Virgen’s View: Newport Beach Baseball Assn. produces positive atmosphere – Los Angeles Times

Doug DeCinces, a former Major League Baseball player, urged parents of the Newport Beach Baseball Assn. to perform a simple activity from the game to help improve their children’s skills.

“Play catch with them,” DeCinces said on Saturday morning at Bonita Canyon Sports Park.

He said sessions of throw-and-catch can only advance hand-to-eye coordination.

The Newport Beach Baseball Assn., the PONY Division league in its inaugural season, appears to also be depending on the fundamentals to make their program more attractive to parents who have many sports to choose from for their children.

The NBBA, which was created after Newport Beach Little League disbanded in September, wants its organization to be more about the kids.

“It’s the same kids, the same field, but just more fun,” said Matt Healy, NBBA’s president.

The new league actually got a boost in participation numbers. Last year, NBLL had 506 Little Leaguers. This year, NBBA has 612 youth baseball players, Healy said.

Healy, who had been with NBLL for six years, including the past three years as treasurer, said the league had been losing 8% to 10% kids each year. And that wasn’t just because of controversial events the league experienced, but also because children were wanting to compete in other sports.

A positive atmosphere was produced because of the newness of the NBBA, Healy said, and the numbers improved because of persistent publicity.

The new program also gave Healy and others a chance to sort of regroup.

“It gave us a chance to see what wasn’t working before and fix that,” said Healy, who has two sons in NBBA, Carter, 12, and Sam, 7.

He also said he wants to be more accessible as NBBA president. Communication has improved, he said, and he has encouraged new board members to be active.

He told them: “I don’t want you to be on the board and go to monthly meetings just to hang out. This is our opportunity to change things.”

It appears youth baseball in Newport Beach has changed for the better.

There is another PONY Division program, Newport Harbor Baseball Assn., across the bay. But the programs are not a threat to each other with regard to participation. Those affiliated with NHBA are also excited about the new PONY Division program in Newport Beach.

They are looking forward to the competition. The two leagues are in the same region and will compete against each other in the Bronco Division All-Stars (12-year-olds) tournament.

There are also plans for Battle of the Bay exhibition games next month that will promote fun competition for “rivals.”

DeCinces, who played for the Angels, also talked about the importance of enjoying the game. He said that helped him reach his Big League dreams when he began as young baseball player in PONY. “You have to make sure you love the game,” he said.

Those in the NBBA certainly love it. Still, not everyone in the NBBA showed up to the Opening Day ceremony on Saturday. Turns out, the league uniforms weren’t quite ready and many chose to attend other athletic events. But Healy and others maintain the league is headed in the right direction.

“I’m happy to report that baseball is alive and well in Newport Beach,” Healy said to begin the ceremony. “We’re ready for a big season.”