Have you ever heard of Stickball? Likely as not you haven’t, unless you’re a New Yorker—or a resident of San Diego’s Little Italy. Just like New York City’s original urban Italian community, Little Italy has embraced the resourceful sport, hosting a seasonal league and a yearly tournament Labor Day weekend.

But what is stickball? Well, it’s a street game derived from baseball, with a broom handle for a bat and a rubber ball for a baseball. Rules are modified to fit the situation, depending on the orientation of the street, the location of manhole covers and parked cars, and so on. No gloves are allowed, the batter usually pitches to him or herself, and only one swing of the stick is allowed. Hits are decided by how far the ball travels.

During Little Italy’s Stickball Tournament is a three-day event, with teams from New York, New Jersey, Florida and Puerto Rico battling against our local San Diego teams. Another tournament will be held the weekend of the Little Italy Precious Festa celebration in October.