Sun Aug 22, 2021 11:13 am
1962 ,first year of cards , old single sided version. me and my buddies got and played out the entire season . We then played out every season till 1970 when the first of us went off to college . We also played out every football season when that game was invented . We discovered game in early 1964 when a few of us left Massapequa ,Long Island, and stayed overnight in the Bronx with one of my buddy Rob's cousins . The trip centered around a Yankee / Twin game the next day . We played strat for the first time that night and also discovered the maze and steel ball game Labyrinth which was new at the time.
Ritchie was the cousins name and in addition to having cool games he had a cute little sister we all fell madly in love with by the time we hit junior high. He also could get great Yankee tickets. And so the next day we found ourselves in the very front row in the middle of the famed short right field porch area , when i don't remember which Yankee hit a long high fly ball that Oliva back against the extremely low wall (waist level ?) was about to make the catch literally inches from me and my gloved buddies. As I recall there was a bar in front of those seats and a small space between that bar and the outfield wall , a space of maybe two feet , a small space . As the ball descended somebody , I no not know to this day who , reached across that space , put a hand into the lower back of Mr Oliva and shoved at the perfect moment . Oliva lurched forward enough to allow the ball to land in the glove of Rob's cousin Ritchie from the Bronx. Needless to say Oliva went nuts pointing and screaming in our general direction, The homer stood , I don't remember who won , a minor detail in an eventful weekend .
As a result of that weekend we would spend hundreds of hours playing strat for the next seven summers , two boards going day and night , eight or so guys each playing out the seasons for three or so teams, we always played at the same guys house ,his mom was a saint ,he had a pool and a full court B-ball court . I just about lived at that house became a great swimmer a pretty damm good B-baller as did a few of us . Occasionally we would take our act to the south side of town where Rob lived , the rich part on the water . Neighbors included Carmine Gambino ,the Don , with a glass house on the bay and later some kid named Seinfeld.