Minor B Families,
I’ve had some questions and comments about team balancing. Unfortunately there are some really strong teams and some weaker teams in Minor B this year. This has been an ongoing problem with Minor B over the years. Starting in Minor A the league holds Evaluation Sessions in February for players, and this helps us balance the teams better. In Minor B all we have to go by are coach evaluations from the previous year. There is an independent Player Agent whose job it is to try to take all coach evaluation data, friend requests, try to ensure each team has enough coaches and managers, a balance of 7 and 8 year olds on each team, etc. Each year, despite all this hard work it is rare that teams end up being equal. In the four years my kids were in Minor B my kids were on the last place team for two of those years so I know how frustrating it can be. The league is looking closely at holding Evaluation Sessions for the Minor B players beginning next year. For now, please understand that the league does work really hard to do its best, that there is no favouritism or intentional stacking of teams. And reassure your kids that often one year their team might be struggling and the next they might be on the championship team; and we’ve seen it happen several times that in the playoffs a team that has been struggling all season starts to gel and has a great ending.

Walter

My name is Walter Wells and I will be the Minor B Coordinator for the 2011 season. Registration is now closed (there is a wait list for our division), meetings have been held and we are already gearing up for the season. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at minorbcoord@dunbarbaseball.ca

See you all at opening day in April!

Minor B
This Division is for 7-8 year-olds.

This is also an instructional division with the emphasis on having fun while learning basic baseball skills. There are usually 13 players per team and a special pitching machine is used for consistency. Games have 5 innings. An inning ends

when either three outs have been recorded or 5 runs scored (except the last inning, which has unlimited runs). All players are rotated through the infield and outfield positions, and all players bat through the order.

The season begins in late April and all games are played at the Minor B diamond at Balaclava Park (31st Avenue and Balaclava) in the early evening or on the weekend. There is usually 1 practice and 2 games per week. Team equipment, shirts and caps are provided, but players must have their own baseball glove (their own batting helmet and a protective cup is highly encouraged). There is an organized warm-up session for both teams before each game. Parents take turns as scorekeeper. In Minor B, coaches and parents learn that the trained teenage home plate umpire (provided by the league for most games) is always right!