Stickball Unites East Harlem Sports Fans Updated June 14, 2010 10:30am

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By Josh Williams

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

EAST HARLEM — It's a bare bones sporting icon of New York which needs nothing but a stick and a ball — and it's uniting generations in East Harlem.

Every Sunday, more than 50 players turn out for the East Harlem Stickball League, a timeless game that's as popular now as it ever has been.

"The biggest difference is that we used to play for money, now we play for bragging rights," said Alfred Jackson, 75, whose been playing for decades.

Stickball has a long history in New York City, dating back to the 1920s when it became wildly popular among Irish, Italian, Jewish, and Puerto Rican kids growing up in the Big Apple and other Northeastern cities.

The game took off in the city streets because it was fun and, more importantly, inexpensive.

"It's a cheap game," said George Lolin Osoria, 73, who's been playing since he was 8.

"All you need is sneakers, a broomstick and a ball."