All Over Albany

Troy's big stickball showdown

It's pretty simple, really. All you need is a stick (a broom handle will do) and a little rubber ball and you can make your own fun. More than 100 people toting Spaulings and sticks will play stickball in Troy's Little Italy this weekend at the city's First Annual NY Stickball Challenge tournament.

Stickball? Really? Who does this anymore?

Rocco DeFazio organized this weekend's tournament. He played stickball in the streets of Troy as a kid. "It's a nostalgia thing," he says "people love it. But it's really starting to catch on with young people who never played before. There are leagues in New York City and a hall of fame."

DeFazio came up with the idea for a tournament while playing Bocci with his kids. "They asked me what else we used to play when I was a kid. I said stickball. They said "what?" So the next weekend I got a broomstick and went looking for a little rubber ball. Do you know how hard it was to find this little rubber ball. I scoured the Capital Region! Finally I found one and they had a blast."

He told some friends from the Valley Cats,who were also a little wistful about their stickball days and a tournament was born.

"We play a version where you don't have to run the bases. The people in their 50's and 60's
love that. But we have people of all ages in the tournament. There are women from Sage playing and teams from Siena. The President of Siena is even coming out to play."

If you're intrigued, anyone can come and watch. If you're really intrigued, there's still a little time to get in on the action. You need six people to play and the entry fee is $100 per team. The money goes to support youth programs in the city of Troy.

If you want to play email Rocco by tomorrow morning at rdefazio@nycap.rr.com.