Pony Baseball Kicks Off Spring Season

It's time to play ball.

The kicked off its third season in Diamond Bar on Saturday afternoon under clear blue skies.

Pony baseball — which introduces elements of the game like lead off base running earlier than Little League — is fairly new to the Diamond Bar fields, where Little League ball was played for 35 years, but the spirit of the game is the same.

Marc Ramirez, who began playing Little League in 1983 while growing up in Diamond Bar, now watches his son take the same fields.

"I played here growing up," Ramirez, who is a member of the Pony League board of directors, said, "and now I get to watch my son play here."

Ramirez helped staff the grill Saturday to deliver the food that makes any day at the ballpark: hot dogs.

Board President Duke Oliva said the all-volunteer staff works throughout the year to run the league, staff events, and run fundraisers to keep the fields in shape.

Oliva said that the league laid and leveled new grass for this season at the league's four fields, which hosts games for six divisions of play.

Oliva said that, this year, all of the league's divisions are full or nearly full. Demand for one division led to the start of a waiting list, Oliva said.

Saturday's season opening ceremonies also featured a pep talk from hometown major-leaguer Dustin Miller, who gave the young sluggers tips on making it to the Bigs.

Miller, who started playing varsity baseball at Diamond Bar High School, went on to pitch for Cal State Fullerton in the College World Series and play for the Anaheim Angels before deciding to retire because of a recurring shoulder injury.

"I ended my career on a good note," Miller said. "Some of my best memories happened around the baseball field."

Miller reminded the young players that it takes a lot of hard work on the field and in the classroom to make it to the college leagues and to have a chance at the majors.

"Remember that you are a student athlete," Miller said. "For a lot of my friends, it was their dream to play baseball at Fullerton, but they couldn't get in because of their grades."

With hundreds of parents in the audience Saturday, Miller said that his success wouldn't have been possible without his parents to drive him to practices, games, tournaments — and, of course, to pay for uniforms and equipment.

And while all sights were set on Saturday's games, every player raised their hands when Miller asked the big question: "Who here wants to play professional baseball?"