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Knights victorious in battle between classic teams
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Final score |
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Bronx Knights
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3 |
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Bronx Old-Timers
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2 |
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(MANHATTAN, 9/18/1999) It was the last game in a long day of stickball at this
mid-town Manhattan field. The Bronx Knights, champions of New Jersey, were up
against the Bronx Old-Timers, a team made up of a few great young players and
a bunch old-time players, now in the Stickball Hall of Fame. The Old Timers
had defeated the Clean Machine earlier in the
day to win the Manhattan championship.
It was stickball at its finest, played by two veteran teams and the Knights
emerged with a hard fought 3-2 win. The relatively low score reflected the
veterans ability to cope with the crazy field (Vanderbilt Ave), and play what
Curtis Sliwa described as "pinball" stickball. The right side was blocked off
by a portable construction unit, that created sharp rebounds out of low line
drives, but the left side, bordered by tremendous walls with scaffolding,
created some truly unique opportunities. Many shots hit high and to left,
ricochetted with crazy angles back into play. By the time the player had any
chance grabbing the ball, the runner could be around second base. In addition,
deep high flies were tough to spot off the skyscrapers behind home plate. Put
it together and playing the outfield was a real adventure.
After falling behind in the second inning 2-0 the Knights settled in scored
three unanswered runs for the win. The Knights will advance to the finals to
play the Emperors, with the winner facing the Latinos for the 1999 Stickball
Classic Championship.
Previous coverage of the Bronx Knights
Previous coverage of the Old-Timers
Previous coverage of the Clean Machine
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