> > It was good for running around, but not wide enough for a ball game.
>
> What kind of ball game? A half acre should be more than enough for a football or a soccer game, shouldn't it?

It was long and narrow, about 20 feet wide. During the war, there was no traffic, so we played ball in the street. No mud. We never heard of soccer in those days, but we played football and a baseball variation that used a broomstick and a tennis ball. There was no such thing as a foul ball, so if you hit it behind you it was ok. There was hardly ever anybody keeping score, because we didn't have teams. It was the batter against everybody else. If the pitcher didn't put it across the plate you just waited until he did. The only strikes were a swing and a miss, and balls didn't count at all. The pitcher tried to put it where you wanted it, because if he didn't, you could stand there all day. If you got a homerun, you became the new pitcher and the old pitcher was up to bat. Otherwise you went to the outfield and then rotated up to the bases, the pitcher, and then back to bat. The catcher was just another fielder and had to wait his turn. I got a big laugh the first time I saw a baseball game with an umpire.

I hope you aren't sorry you asked.
Howard