Brooklyn/Bronx boys bring stickball back to Florida seniors; Wycliffe Stiffs now in their 22nd season

In the 1908 Tin Pan Alley tune, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” “Peanuts and Cracker Jack” were all the rage for snacking. But Marty Ross — co-founder of the Wycliffe Stiffs Stickball League — would more than likely prefer an egg cream, New York-style.

Ross, 82, originally hails from The Bronx and spearheaded the Florida-based Wycliffe Stiffs — a league now in its 22nd season, made up mostly of retired older adults from the New York area.

Harry Klaff, the league’s director of operations, is its co-founder and grew up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. 

Yes, you can take the boys out of Brooklyn — and The Bronx — but you can’t take those boroughs out of the boys, certainly where stickball is concerned.

“We missed the old games in the old neighborhood, more than 1,000 miles away,” Ross said. “But really, the idea of a stickball league truly came from when one of my friends from New York went into a hardware store, saw a stickball bat and ball, purchased it and sent it to me in Florida. This was back in 2001.”

Ross pointed out that he hadn’t thought about stickball in decades, but after receiving this gift, he “saw a vision, and I saw something making people happy.”   

“I showed it to a bunch of my buddies, and all these stories and memories came pouring out.” 

Ross then thought to himself, “Let’s get a stickball league together and make this happen.”

He called the head of parks and recreation in Wellington’s Village Park, Florida, in Palm Beach County, where Ross resides. The department happened to have a parking lot available that was only used on weekends.

The field, this narrow cement parking lot, is now officially designated with a city street sign, “Stickball Boulevard,” which also has a street sign that reads “Brooklyn, New York, 1,221 Miles.” The league even uses replicas of New York manhole covers for batting demarcations, designating singles, doubles, and triples.

The Wycliffe Stiffs consist mostly of men in their 60s, 70s and 80s. Their oldest player, Brooklyn-born Gil Seidman, is 92 years young. 

Ross explained that there is a defibrillator on the premises, just in case a medical emergency should arise. The league also has people in attendance who are medically trained.

“The fire and rescue are nearby as well,” he said. “But thankfully, that hasn’t been an issue.” 

The league is made up of five teams: the Brooklyn Bums, the Bronx Clippers (who are the reigning champions), the New York Egg Creams, the Hoboken Zephyrs and the Atlantic Whalers.  

There is generally one game a week scheduled from December through April, which results in an approximate 14-game season. There are playoffs, championship games and an all-star game as well.

The league is also involved in social functions that include a barbeque day, family day — where children are taught how to play stickball and then taken out for ice cream — and an annual team luncheon at the conclusion of the season. 

But Ross said his favorite thing about the game is seeing the people enjoy themselves.

“That has been the most rewarding dividend for me,” he noted. “It’s not just a game; it’s about keeping stickball a tradition.”

This article is dedicated to my father, Richard Schneiderman (1936-2021), an avid sports fan.