothes" and you were outside doing something. Growing up in a housing project was great as far as I was concerned. If you were with anything less then 8 other kids, you were essentially alone. It was only years later did I find out I was "poor". It came as a surprise because I thought I had never lacked for anything....mostly I guess because you didn't need much to have fun in those days.

Didn't grow up in the projects, but in a working poor neighborhood in Fall River. Didn't think we were poor just that kids that got new bikes were rich! I was almost old enough for my licence when I got my first new bike.

 

[pats4life12]

Did you prefer to kick off your toe or the top of your foot? I used to love it when there was a slight bounce in the pitch so I could nail it with the top of my foot. Timed right it was deadly.

I totally agree if that pitch is bouncing you have to hit it with the top of your foot. But it its right at you I am more of a side of the foot kind of guy. You need to do some situation kicking .

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

How about badminton? What a blast that game was (and still is).

Obviously, not as much action as squash (Dad was an Ivy-leaguer) or tennis.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

I think those are the kind of memories that makes being a parent a little harder.

Mothers should not be allowed to view this thread.

 

[Tunescribe]

When I was a kid we played a game called "Annie Annie Over." One kid would stand in the front yard of a house and another kid would be in the backyard. Then we'd kick or throw a ball over the house to each other in a game of blind catch.

We played a lot of "500." One kid would bat a ball to other kids with gloves. A grounder was 25 points, two-hopper was 50 points, one-hopper was 75 points and catching a fly or line-drive was 100 points. Drop any of those and it was minus points. First one to 500 got to bat. The fun part was pushing other kids out of the way to catch the ball.

Of course, my favorite board game was Strat-O-Matic pro football. GREAT game of football strategy using the stats and tendencies of real players. I'd have fun playing it today if I knew anyone locally who knows the game.

 

[pazrul72]

Me and my brother used to play "kitty football" in the living room. Basically we had a stuffed pillow football that we kicked off to the other and on all fours....ah who am I kidding...we wrestled and threw each other on the floor. Alot

 

[Patjew]

Oh for a second i thought it read, "by myself."

I only played that game daily.

 

[Boston Boxer]

lots of street hockey and bat tag. Bat tag was like regular tag but you used a wiffle ball bat to tag someone. it was harmless but man did it leave a welt on your exposed skin.

 

[Actual Pats Fan]

We got Buffalo and Vancouver too, when they joined the NHL

 

[QuantumMechanic]

We used to play a game called Relievio...i think this game or name of the game was unique from W Roxbury, JP down route 1 to maybe Walpole and out towards south shore - Quincy, weymouth etc.

Ringolevio (Ringolevio - Wikipedia) is much more widespread than metro Boston.

I've never played it, though. In fact, the first time I ever heard of it was when Johnny Most would describe a physical game (especially against the usual villainous teams) as a "ringolevio match."

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Of course, my favorite board game was Strat-O-Matic pro football. GREAT game of football strategy using the stats and tendencies of real players. I'd have fun playing it today if I knew anyone locally who knows the game.

Strat-O-Matic still exists, in both board and computer forms. In fact, there are even online leagues, so you may not even need local players.

Welcome to Strat-O-Matic: The ORIGINAL Fantasy Sports Games!

(It's not clear, but apparently the Windows version of football allows you to play other people over the net.)

 

[anditsgood]

We got Buffalo and Vancouver too, when they joined the NHL

Mom didnt allow us to have those table games as a kid, Dad kept breaking them when us kids beat him

:lol:

 

[Joker]

I played "run for your lives!!! Here comes Sister Mary Murder!" every day until I was about 12 ....all I remember is a lot of hits...a lot...of hits. Briefcases filled with books, yardsticks, 4 foot wooden rods , backhands...a lot of hits...:-(

 

[fnordcircle]

The Bard's Tale and Warhammer.

Yeah, I got all the chicks in middle school.

 

[Tunescribe]

Strat-O-Matic still exists, in both board and computer forms. In fact, there are even online leagues, so you may not even need local players.

Welcome to Strat-O-Matic: The ORIGINAL Fantasy Sports Games!

(It's not clear, but apparently the Windows version of football allows you to play other people over the net.)

It would have to be in person -- the reactions of your opponent are an important part of the experience. I'm a Macintosh person, anyway.

I remember once playing through an entire season's schedule of NFC teams doing the solitaire version. I was addicted to that game. I also had a league with friends. I remember one time missing a field goal that would've won a game and being so angry I threw a chair across the room.