Tags
Basketball, Cartoons, Coney Island, Coney Island Avenue, F-Train, Farrell's, Growing up, Joe Mussa, Living Room, Manhattan Beach, Neighborhood, P.S. 10, P.S. 154, Schoolyard, St. Francis College, Whiffle Ball
When I think back to the days of growing up on 9th avenue during the 70’s and 80’s, things I miss most and would love to reenact are…
Taking my basketball and heading to the schoolyard…
Playing punchball/slap ball in the girls schoolyard…
Watching cartoons and eating cereal while sitting on the living room floor…
Hanging out with friends all over the neighborhood…
Playing baseball in the Lot…
Playing two-hand touch in the street…
Playing whiffle ball, in the street…
Watching Farrell’s Football practice on Saturday afternoon in P.S. 154 school yard…then watching them play the following morning on Farragut Road…
Intramural football…
Being a student in Mr. Mussa’s 5th grade class…
Being a student in Miss Monzillo’s 7th grade class…
Saturday morning basketball practice in the schoolyard…
Bantam ‘B’ basketball practice down P.S. 10…
Hanging out in Glenn Thomas’s basement listening to his brother Drew’s awesome collection of vinyl…
Sitting in Prospect Park late at night with guys like John Cain, Kevin Molloy and Jimmy Carroll…
Watching Gerard Trapp play basketball for St. Francis College…
Hanging out with Mary Kawas, Laura Cox and Noreen Davis…
Holding hands with Maureen Horan…
Jumping the turnstile and taking the ‘F’ train to Coney Island…
Playing basketball at Manhattan Beach…
To be continued…
-Steve
Hoops135@hotmail.com
CONTAINER DIARIES 
jackie kelly said:
When you could get two slices and a grape drink for 50 cents…….Hey maybe that’s where 50 CENT got his name?
hoopscoach said:
Excellent! A small grape drink at that thought, right?
Ed Kearns said:
How a bout a chocolate ice and a salty pretzel rod from Bonnalis? Can’t get that here in Cinci!!
hoopscoach said:
That was a good combo…
JIMMY VAC said:
I miss running outside and having a ton of kids to play with..
I miss being able to go to Frank’s and grab a slice or two (sometimes he threw a couple of free zeppoles my way) followed by eating cereal and chocolate milk while watching Chiller Theater and Creature Features
Sunday mornings with Abbott and Costello followed by basketball, stick ball, pitch it in, touch football..
Going to Nelly Bly with my uncle … hitting baseballs and golf balls.. once, the fastest pitching machine jammed up and I was getting pitches for free until I got hit in the shoulder and my 62 year old uncle guided me out of the cage and grabbed a bat and started hitting liners.. I asked what about my shoulder,,, he said get some ice..
I miss getting the latest comic book or sports magazine and have a shake or egg cream made by Millie or Marion..
I missed playing 100 baseball games and for two summer league teams followed by trips to the Windsor Pub.. or beers in the alamoes along the highway…
hoopscoach said:
Jimmy good stuff. I miss Abbott and Costello.
Glenn Thomas said:
What I miss most are all of the people/friends that used to live in Windsor Terrace that I would see on a regular basis while walking through the neighborhood. Nowadays I often see something while walking by places like Holy Name schoolyard and I can’t help but to think of all of those memories I shared in that yard with so many people. I think about the weekday 3:30PM afternoon and Saturday morning 9AM basketball practices, the HN Summer League, lining up in the schoolyard before school, and who could forget Wednesday intramural football. Recently, I was walking with my children in Prospect Park and as we walked out of the 10th Avenue Exit leading out to PPSW, I instantly thought of all those days where we’d meet at that very spot waiting for our coaches to show up for our HN CYO baseball practice. We would throw the ball around and get psyched up to play ball. I remember as a kid seeing my teammate Frankie Esposito get hit by a car and get seriously hurt. Practice was cancelled that day and we all went back home a bit dazed after witnessing that terrible incident. Thank God Frankie went on and recovered from his injuries and went on to lead a good life. Those memories from one visual can be multiplied when I see other sights around the neighborhood/HN Parsih. I still enjoy living in the neighborhood but miss the old days of pre-gentrification where we had so many good people living here. At least I have those memories! My best to all whether you are still in Windsor Terrace or somewhere else these days.
-GT
hoopscoach said:
I recall Frankie getting hit. Visiting him during his rehab was a memory maker…I’ll never forget him on his couch.
tumpy(billy shaw) said:
SPENDING WINTER SUNDAYS AT THE SANDERS MOVIE THEATER
JIMMY VAC said:
Glen,
We had our Windsor Placr block party and it was quiet due to the rain.. I saw Laura Plantamura and her huband CG
G… I have known Laura since we were about 6 and CGwell over 30 years.. anyway, they are selling the house and moving toFlorida. we said our goodbyes. Oddly enough, I remember Laura getting hit by a car and it seemed like a long time she was on crutches ,like Frankie Espo, made a full recovery. I remember telling her it was great growing up with her…
There were alot of memories with the house and the family that lived there. I remember their Dad putting in windows in my house. I remember having snacks at their
house when I was hanging out with Albert.
D, Laura, and Albert were all around the same age and I spent alot of time with them, I saw the youngest, Nikki, grow up to a beautiful young woman. The kids and the mother were blonde as well as their dog Crystal who ran around with us.
Fortunately, my buddy Timmy Horan was there so that saved the day !!
TonyF16thSt said:
Hey Jackie how you doing? Hope well. I didn’t realize how young you are because I remember 2 slices and a nickel coke @ MOMS on 9th ave.
The Sanders on Saturday mornings. Cartoons and a movie till noon and they gave you a Melmac place setting.Plastic Dishes for the younger crowd who are saying what the h#% is he talking about.
Taking the Coney Island Ave bus down to Brighton or Manahattan beach and playng hand ball all day with the real deal players.
hoopscoach said:
It’s been a long time since I have been on the 68
TonyF16thSt said:
Took it for 4 years from 10th ave to last stop going to Grady HS
hoopscoach said:
I think they had a bus in which kids called it, “The Grady special”. It was reserved for William E. Grady students only.
Jackie Kelly said:
And I feel young also especially when a clerk upstate reminded me that ” Today is senior tuesday so don’t forget your senior discount”…..So I bought another three cases of Pabst Blue Ribbon and another half gallon of Prune Juice with pulp. Afterall, it was Senior Tuesday 😉
TonyF16thSt said:
That was the bus coming home, always avoided getting on because they used to trash them and the cops would get involved. Then we wouldnt see the girls from St Edmunds or Bishop Kearney
Jack I hope for your sake you don’t roam to far after the prune juice, Christ I don’t think I drank a half gallon in my life. I’m a Tomato Juice guy myself. LOL
jim vackner said:
Jackie/Tony,,
The key to Prune Juice.. bathroom library!! I had some little brat tell me at the bank that next year I won’t be charged for cashiers checks because I will be 50… did not like hearing that
at all….
Jack.. no Ballantine Blast?? Or the infamous Black Label.. the beer with the taste of tin….
jackie kelly said:
How can one forget Rupert’s Knickerbocker Beer.
Frankie Cullen said:
First time going up to Holy Name schoolyard with Frankie Paladino to watch the summer league, I think around the 2nd or 3rd grade. All 3 full courts were going, and I was sitting on the scorers table on the middle court. Came to love going up there to watch neighborhood legends, long before we were old enough to put our own team in.
Frankie Paladino was a great playmaker and taught me what it means to get the ball into your teammates hands. Going over to Bonalles and then come back for the marquee game in the open league.
Loved it so much that the weekend was boring to me in the summer, couldn’t wait for Monday to roll around. Remember when they got those really good night lights for the late games too!!
hoopscoach said:
Loved Pali. Good dude. “Don’t mention no names…”