Daily News from New York, New York • 344

NEWS, WEDNft'sDATt APfclf 2C.i'967 I St VAUn ACTmVir-ib. VA LOSTX AiEVEC WP- THAT IS KIPPO- I'M COW FO A SPALDEEtJr HICIC 0 SOXIETHAl'-Trtf A JM fc-r-'? 05 A(AMC OF TK (SAME IS Vw TUr sSfeSSjCj S- i frAV- 7 rpr XTlTW0 5 Lsf.s&J? 'VnSO ALL yCAAi If if the pony, and if the pillar can say "Johnny Ride the Pony" three times and can hold without collapsing, the pony wins the game. The ideal situation for the kids riding was to have a fat kid who can leap-frog pretty good and land on the first kid in the chain. He usually was the skinniest. You "kids" from Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx, Manhattan and Staten Island are saying: "And what about Saloogie, Potsie, Punch Ball and Kick the Can and Red Rover?" I know, know, we had a million of 'em.

The street was our playground. All right now that we've all refreshed our childhood memories, let's go "roast some mickies." NE-0'-CAT You would take a stick-ball bat and hit, a spaldeen yourself at another kid playing the field. If he caught it on the fly, you were out' and he'd be up. If it was a grounder, you would place your bat down and he'd roll the ball in an attempt to hit it if he did. you were out.

But, waityou had to catch it when it bounced off the stick. World War on the Street WAR You remember this one. The countries were sectioned off with chalk a rubber ball placed in the middle you're in your own "country" and when the guy declares war on you, you take off. If he hits you with the ball, you're it. A TWO-SEWER MAN When you hit the ball the distance of two manhole covers.

The kids who could hit that far were the pride of the neighborhood. This was an achievement. TRIANGLE BALL This was merely chalk--ing a triangle on an asphalt street, curb to curb, and marking home, first and second. That was the "field" and it was always one against one. HINDU When a ball hit something that wasn't supposed to be on the field, you claimed and the play was a "do-over." v.v Just Aim for the Skinny Kid Not illustrated in the above cartoon is "Johnny Ride the Pony," a favorite of any neighborhood.

Here you would choose up sides a maximum of five kids on each team. There had to be one who was called the "pillar." He was your strong man. He'd brace himself against a building and hold up the chain of four teammates who were braced together against him pony-style. The opposition was to leap-frog on this group, all five of them, and try to cave in one kid in the chain. When the entire team is on By BILL GALLO TF YOU are 30 or older and were brought up in the metropolitan area, you'll remember these little games we used to play.

The streets of New York and its suburbs, where families of middle income (or less) lived and, where perhaps just one in 10 families owned a car the street was our playground. If your memory is a little dim, let us refresh it with this glossary: ITou Toole ITour Chances IMMIES This is what we called marbles and there was always a kid on the block who carried a cheesebox with holes in it. He'd place it against the curb and you took your chances trying to get into one of the payoff holes. He'd give odds on each hole. Let's face it, this kid was a bookmaker.

He went home with the immies. PUREE A marble without any markings on it In some neighborhoods you could get ten regular ol' marbles for one puree. STEELIE A marble made of steel and you'd use it (if you were allowed) when playing "in the pot." SPALDEEN A pink rubber ball that bounced very high and cost 10 cents. ASSOCIATION This must have been how touch football started. You could play two three or four on a side and just one hand touched you out.

We never used a football. Who had a football It was always rolled-up newspapers tied tight with string. A JONAH That's a kid who put the hex -on everything and sometimes it worked. 9.