A most unusual reunion project is currently gaining attention from both Roslyn residents and Roslynites scattered across the country. High school and college reunions are common, but this event is a reunion for former Roslyn Little Leaguers.

The reunion will be held Sunday, October 25, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Roslyn Swan Club. The event is the idea of Roslyn native John Piltz, who played Little League ball in the 1950s. (See "Roslyn Native Seeks Little League Reunion, Roslyn News, Aug. 6.) He has been assisted in researching the history of Roslyn Little League by Myrna Sloam of the Bryant Library.

The organizers are pleased with the response so far and in the time remaining, they are sure many more will sign up. "People were worried that we would only get 10 or so people," Mr. Piltz said. "We have signed up 30 people already, and I think the turnout will reach up to 100 people."

Such a reunion may be unusual, but the response is not. Little League remains popular in the Roslyn area as witnessed by an Alberston All-Star team that recently competed in a national tournament in Cooperstown. But in the 1950s, over 500 Roslyn youths played in any given season, which according to Little League officials, was the greatest turnout of any suburban district in the nation.

As often is the case, the reunion is picking up participants through word-of-mouth and media attention. A former player reads the story in the Roslyn News and contacts friends in other parts of the island. They in turn, contact former players who live in different sections of the country. "We're going to have 100 people," Mr. Piltz reiterated. "We also may make it an annual or biannual event." The players will be coming in from all over the country, but a large amount still live on Long Island.

The reunion is becoming popular since it reminds the former players of their competitive youth. Not surprisingly, Mr. Piltz and his friends favorably compare their era to the current generation. In the 1950s, the players, Mr. Piltz maintained, had "fire in the belly," they "listened to their coaches" and played with a fierce intensity. Their glory year was 1956, the same year the Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in the last of the great "subway series" that distinguished the '50s. That year, the Roslyn Little League All Star team went all the way to the New York State semi-finals where they lost to a team from upstate Amsterdam.

The reunion has also been moved along thanks to some help by local politicians. Legislator Barbara Johnson (D.-Port Washington) has her own fond memories of the 1950s Little League scene. Her younger brother played in the Roslyn league and she too remembers baseball as the one sport that had the undivided attention of Long Island youth. Ms. Johnson and Mr. Piltz have been in contact on a regular basis in planning the event. Mr. Piltz also cites Town of North Hempstead Commissioner of Community Services Ann Croce for supporting and assisting in reunion plans.

There is also the case of Mark McGwire, a ballplayer in the news lately. During a broadcast of one of the slugger's record-breaking games, a Fox-TV announcer noted that the young McGwire not only played Little League ball in his native southern California with a "burning desire," he also stayed at the park once the game was over and worked out long after the other players had left. This, along with the Little League World Series win by youths from Toms River, NJ rekindles long-ago memories for Mr. Piltz and his friends.

Mr. Piltz once had his own big league desires. When he was 17, he tried out for the Houston Astros at Shea Stadium. Such tryouts were not unusual in the early 1960s when big league teams still signed players as free agents, rather than selecting them in a draft. Alas, Mr. Piltz tried as a first baseman, when, he admits all these years later, he should have taken advantage of his strong arm and "tried out as a relief pitcher or outfielder." Instead, he took his cuts in the batting cage and "nailed one of them to the warning track." It was enough to make the first cut, but not the second one.

On another note, Mr. Piltz is looking for a film. This Is Little League, produced in Roslyn during the mid-1950s by a now-defunct company called Pathe News. The narrator was legendary Brooklyn Dodger play-by-play man Red Barber. At a showing at the Roslyn Theater, Brooklyn Dodger greats Gil Hodges and Jackie Robinson were part of the audience.

The cost for the event is $35.00 per person. Those wishing to attend should send their check made payable to the Roslyn Little League, in care of Anne Croce, 17 Canterbury Lane, East Hills, NY 11577. They can also contact Mr. Piltz at (610-644-6778.)