Childhood games...

My good friend Steve Czaban if you dare was talking about his father who is turning 70 this weekend. He went down memory lane and discussed how his dad got him a football at a Redskins game as a kid, sand for a sand trap that Steve had dug in his backyard, and didn't freak out when he built a field goal post out of quarter round (that was supposed to be for their house). It got me to thinking about my lonely childhood. Steve's dad always facilitated his games, and even coached, but like any dad he worked a lot. My father worked a lot as well. The guys on Czaban's show made fun of how he had so many made up games and that he seemed like he had no friends...he didn't argue. Living on a dead end street, having friends come over involved moms and driving and was frankly, pretty rare. Here are some of the ways I passed the time.
1. Like Czaban, I kicked field goals. I would put the seats of the picnic table on end on top of the table at either end. Meticulously balanced, the worked to perfection. I would stand in the other half of the yard (our front yard was separated by a short driveway, thus making two halves...actually 1/3 and 2/3's) and kick every type of football I had (real, good, crappy, nerf, etc.). It would always be the game winning attempt and if I missed there was always a penalty. I would then kick again...until I made it...never a penalty when I made the field goal.
2. I would throw this rubber/cork baseball off of the stone wall in our front yard. Because it was made of several layers of stone the bounce was unpredictable. If I fielded it cleanly I would throw it again and having fielded it cleanly again the "batter" was out. If not, an error. If I didn't field it cleanly in the first place it was a hit. On the ground was a single. In the air and off of the wall of the house, a double. Off of the living room window a triple (and very scary). Off of the roof a home run. I had the entire Pirates and Phillies line ups memorized and I pitched/fielded for both teams. The Pirates always won.
3. I would "pepper" with a volleyball off of the roof. I would serve it into the part that came to a "v". It would roll down and I would forearm pass it back on to the roof, set it onto the roof, then hit a roll shot one more time and repeat with a forearm pass. As long as it didn't go over the roof (which invariably it did) it was a blast.
4. I once stretched a volleyball net from the roof to the fence post of our street (our yard was below street level). I would then throw the ball onto the roof which would then bounce as if it was a set. I would take an approach and swing for a kill. Ingenious but boring as crap chasing the ball into the weeds every hit...it didn't last long.
5. I would spend countless hours chipping golf balls from one side of the yard to the other. It was challenging to not hit the elevated driveway wall as the ball would come back flying at midsection level. Further, a hit that would go long would disappear forever down the hill. We also had a flag pole tucked in the further corner of our 1/3rd yard. A true challenge to get it all of the way back there without losing it.
6. Evel Knievel was my hero and very often I would put on my skateboarding helmet (we didn't wear helmets to bike back then) and jump off of the curb into my neighbors yard (also below street level). I'm still not aware how I didn't get broke.
7. There was always "annoy the crap out of my sisters" but they needed to be there to play that and they got wise and rarely showed.
8. As a very young boy I remember playing army against...the wind. I would hide behind things and try not to get hit by...the wind. I lost so much I quit. My imagination had it's limits.

Wow, there should be ten...but there weren't. It clearly was a simpler time back then. I don't remember freaking out about Jimmy Carter and inflation or housing interest rates, let alone the gas shortages. I just needed a game to play. Anyone up for some home run derby?