James Pantaleno

Spaldeen Dreams James Pantaleno

As a kid in Brooklyn, the Spaldeen was a big part of my childhood. My friends and I spent endless hours playing with this little pink ball while dreaming of becoming the next Joe DiMaggio or Ted Williams. Any kid who could hit a Spaldeen "two sewers" was among the first picked when we chose up sides for stickball. I guess those "Spaldeen Dreams" never came true for most of us, but along the way we were creating wonderful memories of growing up in Brooklyn during the 1950's. One in seven Americans can trace their roots back to Brooklyn. And if you asked them, I'd bet not many would choose to trade their childhood on the streets of Brooklyn for any other place in the world.