Coaches Meeting 2018 AWS
Coaches Meeting 2018
APB Players • 2002 Bronco World Series Champions • 80% comprised 2012, ‘13, ‘14, ’15, ‘16 Agoura High School Marmonte League Champions • NCAA Division I Players/Scholarships
2007 Robert Stock (USC/SD Padres) 2012 Brody Fehmel (Trinity) – Div III CHAMPION 2014 Alex Weiss (CSUN) 2015 Matt Lautz (UCSB), Joey Czarske (Arizona), Bryce Fehmel (Oregon St.), Ryan Fineman (Indiana), Brandon Shearer (LMU), Nick Kokiousis (Kansas) – 2016 Ben Baird (Washington) – 2017 John Deluca (Oregon), Jack Aldrich (Pacific) – – – –
APB Mission The mission of our league is simple. Without fail, we will ensure a resounding 'yes' to the following question: Was every action, decision, policy, and by-law implemented to serve the best interests and benefit the children who play baseball in this league? We will do this in many ways. First, we will strive to select a Board of Directors who are willing to give selflessly to the children of our community and oversee the finances with diligence. Second, we will select the best possible managers with a balanced mix of teaching the players baseball fundamentals, how to play competitively, work as a team, exhibit good sportsmanship, and generally conduct themselves with class and respect at all times. Third, we will do our best to get all parents involved in their child's team, helping them understand the long lasting positive impact they can make on their own children as well as others in the league. We will treat every player fairly and equally, regardless of playing ability. By putting this all together, we can say with full confidence we did everything possible to make baseball playing in Agoura PONY Baseball a positive, exciting experience for every player in our league.
What are your child’s goals? • • • •
Have fun? Play with friends? Make new friends? Be a part of the community? Play high school baseball? – 30%
• Play college baseball?
– 7.1% from High School play NCAA
• 2.1% Div. I, 2.2% Div. II, 2.8% Div. III
– 11.7 baseball scholarships for 27 players
• Play professional baseball?
– 10.5% from college get drafted – Less than 1% play MLB
How Do You Want to be Remembered? • “Hi Coach” • “Who was your coach last year?”
How do we retain players / Make YOUR Lives Easier? • • • • • • •
Better Coaching Better Coaching Better Coaching Better Coaching Better Coaching Better Coaching Better Coaching
• • • • • • •
Better Communication Better Communication Better Communication Better Communication Better Communication Better Communication Better Communication
Send Weekly Email on Monday
Complaints “Educating the coaches better send giving them more opportunities to learn how to coach and to do constructive practices Coach's son is my son's age.”
“Coach doesn’t rotate positions”
“Better communication.”
“He has horrible interpersonal and communication skills” “Selecting coaches with more experience and knowledge of baseball.”
“Better Coaches”
“This is our 4th season playing baseball with APB, and we have had great experiences with our other coaches in all prior seasons. This is the first time I'm thoroughly disgusted with APB.”
“need coaches who know the game and can teach the kids basic fundamentals”
You can’t please everyone! “I would like to see all the scoreboards on at each game.”
“schedule more games in the mornings or evenings so the kids wouldn't have to be out as much mid day in the hot hot temps.” “Better parking”
“More accurate score board use so the family can follow along.”
“While I understand the financial benefit of requiring team snacks to be purchased from the “Some poor umpire calls” snack shack, I much prefer having parents bring “Our player is in 4th grade and having snacks.”
5:00 weekday games makes homework and bedtime pretty tricky. Games a bit earlier would be super.”
“The season is too long”
“Is there any way to make the season longer?” “games are too long”
“Don't allow Father's to coach their own kids.”
“Wear grey pants and not white.”
“can we add more games?”
“Closer baseball fields. Lupin is pretty far”
How to Respond to Complaints If you can’t be positive, then at least be quiet Joel Osteen
When things get difficult it can be easy to complain. How you respond makes all the difference. Tony Dungy
Before you complain, have you volunteered yet? Agoura Pony Baseball
If you’re not helping make it right, then stop complaining about it being wrong
Complaining never makes anything better
2017-18 Executive Board President Greg Klausner VP of Baseball Operations Secretary Shannon Hirtensteiner Treasurer Chris Bole Assistant to Treasurer Kathie Leggett VP Facilities Richard Blackledge VP Scheduling/Tournaments Devin Sirkus VP Sales and Marketing VP Auxiliary Operations Lance Cherniet VP Auxiliary Operations Doug Cohen
2017-18 Board of Directors Division Directors Shetland American Shetland National Pinto American Pinto National Mustang American Mustang National Bronco American Bronco National Pony American Pony National Champions Division Director Mentor
Aaron Wilhelm Jud Mongell Paul Lee Mark Holder Craig White Patrick Baldocchi Joe Hurley Joe Hurley Chris Yan Chris Yan Peter Steinzeig Sean Packer
2017-18 Board of Directors General Board Equipment Fields Administrator Umpire in Chief Concessions Director Web Master Picture Day Coordinator Tournament Director Uniform Coordinator All Star Coordinator Trophy Coordinator Fundraising Member-At-Large
David Barish John Asuncion Kathie Leggett Joe Hurley
Jaymee Anthony Eva Larson Eva Larson Warren Kosikov
League Structure PONY
West Zone/
Executive Board
Board of Directors
Division Directors
North Region Elaine Magner Umpires
Snack Shack
Facilities
Team Managers
January 18, 2017
2017 Recap • Spring and Fall registration numbers were up! • Mustang National IL Tournament Champs Expos • Pony National IL Tournament Champs - Padres • Mustang 9U All Star Section Champs • Pony 14U All Star HR Cycle on same day (solo, 2R, 3R, Grand Slam) – Conner Bernt • Schedule changes – rain!
APB Thoroughbred • Play or Coach every year from Shetland through Pony (9 – 10 years)
2008
2017
Cooperstown • Independent, week long, 12U (Bronco) baseball tournament in Cooperstown, NY • June – August • APB has a ticket!!! • Teams pay their own way – $900 per player entrance fee – $1,000 - $3,000 per player
State of the League • Financially strong • Numbers were up in 2017 after years of decline due to: – Cost of living in area = fewer young families – Year round sports options – Neighboring youth baseball leagues in the area/open borders – Travel Ball/Pay-to-Play
• 2018 expect loss of players due to age change
What’s New for 2018 • Rules – New Age Change – August 31 cutoff – New Bat rule - USABat – New Pitch Smart pitching limits
• Shetland – 1st/2nd Year instead of American and National • Investment in coaches and players
Where does your $$$ go? • Why fundraising is needed – tournament revenue is drying up – Going to be harder to get donations with the new tax law
• Facility needs – Installed backstop nets - $5K – ICEE machine - $15K – Field renovation - $5K
Expenses EQUIPMENT AND BALLS 4%
SNACK SHACK LABOR 5% OTHER & MARKETING 6%
$14K $17K
SNACK SHACK EQUIP 8%
APB 2017 League Expenses $331,000 FULL TIME EMPLOYEE / INSUR 20%
$10.5K
$54K
$22K $46K $36.5K
UNIFORMS / TROPHIES 17%
FIELD RENTAL FEES / INSUR 13%
$36K
UMPIRES 13%
$40K
FIELD MAINT & SUPPLIES 14%
Revenue • • • •
Registrations (Spring & Fall) - $192K Snack Shack - $90K LVT - $27K Team Sponsorships - $34K
HR Banner Sponsor
2018 Spring Registration Costs • Registration fee of $365
– $290 + $75 Snack Shack deposit – Pinto-Pony – $250 Shetland (no deposit)
• Snack Shack Deposit
– Parents can get $75 refund after working 4 hours in the snack shack. Must be scheduled 2 weeks in advance. Will not get credit if they just show up. Checks mailed AFTER season. – 1 Manager/2 coaches per team are exempt from shack deposit.
• Refunds will be issued mid-season after coaches are selected and reported. It’s on you to tell us who your assistants are.
PONY vs. Little League PONY
Little League
Lead-offs
Yes
No
Base stealing
Yes
No
Field sizes
Scaled
Disproportionate
MLB Rules
Yes
No
World Series
Yes
Yes
PONY Divisons • • • • • •
Shetland (4-6 years old) Pinto (7-8 years old) Mustang (9-10 years old) Bronco (11-12 years old) Pony (13-14 years old) Colt (15-16 years old)
As of August 31
Champions • Kids with special needs • Bronco American and Pony teams will shadow 1 game – Mandatory participation required
Champions
American Division is Travel Ball • • • •
Board voted to retain American/National split Top Tier of Players Higher caliber of play Inter-league – Westlake – Newbury Park – Malibu – Camarillo
Coaching
Paperwork • Manager Applications – Managers only
• Background Checks – ALL coaches and anyone stepping on the field to help must be background checked – Contact Shannon Hirtensteiner, Secretary
• Medical Release Forms – Must get every player to complete and keep with you at all times
Process for Manager Selection American / National • See specific APB By-Laws • Selection by committee - President, VP Ops, Division Director, and other Directors familiar with the Division • Combination of skills and temperament (including past issues) • American manager’s child MUST first qualify for A division.
Division Breakdown Registration Counts - Anticipated Teams by Division *Might be some tweaks due to play up/down
1/9/2018 Division
Registered Pending
No. Teams
1/9/2017
Total
Final 2017
+/-
Registered
+/-
American/ Shetland 2
National/ Shetland 1
Room for
Shetland
91
91
97
-6
67
24
4
5
8
Pinto
99
99
124
-25
72
27
3
7
11
Mustang
99
99
91
8
60
39
2
8
11
Bronco
67
67
94
-27
47
20
2
5
10
Pony
56
56
58
-2
25
31
1
4
4
412
464
-52
271
141
Investment in Coaches • Clinics run by professional coaches focused on each division’s specific needs • On-going clinics throughout the year • Mentor program • On-line tools
Coaches Clinic • Sunday, Jan. 28, MANDATORY • Investing in our coaches from now on. We are making an investment so we expect you to show up, listen and learn. • Mandatory attendance. • Classroom and on-field instruction by NCAA College and professional coaches. • Skills expectations by Division
Tools • Dugout Captain – www.dugoutcaptain.com – Practice plans, drills
• http://www.qcbaseball.com/ • Attend/observe High School, Pepperdine and American Division practices
NO RAINBOW Pitches
Don’t have a 6’+ Pitcher throw to a 3’ kid!
No Rainbow Pitches
Hitting Plane
Shetland Pitching Machine
Rules
Important Rules • New Pitch Smart Rules
– Can pitch in 3 consecutive games max. Must rest the 4th game. Period!
• New 2018 Bats rules – USA Baseball
– NO old bats allowed, even in practice. Leave them at home. – Penalty
• Before the first pitch, bat is removed and coach and player will be warned for the season • After first pitch, an out is recorded and coach and player will be warned for the season • Second offense = suspension. No exceptions
• BBCOR optional in Pony but required for 15U players
Important Rules con’t • Metal cleats in Bronco A Interleague, Pony • Number of Coaches on field – American Inter-league • up to 4 dugout coaches through Mustang • 3 in Bronco and Pony (only order 3 unis)
– National • up to 4 dugout coaches in Shetland • 3 in Pinto, Mustang, Bronco and Pony (only order 3 unis)
Rules Governance
1. APB “local” rules override. 2. Interleague rules (American only) – override APB rules for interleague play
PONY rules - apply were we do not have an overriding rule.
MLB Rules apply if no other rule is applicable.
Umpires • Try their best • Are not trying to purposely screw your team • Set the tone from the beginning; umps are human too! • Talk to them in a civil manner • Talk to them away from players and parents • Do NOT intimidate youth umpires; help them • Umpires are actually worse in high school • Umpire shortage
Strike Zone MLB ZONE PONY ZONE
Don’t be that guy!
TRYOUTS: January 13-14 • • • •
Pinto, Mustang Saturday; Shetland, BRONCO and Pony is on Sunday Make-ups - TBA Goal is make balanced teams. “Outdrafting” hurts the overall division and we lose players because of it. We constantly try to improve the rating/drafting process and have made some tweaks this year. As always, the final draft rankings are not based solely on the tryout. We take into account each player’s past performance and adjust the tryout score accordingly. Thus, if a stud kid tanks the tryout, we are going to adjust his score to reflect his true skills. Changes: – –
• • • • •
Coaches are selected AFTER tryouts. All coach candidates must attend and rate players. Coaching input is important to the process. Leaving early is unfair to kids trying out late in the day. Extremely important to be encouraging and supportive. Kids are nervous. REVIEW tryout rating sheet – – –
•
Returning All Stars will go first in each group to act as a benchmark. No automatic American players anymore. Returning American players must tryout and make American.
Ratings based on fielding and hitting only. TWO Pitchers and catchers per team will be drafted first, then other players. Actually time the players speed to 1B
Be mindful of players using old/illegal bats
Uniforms – Throwback unis • No couture! You get what you get
– Try to do Custom names and numbers • Coaches must coordinate this.
– Need sponsorship check before uniforms will be handed out
Sponsorship Fees • $495 per team • Find a third party sponsor if possible. Companies (Amgen, BofA) do company match. • Split among families if necessary. • Teams must turn in ONE check per team. Agoura Pony Baseball
495.00
Field Stuff
Facilities Bathrooms – by the lunch area; must keep clean Parking – respect the signs or get towed! Equipment Sheds - Combination Field - Equipment Usage We spent about $5,000 in the offseason redoing the fields. Use is a PRIVILEGE not a RIGHT. Return bases to the sheds. Turn off misters. Lock batting cages. • Respect and maintain fields. They are YOUR fields! • Trash cleanup • Rain - Field Closures posted on website • • • • • • •
Fields • Lupin Elementary School (home fields) • Off-site Fields – – – – –
Forest Cove Park (Shetland) Sumac Elementary School (Shetland) Willow Elementary School (Pinto) Indian Springs Park ( Mustang) Old Agoura Park (Bronco)
• Interleague – – – –
Westlake (Westlake Elementary, Triunfo Park, OCHS) Newbury Park (Dos Vientos) Camarillo (Freedom Field and Kildee) Malibu (Michael Landon Park) - Pony only
Lupin Baseball Complex
• Fields: – Pinto – Mustang – Bronco – Pony – Snack Shack
Batting Cages • DO NOT USE (hardballs) BEFORE 9AM. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!!!!!! • Combination locks. PUSH UP, then PULL DOWN to unlock. Some locks have an upper line to line up the combo. • Extremely important to keep locked when not in use. • Division specific priorities unless unoccupied. • Limit to 15-20 minutes when teams are waiting. • Priority for pre-game warm ups - scheduled practices.
Snack Shack • Significant source of revenue to keep the league alive. • Goal is to break-even and cover umpires’ fees. • Encourage shack tickets in lieu of snacks. • Suggestions for shack items are always welcome…but healthy snacks don’t sell! • Teenage workers – Chaperone out if you have the last game
Equipment • Baseballs
– No distribution of practice balls – We have practice balls available for PURCHASE at: • Shetland and Pinto N for $30/doz • All others $35/doz. • These balls can NOT be used in games.
– Game Balls • • • •
Shetland – Mustang 2 per game Bronco/Pony – 3 per game Home team provides game balls. Retrieve the foul balls damn it!!!!
• Equipment Bags / Deposit Checks / Equipment Return
All Stars
All Stars • APB Intra-league All Star Game – May 6 – National Divisions only – One game, mid-season – Elected by team coaches
• Sanctioned All Stars – PONY’s version of the Little League World Series – Play other leagues in tournaments – June - August
Sanctioned All Stars • Formal Selection Process – Players selected by managers – Can’t vote for your own players – Open to American and National Divisions
• Additional All Star Fee – All Star uniform
Calendar - Critical Dates • • • • • • • • • • •
Jan. 10 – First Umpire training session January 13-14 – Tryouts Jan 15 – 17 – Manager selection Jan 14-21 – Make-up tryouts Jan 22-23 – American Drafts Jan 25 or 29-30 – National Drafts Jan 28 – Mandatory Coaching Clinics Feb 3 – Practice starts Feb 22 – Interleague Meeting @ NP March 3 – Opening Day March 11 – Picture Day – – – –
•
Spring Break – April 2-6 May 6 – National All Star Game May 30ish - last day for regular season games May 31-June 13 - Las Virgenes Tournament (Odds June 3-8; Evens June 10-15)
June 16-21 - Host Sanctioned District Tournament
Annual Calendar Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Tryouts, Drafts
Oct
Nov
Dec
Spring Registration Practice
Spring Season Sanctioned All Stars Fall Ball Registration
Coaching Clinic Picture Day National All Star Game New Board Seated
Dr aft s
Fall Ball
Questions - Open Forum
Albee Weiss • APB Thoroughbred • Agoura High School – Won 3 Championships (‘12, ‘13, ‘14) – All-League, All-County and All-CIF First Teams three times each. – All-County MVP in 2014 – All-State Third Team selection (2014) – Daily News All-Area player (2013) – Baseball America Top 100 Underclassman (2012) – Batted .350 average with 10 HRs Senior year
• CSUN – Team Captain – Big West Conference All-Academic Team honors – All-Big West Conference 2nd team
APB Players • 2002 Bronco World Series Champions • 80% comprised 2012, ‘13, ‘14, ’15, ‘16 Agoura High School Marmonte League Champions • NCAA Division I Players/Scholarships
2007 Robert Stock (USC/SD Padres) 2012 Brody Fehmel (Trinity) – Div III CHAMPION 2014 Alex Weiss (CSUN) 2015 Matt Lautz (UCSB), Joey Czarske (Arizona), Bryce Fehmel (Oregon St.), Ryan Fineman (Indiana), Brandon Shearer (LMU), Nick Kokiousis (Kansas) – 2016 Ben Baird (Washington) – 2017 John Deluca (Oregon), Jack Aldrich (Pacific) – – – –
APB Mission The mission of our league is simple. Without fail, we will ensure a resounding 'yes' to the following question: Was every action, decision, policy, and by-law implemented to serve the best interests and benefit the children who play baseball in this league? We will do this in many ways. First, we will strive to select a Board of Directors who are willing to give selflessly to the children of our community and oversee the finances with diligence. Second, we will select the best possible managers with a balanced mix of teaching the players baseball fundamentals, how to play competitively, work as a team, exhibit good sportsmanship, and generally conduct themselves with class and respect at all times. Third, we will do our best to get all parents involved in their child's team, helping them understand the long lasting positive impact they can make on their own children as well as others in the league. We will treat every player fairly and equally, regardless of playing ability. By putting this all together, we can say with full confidence we did everything possible to make baseball playing in Agoura PONY Baseball a positive, exciting experience for every player in our league.
What are your child’s goals? • • • •
Have fun? Play with friends? Make new friends? Be a part of the community? Play high school baseball? – 30%
• Play college baseball?
– 7.1% from High School play NCAA
• 2.1% Div. I, 2.2% Div. II, 2.8% Div. III
– 11.7 baseball scholarships for 27 players
• Play professional baseball?
– 10.5% from college get drafted – Less than 1% play MLB
How Do You Want to be Remembered? • “Hi Coach” • “Who was your coach last year?”
How do we retain players / Make YOUR Lives Easier? • • • • • • •
Better Coaching Better Coaching Better Coaching Better Coaching Better Coaching Better Coaching Better Coaching
• • • • • • •
Better Communication Better Communication Better Communication Better Communication Better Communication Better Communication Better Communication
Send Weekly Email on Monday
Complaints “Educating the coaches better send giving them more opportunities to learn how to coach and to do constructive practices Coach's son is my son's age.”
“Coach doesn’t rotate positions”
“Better communication.”
“He has horrible interpersonal and communication skills” “Selecting coaches with more experience and knowledge of baseball.”
“Better Coaches”
“This is our 4th season playing baseball with APB, and we have had great experiences with our other coaches in all prior seasons. This is the first time I'm thoroughly disgusted with APB.”
“need coaches who know the game and can teach the kids basic fundamentals”
You can’t please everyone! “I would like to see all the scoreboards on at each game.”
“schedule more games in the mornings or evenings so the kids wouldn't have to be out as much mid day in the hot hot temps.” “Better parking”
“More accurate score board use so the family can follow along.”
“While I understand the financial benefit of requiring team snacks to be purchased from the “Some poor umpire calls” snack shack, I much prefer having parents bring “Our player is in 4th grade and having snacks.”
5:00 weekday games makes homework and bedtime pretty tricky. Games a bit earlier would be super.”
“The season is too long”
“Is there any way to make the season longer?” “games are too long”
“Don't allow Father's to coach their own kids.”
“Wear grey pants and not white.”
“can we add more games?”
“Closer baseball fields. Lupin is pretty far”
How to Respond to Complaints If you can’t be positive, then at least be quiet Joel Osteen
When things get difficult it can be easy to complain. How you respond makes all the difference. Tony Dungy
Before you complain, have you volunteered yet? Agoura Pony Baseball
If you’re not helping make it right, then stop complaining about it being wrong
Complaining never makes anything better
2017-18 Executive Board President Greg Klausner VP of Baseball Operations Secretary Shannon Hirtensteiner Treasurer Chris Bole Assistant to Treasurer Kathie Leggett VP Facilities Richard Blackledge VP Scheduling/Tournaments Devin Sirkus VP Sales and Marketing VP Auxiliary Operations Lance Cherniet VP Auxiliary Operations Doug Cohen
2017-18 Board of Directors Division Directors Shetland American Shetland National Pinto American Pinto National Mustang American Mustang National Bronco American Bronco National Pony American Pony National Champions Division Director Mentor
Aaron Wilhelm Jud Mongell Paul Lee Mark Holder Craig White Patrick Baldocchi Joe Hurley Joe Hurley Chris Yan Chris Yan Peter Steinzeig Sean Packer
2017-18 Board of Directors General Board Equipment Fields Administrator Umpire in Chief Concessions Director Web Master Picture Day Coordinator Tournament Director Uniform Coordinator All Star Coordinator Trophy Coordinator Fundraising Member-At-Large
David Barish John Asuncion Kathie Leggett Joe Hurley
Jaymee Anthony Eva Larson Eva Larson Warren Kosikov
League Structure PONY
West Zone/
Executive Board
Board of Directors
Division Directors
North Region Elaine Magner Umpires
Snack Shack
Facilities
Team Managers
January 18, 2017
2017 Recap • Spring and Fall registration numbers were up! • Mustang National IL Tournament Champs Expos • Pony National IL Tournament Champs - Padres • Mustang 9U All Star Section Champs • Pony 14U All Star HR Cycle on same day (solo, 2R, 3R, Grand Slam) – Conner Bernt • Schedule changes – rain!
APB Thoroughbred • Play or Coach every year from Shetland through Pony (9 – 10 years)
2008
2017
Cooperstown • Independent, week long, 12U (Bronco) baseball tournament in Cooperstown, NY • June – August • APB has a ticket!!! • Teams pay their own way – $900 per player entrance fee – $1,000 - $3,000 per player
State of the League • Financially strong • Numbers were up in 2017 after years of decline due to: – Cost of living in area = fewer young families – Year round sports options – Neighboring youth baseball leagues in the area/open borders – Travel Ball/Pay-to-Play
• 2018 expect loss of players due to age change
What’s New for 2018 • Rules – New Age Change – August 31 cutoff – New Bat rule - USABat – New Pitch Smart pitching limits
• Shetland – 1st/2nd Year instead of American and National • Investment in coaches and players
Where does your $$$ go? • Why fundraising is needed – tournament revenue is drying up – Going to be harder to get donations with the new tax law
• Facility needs – Installed backstop nets - $5K – ICEE machine - $15K – Field renovation - $5K
Expenses EQUIPMENT AND BALLS 4%
SNACK SHACK LABOR 5% OTHER & MARKETING 6%
$14K $17K
SNACK SHACK EQUIP 8%
APB 2017 League Expenses $331,000 FULL TIME EMPLOYEE / INSUR 20%
$10.5K
$54K
$22K $46K $36.5K
UNIFORMS / TROPHIES 17%
FIELD RENTAL FEES / INSUR 13%
$36K
UMPIRES 13%
$40K
FIELD MAINT & SUPPLIES 14%
Revenue • • • •
Registrations (Spring & Fall) - $192K Snack Shack - $90K LVT - $27K Team Sponsorships - $34K
HR Banner Sponsor
2018 Spring Registration Costs • Registration fee of $365
– $290 + $75 Snack Shack deposit – Pinto-Pony – $250 Shetland (no deposit)
• Snack Shack Deposit
– Parents can get $75 refund after working 4 hours in the snack shack. Must be scheduled 2 weeks in advance. Will not get credit if they just show up. Checks mailed AFTER season. – 1 Manager/2 coaches per team are exempt from shack deposit.
• Refunds will be issued mid-season after coaches are selected and reported. It’s on you to tell us who your assistants are.
PONY vs. Little League PONY
Little League
Lead-offs
Yes
No
Base stealing
Yes
No
Field sizes
Scaled
Disproportionate
MLB Rules
Yes
No
World Series
Yes
Yes
PONY Divisons • • • • • •
Shetland (4-6 years old) Pinto (7-8 years old) Mustang (9-10 years old) Bronco (11-12 years old) Pony (13-14 years old) Colt (15-16 years old)
As of August 31
Champions • Kids with special needs • Bronco American and Pony teams will shadow 1 game – Mandatory participation required
Champions
American Division is Travel Ball • • • •
Board voted to retain American/National split Top Tier of Players Higher caliber of play Inter-league – Westlake – Newbury Park – Malibu – Camarillo
Coaching
Paperwork • Manager Applications – Managers only
• Background Checks – ALL coaches and anyone stepping on the field to help must be background checked – Contact Shannon Hirtensteiner, Secretary
• Medical Release Forms – Must get every player to complete and keep with you at all times
Process for Manager Selection American / National • See specific APB By-Laws • Selection by committee - President, VP Ops, Division Director, and other Directors familiar with the Division • Combination of skills and temperament (including past issues) • American manager’s child MUST first qualify for A division.
Division Breakdown Registration Counts - Anticipated Teams by Division *Might be some tweaks due to play up/down
1/9/2018 Division
Registered Pending
No. Teams
1/9/2017
Total
Final 2017
+/-
Registered
+/-
American/ Shetland 2
National/ Shetland 1
Room for
Shetland
91
91
97
-6
67
24
4
5
8
Pinto
99
99
124
-25
72
27
3
7
11
Mustang
99
99
91
8
60
39
2
8
11
Bronco
67
67
94
-27
47
20
2
5
10
Pony
56
56
58
-2
25
31
1
4
4
412
464
-52
271
141
Investment in Coaches • Clinics run by professional coaches focused on each division’s specific needs • On-going clinics throughout the year • Mentor program • On-line tools
Coaches Clinic • Sunday, Jan. 28, MANDATORY • Investing in our coaches from now on. We are making an investment so we expect you to show up, listen and learn. • Mandatory attendance. • Classroom and on-field instruction by NCAA College and professional coaches. • Skills expectations by Division
Tools • Dugout Captain – www.dugoutcaptain.com – Practice plans, drills
• http://www.qcbaseball.com/ • Attend/observe High School, Pepperdine and American Division practices
NO RAINBOW Pitches
Don’t have a 6’+ Pitcher throw to a 3’ kid!
No Rainbow Pitches
Hitting Plane
Shetland Pitching Machine
Rules
Important Rules • New Pitch Smart Rules
– Can pitch in 3 consecutive games max. Must rest the 4th game. Period!
• New 2018 Bats rules – USA Baseball
– NO old bats allowed, even in practice. Leave them at home. – Penalty
• Before the first pitch, bat is removed and coach and player will be warned for the season • After first pitch, an out is recorded and coach and player will be warned for the season • Second offense = suspension. No exceptions
• BBCOR optional in Pony but required for 15U players
Important Rules con’t • Metal cleats in Bronco A Interleague, Pony • Number of Coaches on field – American Inter-league • up to 4 dugout coaches through Mustang • 3 in Bronco and Pony (only order 3 unis)
– National • up to 4 dugout coaches in Shetland • 3 in Pinto, Mustang, Bronco and Pony (only order 3 unis)
Rules Governance
1. APB “local” rules override. 2. Interleague rules (American only) – override APB rules for interleague play
PONY rules - apply were we do not have an overriding rule.
MLB Rules apply if no other rule is applicable.
Umpires • Try their best • Are not trying to purposely screw your team • Set the tone from the beginning; umps are human too! • Talk to them in a civil manner • Talk to them away from players and parents • Do NOT intimidate youth umpires; help them • Umpires are actually worse in high school • Umpire shortage
Strike Zone MLB ZONE PONY ZONE
Don’t be that guy!
TRYOUTS: January 13-14 • • • •
Pinto, Mustang Saturday; Shetland, BRONCO and Pony is on Sunday Make-ups - TBA Goal is make balanced teams. “Outdrafting” hurts the overall division and we lose players because of it. We constantly try to improve the rating/drafting process and have made some tweaks this year. As always, the final draft rankings are not based solely on the tryout. We take into account each player’s past performance and adjust the tryout score accordingly. Thus, if a stud kid tanks the tryout, we are going to adjust his score to reflect his true skills. Changes: – –
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Coaches are selected AFTER tryouts. All coach candidates must attend and rate players. Coaching input is important to the process. Leaving early is unfair to kids trying out late in the day. Extremely important to be encouraging and supportive. Kids are nervous. REVIEW tryout rating sheet – – –
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Returning All Stars will go first in each group to act as a benchmark. No automatic American players anymore. Returning American players must tryout and make American.
Ratings based on fielding and hitting only. TWO Pitchers and catchers per team will be drafted first, then other players. Actually time the players speed to 1B
Be mindful of players using old/illegal bats
Uniforms – Throwback unis • No couture! You get what you get
– Try to do Custom names and numbers • Coaches must coordinate this.
– Need sponsorship check before uniforms will be handed out
Sponsorship Fees • $495 per team • Find a third party sponsor if possible. Companies (Amgen, BofA) do company match. • Split among families if necessary. • Teams must turn in ONE check per team. Agoura Pony Baseball
495.00
Field Stuff
Facilities Bathrooms – by the lunch area; must keep clean Parking – respect the signs or get towed! Equipment Sheds - Combination Field - Equipment Usage We spent about $5,000 in the offseason redoing the fields. Use is a PRIVILEGE not a RIGHT. Return bases to the sheds. Turn off misters. Lock batting cages. • Respect and maintain fields. They are YOUR fields! • Trash cleanup • Rain - Field Closures posted on website • • • • • • •
Fields • Lupin Elementary School (home fields) • Off-site Fields – – – – –
Forest Cove Park (Shetland) Sumac Elementary School (Shetland) Willow Elementary School (Pinto) Indian Springs Park ( Mustang) Old Agoura Park (Bronco)
• Interleague – – – –
Westlake (Westlake Elementary, Triunfo Park, OCHS) Newbury Park (Dos Vientos) Camarillo (Freedom Field and Kildee) Malibu (Michael Landon Park) - Pony only
Lupin Baseball Complex
• Fields: – Pinto – Mustang – Bronco – Pony – Snack Shack
Batting Cages • DO NOT USE (hardballs) BEFORE 9AM. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!!!!!! • Combination locks. PUSH UP, then PULL DOWN to unlock. Some locks have an upper line to line up the combo. • Extremely important to keep locked when not in use. • Division specific priorities unless unoccupied. • Limit to 15-20 minutes when teams are waiting. • Priority for pre-game warm ups - scheduled practices.
Snack Shack • Significant source of revenue to keep the league alive. • Goal is to break-even and cover umpires’ fees. • Encourage shack tickets in lieu of snacks. • Suggestions for shack items are always welcome…but healthy snacks don’t sell! • Teenage workers – Chaperone out if you have the last game
Equipment • Baseballs
– No distribution of practice balls – We have practice balls available for PURCHASE at: • Shetland and Pinto N for $30/doz • All others $35/doz. • These balls can NOT be used in games.
– Game Balls • • • •
Shetland – Mustang 2 per game Bronco/Pony – 3 per game Home team provides game balls. Retrieve the foul balls damn it!!!!
• Equipment Bags / Deposit Checks / Equipment Return
All Stars
All Stars • APB Intra-league All Star Game – May 6 – National Divisions only – One game, mid-season – Elected by team coaches
• Sanctioned All Stars – PONY’s version of the Little League World Series – Play other leagues in tournaments – June - August
Sanctioned All Stars • Formal Selection Process – Players selected by managers – Can’t vote for your own players – Open to American and National Divisions
• Additional All Star Fee – All Star uniform
Calendar - Critical Dates • • • • • • • • • • •
Jan. 10 – First Umpire training session January 13-14 – Tryouts Jan 15 – 17 – Manager selection Jan 14-21 – Make-up tryouts Jan 22-23 – American Drafts Jan 25 or 29-30 – National Drafts Jan 28 – Mandatory Coaching Clinics Feb 3 – Practice starts Feb 22 – Interleague Meeting @ NP March 3 – Opening Day March 11 – Picture Day – – – –
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Spring Break – April 2-6 May 6 – National All Star Game May 30ish - last day for regular season games May 31-June 13 - Las Virgenes Tournament (Odds June 3-8; Evens June 10-15)
June 16-21 - Host Sanctioned District Tournament
Annual Calendar Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Tryouts, Drafts
Oct
Nov
Dec
Spring Registration Practice
Spring Season Sanctioned All Stars Fall Ball Registration
Coaching Clinic Picture Day National All Star Game New Board Seated
Dr aft s
Fall Ball
Questions - Open Forum
Albee Weiss • APB Thoroughbred • Agoura High School – Won 3 Championships (‘12, ‘13, ‘14) – All-League, All-County and All-CIF First Teams three times each. – All-County MVP in 2014 – All-State Third Team selection (2014) – Daily News All-Area player (2013) – Baseball America Top 100 Underclassman (2012) – Batted .350 average with 10 HRs Senior year
• CSUN – Team Captain – Big West Conference All-Academic Team honors – All-Big West Conference 2nd team
