It may be a cold winter in Malibu, but the hardworking volunteers who run Malibu Little League (MLL) have their eyes on spring and America’s pastime — baseball. Registration is open now for new and returning players. Boys and girls ages seven-12 are encouraged to sign up before the January field tryouts.
On January 13, 14 and 15, coaches will be evaluating prospective players on the basics of the sport — hitting, running, fielding and pitching. Volunteer coaches from Pepperdine along with other Malibu Little League volunteers will make evaluations and then base their determinations on making up the various teams in the league. Not only is the league looking for youngsters to play, but coaching coordinator and director of fundraising for MLL Paul Joseph said the league could also use more coaches, volunteers and sponsors.
Since 1955, when MLL was founded, sponsors have supported the league that encourages kids to work together as a team and still develop individual athletic talents, all in the spirit of fun. Sponsorships are available for teams, with logos and business names printed on team jerseys. Fields and scoreboards can be sponsored as well as the homerun fence that Joseph called “really cool to do.” Sponsors can also set up a booth on Opening Day, which Joseph promised will be extra special this year.
Although the planning for Opening Day, Saturday, March 4, is still in progress, Joseph said this celebration will be a little different than most. Instead of an exhibition game, plans are for a carnival at Malibu Bluffs Park. Expect carnival games, a dunk tank, the usual pancake breakfast, food trucks and team photos to kick off the season. One highlight will be a home run derby. Kids in age categories can compete to see who can knock ’em out of the park with winners going on to try and qualify for a home run derby to be played at Major League Baseball’s All Star Game.
Participating in the development of social and athletic interaction of kids is what keeps Joseph volunteering with MLL even though his son no longer plays.
“I think learning the basic skills of the game, which are key, and being a part of a team — camaraderie, being a team player — giving you the skills to build your competitive athletic career and, really importantly, it brings together kids in a group who normally might not be friends even though they go to the same school, live in the same area and never gave friendship a chance,” he said. “I’ve seen it time and again. It makes a world of difference. Little league opens the doors to new friendships.”
In its seventh decade of playing ball, Malibu Little League has always relied on volunteers from the first — who graded fields, installed sprinklers, built dugouts and put up fences back in the days when the baseball diamonds were at what is now Malibu Lagoon. The league played there until 1981. In the 1970s, the California Department of Parks and Recreation readied bulldozers at the site for restoration of the lagoon, but no one informed the MLL. Determined parents went to court and finally worked out a plan to relocate the fields to Bluffs Park. Once again, parent volunteers labored to develop new fields, diamonds and bleachers. The state nearly took control of the fields again, leaving local children without ball fields until Malibu was able to gain control of the park with a land swap exchanging Charmlee Wilderness Park for Bluffs two years ago.
Because of Malibu’s entertainment draw, plenty of celebrities have been seen at local games including Pamela Anderson when her two boys played. Kate Hudson and Cher have even been spotted in the bleachers. And a few Malibu little leaguers went on to Hollywood careers themselves, including Sean Penn, Chad Lowe and Charlie Sheen who starred as a Major League Baseball player in the 1989 film “Major League.”
Malibu resident Doug O’Brien coached MLL for 30 seasons and has stayed involved over the years. When asked if he remembers any of the kids in the league being celebrities, O’Brien replied, “We weren’t interested in celebrities. We were too busy winning games.”
Winning games, having fun and developing new friendships appears to keep adults interested in continuing a thriving MLL. Joseph said what keeps him involved is, “Watching a kid’s confidence in their own abilities. That’s rewarding.”
For more information, visit malibulittleleague.org.
