Stoop ball is a game that is played by throwing a ball against a stoop on the pavement in front of a building. Historically, it has been popular in Brooklyn and other inner cities. In Boston, the game is known as "Up-Against." In Chicago, the game is known as "Pinners." In Chicago's Bridgeport area the game is called "Three Outs". The game is also known as "Off the Point". It first became popular after World War II.
Rules
Stoop ball is a pickup neighborhood game played on the stairs of a residential dwelling by a minimum of two players. The rules are based loosely on baseball. The object of the game is to score the most runs in 9 innings. One player is the "batter" and the other players the "fielders". The batter stands immediately in front of the stairs while the fielders stand behind the batter across the sidewalk on to the street. The "batter" throws a pinkrubber ball at the stoop. The ball flies back towards the fielders, who are also facing the stoop. The objective is to hit the ball at such an angle and velocity so that it bounces back in the air as far as possible over the heads of the fielders, therefore registering bigger hits. The number of bases registered by a hit is determined by the distance traveled by the ball before it is fielded, unless the ball is caught on the fly resulting in an out. The Stoopball League of America holds its annual world championships every July in Clinton, Wisconsin.
Variations
In addition to the "baseball rules" or "bounces" variation described above, there is also the version, often played in parks. In the version of stoop ball, only one player at a time throws and catches. In St. Louis, Missouri, this game was known as "stepball", where it was played from at least the 1930 to the 1980s. A Portable Stoopball Striker has even been patented.
Popular culture
Stoopball has been played and enjoyed by a number of prominent persons. Sandy Koufax played stoop ball before beginning his Hall of Fame baseball career, and announcer Marv Albert missed the city game so much that he had a stoop constructed at his house in the suburbs. Billy Joel played stoop ball on suburban streets. Delio Jimenez also played stoop ball on 13th street Park Slope, Brooklyn. He went on to become the Worldwide Stoop Ball Champion in 1983. In 1988 he was inducted in the Brooklyn WSBCA hall of fame and is still revered today as one of the most prolific stoop ball champions in the history of Brooklyn. A 2010 PBS documentary, New YorkStreet Games features stoopball and gives a brief history of the sport as it pertains to New York City. Although the documentary does not acknowledge Delio Jimenez as the stoop ball champion during that era, Billy Joel paid to have a likeness of Delio Jimenez painted on a Park Slope mural which stands on 12th street to this day.
