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Little Italy is the home of stickball on the west coast.
Players of all ages come to partake in the urban sport that was originally
derived from New York City. Stickball emulates baseball, but is played
in the street - in this case, on Colombia Street, between Ash and Cedar.
Buildings, curbs, parking meters, signs and balconies are all playable
in fair territory. Bronx rules are applied; no gloves allowed, the batter
pitches to himself, and he gets one swing of the stick to hit the rubber
ball. People play to either recapture their youth, or simply to take over
the streets and have fun.
In addition to league play, which takes place the FIRST SUNDAY of February through June, Little Italy plays host to a pair of stickball tournaments. Labor Day weekend, at the beginning of September, is a 3 day event with teams from New York, New Jersey, Florida and Puerto Rico battling against our local teams. The Festa tournament, held the Sunday of Columbus Day weekend in mid-October, brings together the best stickball teams on the west coast.
If you are interested in playing, show up and we will teach you the game. League play is designed to introduce new players to stickball and to fine-tune the skills of current players.
For more information on stickball, e-mail SDStickball@juno.com.
