That Old-School [Summer] Cool...

Vendors Russell Adams, John Hagan and Donald Morris chat about the world of sports with Executive Assistant Patrick Edwards.

Russ: When I was a little boy, in the summer, we played a game called Off the Wall—

Patrick: Like the Michael Jackson song.

Russ: That’s right! This game was as exciting as it was to see Michael Jackson perform. So, the way it’s played is, first, you come up with a rubber ball, it wasn’t always as easy as just having one around. Sometimes, we had to scrounge up one somehow—and a glove… although, a glove was not required. In fact, it meant more to play without one. And before I forget, obviously, we needed a wall.

Donald: I like it.

Russ: Good. Okay, so there’s a person “at bat” and, then, there are any number of folks in the “outfield.” The person up to bat throws the rubber ball against the wall with the mission of not having anyone catch it on the fly. There are markers to show how far a single is, as well as a double, triple, and home run. If the ball drops into any of these areas without being caught, then that’s a hit. Get enough hits—or a home run—and you score as with a regular baseball game.

Patrick: This was my stuff, y’all. Disliked the glove option. Felt so much better to snag the ball on the run with one hand. Felt so friggin’ good, especially on a long run.

John: I’m a bit disappointed I never got to play that one. For me, it was volleyball. Either in grammar school or with my cousin, it was always fun—win or lose.

Donald: Another good thing about volleyball is, it’s truly a team sport. Men and women can play together, keeping it competitive and fun.

John: Very true, Donald. And it can be played indoors or at the beach. I guess for the summer, I’d go with the beach version.

Patrick: What was your “thing” in volleyball, John? What did you do better than anything else?

John: Serve. I served like a Greg Maddux or a Kerry Wood. I swear, when I came up, everyone knew we were going to, at the very least, get one point.

Russ: Right on.

Patrick: What about you, Don? What’s your favorite summer sport?

Donald: I liked Piggy a lot. Well, it’s softball, but not all formal. And I ain’t been able to walk the walk as I used to, but I remember. The best thing about this is you didn’t have to be the best to get in the game. Everybody just got in who wanted to get in. So, everybody just ran out into the field and found a spot wherever the heck they wanted. Most adjusted according to the batter. Power hitter: go deep. Weaker hitter: crowd the infield. So, how the game goes is that the fielders go for the catch. Often, there’s a bounce-maximum in how many times the ball can bounce before it’s caught. If caught before the maximumbounce level, then you switch with the hitter, and it starts over. The main goal, usually, is to get to bat and hit forever.

Patrick: Man, I loved—shoot, love—Piggy. It’s like line dancing—you can join in with whomever, whenever, and have a blast. Now, real quick, I want to add in one: Crate Ball. It was our version of basketball in the projects. We didn’t always have access to a basketball court, so we crafted a rim from a milk-crate, hooked it to a wall, and it was on. So, that’s my summer goodness…well, that and badminton!