WHY SHOULD MY CHILD PLAY BREA PONY BASEBALL?

The PONY program provides incremental levels of competitive play specifically designed for the physical development and safety requirements of each age group. Our community based league is committed to balanced teams and fair play and to provide a clean, supportive, and competitive atmosphere. Players are exposed to the experience of "real" baseball at a younger age and thus attain competitive skills that will serve them well as they advance in age. Brea PONY Baseball will not require individual fundraising. Brea PONY Baseball offers a comprehensive training program for our Coaches.

We encourage you to join us in our fifth season.

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! THE PONY DIFFERENCE !

AGES: Pony Baseball is different than other youth baseball leagues in many ways. The rules of play are designed to maximize player development and minimize chance of injury. Players 4-14 years old are placed in divisions by age at two year intervals so that children are competing with others their same age. Our league’s divisions include the “and under” age groups meaning that players have the opportunity to “play up” one division based on their skill level at tryouts and divisional coaches and player agent approval.

FIELD SIZE: Field dimension (base paths and pitching distance) are gradually expanded with each division to match the growth and development of young players. Age specific field size ensures that all players will compete on a field that matches their abilities and improves safety concerns that can occur when older players are on fields that are too small. Just as no one would expect a seven year-old to put on a uniform made for a 12 year-old, neither should we expect kids of various ages to play on one size of diamond. It is far more logical to tailor a diamond to match the physical capability of the children as they develop. ! ! ! ! ! The base and pitching dimensions for Pony baseball are: 50ft bases for Shetland 4, 5 & 6 year olds, 50ft bases and 38ft pitching for Pinto 7 & 8 year olds, 60ft bases and 44ft pitching for Mustang 9 & 10 year olds, 70ft bases and 48ft pitching for Bronco 11 & 12 year olds and 80ft bases and 54ft pitching for Pony 13 & 14 year olds. ! RULES: Another enhancement that PONY offers is the introduction of real baseball rules earlier in the child's playing career. Young players are introduced to more advanced rules at younger ages so that they are challenged with new baseball concepts as they grow. This includes: ! Coach Pitch by age 5-6 ! Introduction to kid-pitch at age 7 ! Starting at age 9, your child will be able to lead off, steal bases, pitchers will learn pick-off moves and balks, and fielders and base runners play all the Major League (MLB) rules. ! Catchers learn more advanced defensive skills ! Dropped third strike rules are introduced at age 9 ! Introducing these key rules of Major League Baseball make the game more fun for both players and spectators. These are the elements that make up "The Complete Game" that is exclusive to Pony Baseball. The big pitcher who is a good pitcher only because of the ability to throw hard will no longer overwhelm the opposition with brute power alone. The pitcher can no longer ignore any player who gets a walk, but must split concentration between batter and runner. With base stealing permitted, the runner becomes a threat, and the batter has a chance against the pitcher. The player who pitches must become a pitcher, not just a thrower. The little player who does not hit big has a far greater chance to play. As a runner who can become a threat by stealing and threatening to steal bases, such a player may be as much help to a team as a bigger player. Special talents, at last, can be put to use. The players themselves are better equipped to play in older age leagues including high school, having had the experience of playing the complete game of baseball starting at a younger age. This will enable managers of teams in older age leagues to concentrate on strategies and fine points of the game. They will only need to review the fundamentals, not introduce them. ! ! UMPIRES: Official, paid umpires, well versed in the rules of PONY Baseball. ! COACHING: Quality coaches participate in a coaching workshop. ! ! ! ! ! ALL-STARS: Ages 5 and up eligible for post-season play; teams participate in local pre All-Star tournaments and All- Star regional tournament. Teams can advance to the PONY World Series. Per PONY rules, only those residents of cities assigned to Brea PONY Baseball League are All- Star eligible. Those cities are: Brea, La Habra, La Habra Heights, and Yorba Linda. ! SEASON: Our season runs from February through May with All-Star Tournaments beginning in late May and possibly lasting through the summer. Practices begin in February and games begin in March. Plan on two games per week once the season begins. Depending on the number of players in each division, we may interleague with another nearby PONY league. Our games and practices will be held in Brea and some games may be played in nearby PONY city. ! There are over 375 former and current Major League Baseball players who are graduates of PONY Baseball. They include Alex Rodriguez, Nomar Garciaparra, Ken Griffey, Jr., Cal Ripken, John Smoltz, and Shawn Green. ! ! So if your child would like to lead-off and steal a base, pick a runner off at first, and learn to play baseball like the major- leaguers, then Brea Pony Baseball is a good choice for your child.