OBSA PONY Baseball
Pinto Division
Boy and Girls 7-8 years old
Pinto League Goal
Pinto is the OBSA's program for 7 and 8 year old boys and girls, many of whom have never played organized baseball. The primary goal of the Pinto League program is to provide a positive, introductory-level baseball experience for 7 and 8 year old boys and girls. While we want players and teams to practice, prepare and strive to win, the focus of the Pinto League is on player skill development, teamwork, sportsmanship, fun, and an elementary understanding of the game.
Managers and Coaches
Each Pinto team has a manager (or head coach) and one assistant coach who assist the manager in all aspects of organizing and running a team. Interested parents who wish to volunteer for a manager or assistant coach position are encouraged to do so. You can volunteer to manager or coach on-line at http://www.oswegobsa.org/
Interested parents not able to make the commitment are encouraged to volunteer and help out in some way. Most coaching staffs consist of two parents of 7 and 8 year old boys and girls.
Managers and coaches play a very important role and are expected to carry out the goals of the program and to create a positive team environment by:
1. Organizing constructive practices and teaching players how to play the game so they can improve their skills through drills;
2. Preparing the team for each game emphasizing trying hard and playing their best in hopes of winning and providing a fun experience to all involved;
3. Teaching the rules and showing respect for rules and the game;
4. Promoting sportsmanship and teamwork with respect for umpires and other players.
The Pinto League provides direction and instruction to Pinto Managers and Coaches including a pre-season meeting, a coaching clinic, preseason practices, practice plans, game strategy and more.
How Players are Assigned to Teams
After registration begins December 2, 2009 and ends January 29, 2010, 7 and 8 year old boys and girls are assigned a team based on their age, and the school they attend. OBSA attempts to assign an equal number of 7 and 8 year old boys and girls on each team. NOTE: OBSA does not honor car pooling requests. Parents are encouraged to make car pooling arrangements with teammates once the rosters are distributed.
Teams, Practices, Picture Day, and Games
The Pinto League typically has 16 - 18 teams. Each team is usually composed of 11-13 players. Teams have pre-season practices (1 to 2 per week for four weeks) and one (1) pre-season Instructional Game and fourteen (14) regular season games - most games are at Whormley Heritage (Fox Chase Elementary), East View North (East View Elementary), Old Post 1 or Old Post 2 (Old Post Elementary), or Thompson 1 (Thompson Jr. High). Typically, Pinto League players play 1 game during the week and 1 game during the weekend. Four to six practices are scheduled during the season based on field availability and the number of makeup games needed. Weekday games Monday through Friday begin at 5:30 pm and games on Saturday or Sunday begin at 9:00 am and run throughout the day. The kids play on a 50' diamond with a 38" pitching distance.
The Picture Day will be held at Old Post Elementary on May 8th, 2010 starting at 8:00 am. This event, one of the season's highlights, kicks off the regular season.
The regular season concludes at the end of June. There are no playoffs in the Pinto League.
Some Noteworthy Pinto Rules
The OBSA has a Code of Conduct for coaches, fans, umpires, and players. The conduct of coaches, players, fans, and umpires is expected to be exemplary, with only positive cheering and comments allowed. Managers and coaches should not make calls for the umpires and managers may only dispute rules (not judgment calls) after calling timeout and discussing with the umpire and the other team's manager. Managers are responsible for communicating our Code of Conduct to players and fans. Players do all the pitching with a one inning limit per game. Once ball 4 is called, the coaches pitch 3 additional pitches to the batter. If the batter doesn't put the ball in play after 3 pitches (or 4 pitches if the third is a foul ball), the batter is called out. Click here to view full rules.
