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Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 12:29 pm
by ramfandan
When I started playing youth baseball in St. Louis in the 1950's if you were a runner and got trapped between bases with fielders making throws back and forth to get you out , you were deemed in a 'hotbox' . My father and grandfather both used that term with me.
It wasn't til moved to Wisconsin in early 60's that I no longer heard 'hotbox' but then ' pickle' . Seems kids there always used the pickle term and never heard of 'hotbox'. Of course now when you watch games on TV , a runner trapped between bases is said to be in a 'rundown' . Have not hear Chip nor other announcers ever say pickle nor hotbox.
Anyone else on CT who played little leauge ball in the 1950's use 'hotbox' term for a rundown play ?
Wonder what years the terms changed . BTW My father was born in 1915 so played his teen ball in early 30's and legion ball in 40's in st. Louis.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 12:32 pm
by Colotiger
Yep, we always called it a hotbox.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 12:34 pm
by Red7
Unlike kids today, if we only had 3-4 kids, we’d play hotbox.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 12:37 pm
by ramfandan
Colotiger wrote: ↑29 Apr 2025 12:32 pm
Yep, we always called it a hotbox.
Curious , what years was that ?
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 12:39 pm
by sikeston bulldog2
Yes. hotbox it was called. Need only three people. Like the rest of you, we were so good, we had to throw the ball away just to let the runner try and go.
Then there was Stick ball, Indian ball, left field ball, wall ball, wiffle ball, street ball, just to name a few.
Quite the resume.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 12:39 pm
by BudOnTap
My friends and I always called it hotbox here in STL back in the mid 80s to mid 90s.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 12:46 pm
by 12xu
When I played ball as a youth in the 60's, we used the term "hotbox" mostly, but some did call it being in a "pickle". I played in the Metro East and in Texas.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 12:56 pm
by sikeston bulldog2
12xu wrote: ↑29 Apr 2025 12:46 pm
When I played ball as a youth in the 60's, we used the term "hotbox" mostly, but some did call it being in a "pickle". I played in the Metro East and in Texas.
I’m thinking pickle came along about the time of the emergence of woman’s softball. I never heard it referred to as a pickle till mid nineties.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 13:02 pm
by Colotiger
ramfandan wrote: ↑29 Apr 2025 12:37 pm
Colotiger wrote: ↑29 Apr 2025 12:32 pm
Yep, we always called it a hotbox.
Curious , what years was that ?
60’s. We also played Indian ball when we didn’t have enough for a game.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 13:42 pm
by sikeston bulldog2
I think I remember it called a cooter too. Gettin caught up in a cooter. Man they got that one right.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 14:13 pm
by Punkk6
Heard the term pickle used by our coach early 1970's high school
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 15:05 pm
by HorseTrader
We called it a hotbox in the 70s in softball. Anyone ever play a tourney where you went to bat with a 3 ball 2 strike count, foul ball was considered strike 3. If I remember each team batted through 3 outs, cleared the bases, did 3 more and 3 more. Then you went on defense. Tournament was over so quick we weren't sure what happened. 8 teams, 2 fields, double elimination.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 15:07 pm
by Rojo Johnson
sikeston bulldog2 wrote: ↑29 Apr 2025 12:56 pm
12xu wrote: ↑29 Apr 2025 12:46 pm
When I played ball as a youth in the 60's, we used the term "hotbox" mostly, but some did call it being in a "pickle". I played in the Metro East and in Texas.
I’m thinking pickle came along about the time of the emergence of woman’s softball. I never heard it referred to as a pickle till mid nineties.
It was called a ”pickle” when I was growing up in central IL. Hotbox was rarely used as a baseball term, but it was used.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 15:30 pm
by Monsieur De Treville
ramfandan wrote: ↑29 Apr 2025 12:29 pm
When I started playing youth baseball in St. Louis in the 1950's if you were a runner and got trapped between bases with fielders making throws back and forth to get you out , you were deemed in a 'hotbox' . My father and grandfather both used that term with me.
It wasn't til moved to Wisconsin in early 60's that I no longer heard 'hotbox' but then ' pickle' . Seems kids there always used the pickle term and never heard of 'hotbox'. Of course now when you watch games on TV , a runner trapped between bases is said to be in a 'rundown' . Have not hear Chip nor other announcers ever say pickle nor hotbox.
Anyone else on CT who played little leauge ball in the 1950's use 'hotbox' term for a rundown play ?
Wonder what years the terms changed . BTW My father was born in 1915 so played his teen ball in early 30's and legion ball in 40's in st. Louis.
Always called a "hotbox" in South City during the 60's.
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 16:08 pm
by CCard
ramfandan wrote: ↑29 Apr 2025 12:29 pm
When I started playing youth baseball in St. Louis in the 1950's if you were a runner and got trapped between bases with fielders making throws back and forth to get you out , you were deemed in a 'hotbox' . My father and grandfather both used that term with me.
It wasn't til moved to Wisconsin in early 60's that I no longer heard 'hotbox' but then ' pickle' . Seems kids there always used the pickle term and never heard of 'hotbox'. Of course now when you watch games on TV , a runner trapped between bases is said to be in a 'rundown' . Have not hear Chip nor other announcers ever say pickle nor hotbox.
Anyone else on CT who played little leauge ball in the 1950's use 'hotbox' term for a rundown play ?
Wonder what years the terms changed . BTW My father was born in 1915 so played his teen ball in early 30's and legion ball in 40's in st. Louis.
Played it all the time as a kid. At the time it was fun. Not so much now a days. LOL
Re: Have any of you been in a 'hotbox' in baseball ?
Posted: 29 Apr 2025 16:16 pm
by greyhawk
in the 70's growing up it was always hotbox --- in a pickle i didn't hear until 'the sandlot' came out.