Pinners

Last updated
Pinners
Players2 or more
Setup timeNone
Playing timeNo limit
Random chanceLow
Age range7 and up
Skills required Running, Catching, Throwing

Pinners [1] is a Chicago neighborhood game [2] played on the front-stoop [3] or walls with angled bricks/stones which can be used to pop the ball up in the air. References and accounts of playing exist to 1949 or earlier. The batter would throw a rubber/tennis ball at the edge of the step or angled wall brick, and the fielder(s) would try to catch the ball as it bounces back. The ball [4] used was a two and a half-inch hollow pink soft rubber ball called a "Pinky," that bounced well off the edges of steps. [5] Baseball gloves were not allowed. The scoring rules [2] is similar to baseball, but with runs being virtual determined by where the ball lands. A single, double, triple or home run would be predetermined landmarks (i.e. sidewalk, trees, cars, street, curb/sidewalk lines) from the batting area. A catch is an out, and a one-handed catch could be used for a "rushie." As with most neighborhood games, rules varied by the groups playing and house rules would be determined at the start of the game, including the base locations. The game utilizes traditional Chicago neighborhood row house architecture, with most houses (Chicago Bungalow style) having front stairs or a stoop that leads from the front door to the sidewalk. Many of the schools built in Chicago have a horizontal perfectly angled section of decorative brick, at the right height, that was used for the game.

Contents

Name Variants

Here are specific personal testimonies about name variants by players in various neighborhoods previously deleted from this entry but all of which are very much accurate and relevant. The universal name for the game throughout the city was called "Pinners."

Terminology

See also

Related Research Articles

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Baseball positions Fielding positions in the sport of baseball

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Softball Team ball sport

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Catcher Defensive position in baseball and softball played behind home plate, facing the field

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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.

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This is an alphabetical list of selected unofficial and specialized terms, phrases, and other jargon used in baseball, along with their definitions, including illustrative examples for many entries.

Neighborhood play

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Wireball is a street game related to baseball, usually formed as a pick-up game, in urban areas of the United States. The equipment consists of a pimple or pensie pinkie ball and a convenient place in a street or driveway where an electric power line or group of power lines bisect horizontally. The rules come from baseball and are modified to fit the situation. It can be played with one or more persons per team.

Out of bounds Concept in many sports related to the edge of the playing area

In sports, out of bounds refers to being outside the playing boundaries of the field. Due to the chaotic nature of play, it is normal in many sports for players and/or the ball to go out of bounds frequently during a game. The legality of going out of bounds, and the ease of prevention, vary by sport. In some cases, players may intentionally go or send the ball out of bounds when it is to their advantage.

Variations of baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport that has many recreational variants, and is very related to the Olympic discipline of softball, with the two sports being administered internationally alongside Baseball5 by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.

References

  1. "Sun Times Chicagopedia-Pinners". Archived from the original on 2008-11-23.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Gale, Neil (12 January 2017). "Pinners is a Chicagoland Baseball Game Played by Children Living in Congested Neighborhoods". The Digital Research Library of Illinois History Journal.
  3. "Chicago Pinners". 3 July 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15.
  4. "Chicago Tribune-Play, from back in the day".
  5. "Anyone ever play pinners | Chicago - Yelp". Yelp.
  6. "Chicago School Yard Baseball FastPitch 11/18/07". 19 November 2007. Archived from the original on 2021-12-15.
  7. Cayton, Andrew R. L.; Sisson, Richard; Zacher, Chris (2006). The American Midwest: An Interpretive Encyclopedia. Indiana University Press. p. 880. ISBN   0253003490.
  8. "Chicago Magazine-24 Phrases You'll Only Hear in Chicago".