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It didn’t cost $2 billion, just a simple request to the North Miami municipal government for a special designation, but Stickball Boulevard is a world-class facility. Every Sunday, a group of dedicated players puts out the orange cones, and spectators of all ages bring beach chairs to watch one of America’s grass-roots phenomenons. How else to explain Stickball’s beginnings on the streets of New York City one hundred years ago, and, without the benefit of any central organization, league, or advocacy group, its subsequent spread to urban areas across the country?
And one of the most notable is Miami, where this weekend, our local superstars are hosting the World Series of Stickball. Beginning Saturday at 9 a.m. and going until Monday at 4 p.m., fourteen teams from New York, Puerto Rico, and California will compete against Miami’s best in a locally-organized event that brings sport backs to its roots.
Versions of stickball vary. The one played here is pitcher-less. Each batter throws the ball in the air to himself and has one swing. If he misses, he’s out. If he hits it foul, he’s out. And though the competition is fierce, the comraderie between players is fiercer still. If you’re at all nostalgic for sport as it should be played–without drugs, inflated contracts, ego, and mountains of taxpayer money–come down to Stickball Ave this weekend. The guys will be waiting.
Sat., Sept. 5, 9 a.m.; Sun., Sept. 6, 9 a.m.; Mon., Sept. 7, 10 a.m., 2009
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