An Old-School Legacy of Grit

IN 1928, when the old photo of the Smithtown Branch High School baseball team was taken, Long Island high school kids followed the exploits of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig for the Yankees, Dazzy Vance of the Dodgers and Freddie Lindstrom of the Giants. The photo was taken on the steps of the New York Avenue building.

The names have changed. New York has only two teams, and the kids are rooting for the Yankees' Derek Jeter and Bernie Williams, and the Mets' Mike Piazza and Edgardo Alfonzo. But the determination on the faces of the teenage players has remained the same.