I recently rewatched the 1979 dystopian cult classic The Warriors. The main characters were a gang from Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, who were framed for a murder while attending a conclave up in the Bronx. This led to them being hunted by every gang and law enforcement agency in the city while trying to make their way home. There are lots of parallels to The Odyssey, which I’d like to talk about another time.

However, what I want to talk about today is one of the featured gangs in the movie: The Baseball Furies. They dressed in full baseball attire and carried bats while wearing heavy, creepy face makeup. They were scary AF.

After researching whether a gang like this ever existed in New York City (or anywhere else), I found out that they were the brainchild of the film's director, Walter Hill. He was a massive NY Yankees fan and also a big fan of the rock band KISS. He decided to combine his two favorite things into this entity, which went on to reach iconic, cult-favorite status.

The takeaway from this? Watch The Warriors. It’s just awesome. I also wanted to mention this because we are approaching the one-year anniversary of the passing of KISS band member Ace Frehley. Both things happening around the same time made me think of this.

“I'll shove that bat up your ass and turn you into a popsicle.” - Ajax