NYC Mayoral Hopefuls Take A Swing At Stickball
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) - Some candidates for mayor and other offices have taken a swing at a New York City tradition: trying to hit a rubber ball with a broomstick.
Several politicians participated in a stickball competition Tuesday at Borough Hall Plaza in Brooklyn.
The candidates tried to hit the ball as far as they could, with Guardian Angels community safety group founder Curtis Sliwa pitching.
NYC Mayoral Hopefuls Take A Swing At Stickball
Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz also took a turn pitching to Democratic candidate John Liu.
Among mayoral hopefuls, long-shot Democratic contender the Rev. Erick Salgado led with a 180-foot hit. He topped several Democratic, Republican and independent rivals.
Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., a Democrat, hit 250 feet. Sliwa quipped that Diaz would be tested for performance-enhancing drugs.
Independent candidate Adolfo Carrion Jr. took some cuts during the competition as well.
GOP candidate John Catsimatidis took the opportunity to promote physical fitness during the friendly game.
"The problem we have with our kids these days - they're out on the streets less. We've got to get better exercise for our kids," the billionaire businessman said.
Spectators said the game was a nice break in the campaign.
"In spite of everything that's going on in New York City, this is a joy," a voter told 1010 WINS' Al Jones. "The last week of summer, out here having some fun in the sun and not taking ourselves quite so seriously."
Stickball is played on the streets of New York. The game took off around the turn of the 20th century. Its heyday was in the 1940s and '50s.
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