Buddy, I’m from Chicago/NW burbs too.
Stickball is a NY thing. I too never saw anyone play it in Chicago or the burbs.
In St Louis, they play (or played) corkball. Thin wood bat and a “corkball”
OH, and to all here, for pickup baseball games, was it hard to get a catcher(s)?
We had “some” catcher’s equipment. It was hard to get anyone to want to play due to foul tips, in the dirts etc.
Picking teams, we always tried to get the younger kid -Pete “the Greek” - because he was fearless behind the plate.
He also made a great hockey goalie when we played on a frozen pond with a real puck and the goalie had a catchers mask, that’s it.