It started as a conversation between two co-workers who were looking to do something “baseball related.”

Wes Drake and Kieran McCarthy started talking and their idea blossomed into trying to organize a group of “stickball” players in Montgomery. It’s off to a slow start, but the group tries to meet late Sunday afternoons at Veterans Memorial Park in Montgomery.

Drake lives in Minisink, but has ties to Montgomery, while McCarthy is from Montgomery and has brought some of his friends into the group.

So far, they haven’t had many more than three players at any of their meetings. Their first two meetings – June 30 and July 14 – drew Drake, McCarthy and one other, and they did a few innings of home run derby each time.

They bounced a pink Spaldeen off home plate and swung for the fences on the Veterans Memorial Park softball field.

“It’s a good way to take out some frustration before the workweek starts,” McCarthy said.

The second home run derby – which they played on July 14 – also drew Nick Thompson, who has known McCarthy since the two were in seventh grade. He previously had a kickball group that started off with a lot of people before whittling down to its core players.

Stickball is described as a street game, which usually gathered as a pickup game in large cities in the Northeast U.S. such as New York City and Philadelphia. The equipment consists of a Spaldeen, a high bouncer or a tennis ball. The rules can be manipulated to fit the situation.

Drake, who moved out of the Bronx in the late 1970s, played stickball there, and has always missed playing. He had been associated with Warwick Roller Hockey for the past seven years, and suggested organizing stickball there, but no one was interested.

That’s when he and McCarthy brought the idea to Montgomery. They gather at about 4:30 on Sundays, a time when the fields are usually empty. Their first meeting on June 30 drew three players – Drake, McCarthy and one other.

But home run derby isn’t the only idea whizzing around in Drake’s brain. He envisions it becoming a sports group for adults.

“I would like to see us get more players,” Drake said. “We are definitely open to co-ed – all are welcome. If you love to play, we want you to come and join us.”

Hockey also is near and dear to Drake’s heart, and East Fishkill is starting a street hockey league and he’d expressed interest in putting together a team representing Montgomery. He’d also like to see flag football or basketball or soccer.

“I’m up for anything,” Drake said. “The main thing and the main idea is to get people together, making new friends, playing sports they like and having fun.”

He also envisions the group being active in Montgomery and giving back to the community, which is something that didn’t take off in other places. Lack of interest in giving back didn’t sit right with him.

“I’m a Bronx guy, but I have roots in the area,” Drake said. “My dad’s side was all railroad men going back generations, working the trainyards in Maybrook and Campbell Hall. I love the area and spent a good bit of time in Campbell Hall and Maybrook as a kid when we would visit family. Having a chance to do something and give back to this community would be a real thrill and I’d consider it an honor to be a part of it.”