Posts
2011-10-18
2011-10-17
The Way Things Used to Be - Stoop Ball - Rules of the Game
Lucky Strike Green was home from the War and so was Dubble Bubble gum. You could buy pink Spaldeens again too, but for ten cents now instead of the pre-War nickel. There weren't many new cars on the streets yet, so there was still plenty of room for punch ball, stickball, association football and all our other games.
We thought the end of the War meant that all war was over forever. We didn't know that our envoys had agreed to divide Korea along the 38th parallel, that the Soviets had put Kim Il-Sung in charge north of the parallel, or that he intended to reunify the peninsula under communist control. Even if we had known we wouldn't have imagined that any of that could have any effect upon any of us.
Snow Throwers
In fall and winter we played roller hockey and association football. Starting in March we switched to punch ball and stickball. Marble season started the Saturday after Halloween, but stoop ball was all year round. The only thing that stopped stoop ball was too much snow on the ground.
We followed the usual rules: one infielder, one outfielder; nine inning games; if the ball hit the sidewalk you hit from, got caught before it bounced, or went outside the foul lines, you were out. One bounce was a single, two a double, etc. If you hit the wall of the building across the street on the fly and the ball didn't get caught before it hit the ground it was a home run. Imaginary base runners advanced one base on a single, two on a double.
The only difference was that, instead of a stoop, we hit off the S-shaped cornices that ran three feet above the sidewalk on the wall of the 88th Street side of 575 West End Avenue. They were perfect for hitting--white seven-inch-high S-curves that extended out from the face of the wall between the ground floor windows. If you hit the sweet spot on the convex part of the cornice, the ball shot out on a clothesline too high to catch before it hit 585 on the other side of 88th. Hit above the sweet spot and you either popped up or the ball hit above the third floor of 585 and was easy to catch as it bounced off. Hit the concave part of the S and the ball went to the infield.
Just as 575 was perfect for hitting, 585 was perfect to have in the outfield. It had crenulations up to the third floor that made the ball bounce off in fluky ways outfielders couldn't predict. Matt --tall, big hands, good jumper, stood with his back to 585 ready to jump, or turn, back away and catch the rebound. He was our best outfielder, but had a weak arm and couldn't hit.
The two hardest guys to get out were Blue Book and Esau. Blue Book hit with a submarine motion, and could usually drop in singles unless Nate who'd been a soccer goalie in Switzerland and had the fastest hands on the block, was playing the infield.
Esau was our hardest thrower. He hit straight-down from so close to the wall he sometimes skinned his knuckles. Spaldeens were very lively. Bounce one on the sidewalk and it would go up to the third floor. When Esau hit the point at the bottom of the cornice the spaldeen rocketed off going ninety and bounced two inches past the edge of the sidewalk. Nate had to play back in the middle of the street just to hold him to a single.
When Blue Book and Esau were on the same team, they'd load the bases with singles the first few times they got up, then either go for homers or keep singling runners in until they got fifteen runs ahead and won by the slaughter rule. If Esau had been taller and a better outfielder, he might have been Number One in Blue Book's Stoop Ball Hall of Fame. As it was, he only made it on his hitting.
The Way Things Used to Be - Stoop Ball - Rules of the GameVisit : Toro 1800 Snow Thrower
2011-10-16
Honda Snow Blowers
If you are in the market for a great snow blower then look no further. It is important to have a blower which helps you clear the snow and more so, the ice from your driveways or pathways, making it easier for you or your kids to walk on without getting injured or hurt. Honda blowers are the best snow blowers one could ask for and they will do the work in a matter of seconds and you don't have to worry about that heavy down pour again or have to lift a shovel again to remove the snow.
Honda snow blowers come in many varieties and it is always wise to shop around or to look for the best snow blower available from Honda as well as the design you may want because the design also matters and comes in different shapes and sizes. You can try the three best snow blowers from the Honda Company at the moment which includes the lightweight snow blower, which will help you blow the snow off your beautiful gardens and garden paths which is especially necessary after a snowfall of twelve inches. The lightweight also offers you the chance to blow snow off your sidewalks as well as your driveways.
Snow Throwers
All Honda snow blowers also come with ice breaking serrated augers and tires which resist the ice as well as give you a chance to get rid of the ice especially with the self propelled kind of snow blowers which can also move fifty five tons of snow and are made so tough that they can even withstand heavy snowfall and slippery conditions.
The choice is yours and only you can know what kind of snow blower you will need. The Honda company authorized stores are near you and you can go and view the variety of snow blowers available and choose the one you want.
Honda Snow Blowers2011-10-15
How to Buy the Best Leaf Blower
Leaf blowers are becoming more and more popular every year, and for good reason. In this day and age, raking the leaves is a t hing of the past. Why would you risk hurting your back when you can easily just blast them away? There are dozens of different types of leaf blowers to choose from and several manufacturers as well. Craftsman, John Deere, Stihl, Toro, Echo, Homelite, Ryobi, Poulan and Husqvarna are among the most common and reputable brands available.
Since there aren't too many stores that specialize in selling leaf blowers--if any at all--you may not have realized just how many different makes and models actually exist. If you are planning on buying a new leaf blower, it's important that you shop around and try to find the best one for your needs, including your budget; but how do you go about doing this, you may be asking? The easiest way by far is to shop online.
Snow Throwers
By shopping online, you have the luxury of browsing through selections from dozens of websites and online stores. This will allow you to get a better idea of which model and brand to buy as you will have plenty of options to consider. Additionally, you may also notice that the internet offers a lot of great sales and affordable prices, which is nice because leaf blowers do not usually come cheap.
Another advantage to browsing the web is that there are a lot of product reviews of all the most popular models which can help you tremendously in deciding whether or not the one you are interested in is actually worth your money. Make sure you take advantage of these product reviews because if people are willing to go out of their way to review something, whether good or bad, it's probably something that would benefit you quite a bit.
If you use these tips and take some time to shop around and compare prices and selections, you shouldn't have any trouble finding a leaf blower that is right for you. It may take a bit of time, but in the end it will be well worth it. With all of the great brands, models and resources, you are bound to get it eventually, and when you do you can finally put that old rake away for good.
How to Buy the Best Leaf BlowerFriends Link : Discount Snow Throwers Toro 1800 Snow Thrower