Little League News

IMPORTANT UPDATE ON COVID-19

We are still working to find a way to play baseball, stay tuned.

SPRING 2020 REGISTRATION ALMOST CLOSED!

To see if there are any spots left, email us at info@mmllbaseball.com

FALL 2019	TEE BALL DIVISION	CLOSED
FALL 2019	FARM DIVISION (Coach-Pitch)	CLOSED
FALL 2019	UPPER DIVISION (Kid-Pitch)	CLOSED
SPRING 2020	Tee Ball, Farm, Minors & Majors	CLOSING SOON

CLICK HERE TO CREATE AN ACCOUNT OR LOGIN TO REGISTER!
If this is your first time registering, click the link above and then create an account to begin the process...

GET YOUR KIDS OUTSIDE TO PLAY BASEBALL!

Little League is fun! Unlike other organized baseball leagues, Little League accepts all players and ensures your kid gets playing time. Moreover, we don't recruit players...our teams are based on registration age and basic skill levels determined after an evaluation day. This process makes each division competitive and ensures your kids a fantastic, memorable experience! The registration fee includes all practices, games, baseball jersey, hat, most clinics, umpires, and it covers our fees paid to the national Little League organization as well as city permits for baseball fields and lights, etc. All Board members, coaches and individuals helping with events are volunteers.

Little League Baseball teaches your kids how to be part of a team and binds them to the community. Boys and girls of all skill levels welcome. For more information on the Spring 2020 season, email us at info@mmllbaseball.com...

DIVISIONS & REGISTRATION FEES:

Which Local League? The Little League organization mandates in which local baseball league your son or daughter will play based on your home address or school address...either one works if within our borders. Our local league is called McDowell Mountain Little League or MMLL in Scottsdale, Arizona. To check which league you should register, enter your home or school address at Find Your League.

If you previously played in the Desert Foothills league or Mountain View league and you have questions, email us at info@MMLLbaseball.com.

If you recently moved and you want your son or daughter to continue playing in McDowell Mountain Little League, then you can request permission to grandfather in to MMLL by completing Form II(d) and emailing it to info@MMLLbaseball.com.

Ages & Divisions. Your son or daughter is eligible to play in one of our divisions based on his or her "league age" according to the national Little League organization. To determine your child's "league age", go to the League Age Calculator and choose "Little League Baseball" from the dropdown. Please note, sometimes we'll move a kid up or down based on skill level, to take into consideration families with multiple registrations, or safety concerns. If in your opinion, as the parent, the eligible division does not suit your child's skill level, or you are concerned about safety, then contact us to discuss at info@MMLLbaseball.com.

DIVISION	Ages	Pitcher?	Description
Tee-Ball	4-6	Coach Pitch	the kids get a few pitches from their own coach and if necessary hit from a tee; score is not kept...everyone is simply focused on learning the rules and basics of the game, having fun, making friends in the community, and giving the kids a great experience so they will want to continue playing baseball.
Farm	7-8	Coach Pitch	the kids take pitches from their own coach; coaches act as umpires; games are scored; this is when the kids start to learn the fundemental skills of playing baseball and begin to learn the rules of the field.
Minors*	9-10	Kid Pitch	kids are the pitchers so hitters are facing kid-pitch for the first time; coaches have rules on how many innings each kid plays in the infield, etc.; professional umpires call the game and score is kept; this is when things start to get competitive...coaches focus on teaching the details of game rules and honing skills at various positions.
Majors*	11-12	Kid Pitch	kids are the pitchers; professional umpires call the game and score is kept; this is competitive baseball...coaches usually assign specific positions and have more discretion on playing time, etc.
Juniors	13-14	Kid Pitch	kids are the pitchers; professional umpires call the game and score is kept; this is competitive baseball...coaches usually assign specific positions and have more discretion on playing time, etc.

*Upper Division: During the Fall Season, Minors and Majors may be combined to create an "Upper Division" which might be necessary to keep teams competitive because of lower fall season registration numbers.

Team Assignments: For Tee-Ball, teams are assigned rather randomly since the kids are usually learning the game for the first-time. However, for Farm, Minors, and Majors, teams are assigned based on skill level. See the Events & Schedule section below for more information...

2020 Spring Season Registration Fees. Multiple registrations receive a $25 discount. Evaluations, practices, and games are included in the Registration Fee as well as a team baseball jersey and hat. Occassionally, the league will conduct a specific clinic for all the kids, i.e., hitting or pitching. Although these clinics are usually included in the Registration Fee, occassionally we contract with an outside organization in which case there might be additional fee to attend. Registration Fees also cover the cost of umpires, all the baseball field equipment, fees paid to Little League, website maintenance, baseball field permits and lights, etc. All the Board members, coaches and individuals that help out with events are volunteers.

Spring 2020 Divisions	Register by 11/15/2019	Register by 01/17/2020	Register After 01/17/2020
Tee-Ball	$140	$170	$200
Farm (coach-pitch)	$160	$190	$220
Minors (kid-pitch)	$240	$270	$300
Majors (kid-pitch)	$240	$270	$300
Juniors (kid-pitch)	$240	$270	$300

2020 Spring Season Commissioners and Player Agents. A Commissioner has the responsibility of ensuring the season goes smoothly mainly by keeping in contact with coaches and listening to any issues that might arise. The Player Agent will intervene should a parent or coach raise a concern regarding a child's behavior or safety, etc. Commissioners and Player Agents are volunteers.

Player Agent - Tee-Ball/Farm	Evan Hartstein	(480) 206-3702	evanhartstein@gmail.com
Tee-Ball Commissioner	Eric Nelson	(480) 748-9184	ericnelson172@gmail.com
Farm Commissioner	Kris Newkirk	(480) 307-4555	krisnewkirk@gmail.com

Player Agent - Minors/Majors	Marc Zimmerman	(925) 548-0701	marc_s_zimmerman@yahoo.com
Minors Commissioner	Frank Ugenti	(480) 225-5021	ugenti@hotmail.com
Majors Commissioner	Tom Nichols	(480) 636-5773	thomas.nichols@isagenixcorp.com

QUESTIONS? Email Coach Phil at phil@philgrossfield.com or info@MMLLbaseball.com or call/text Phil on his cell at (619) 549-9797.

EVENTS & SCHEDULE:

Spring versus Fall Season. Because Little league is coached by parent-volunteers, practice schedules and game schedules for either season revolve around the coach’s schedule. During Registration you can add comments on conflicts and we will take it into consideration during team assignments.

Spring Season is our main baseball season beginning in February and runs through May. Typically, there are 1-2 practices per week and 1-2 games per week. After the regular season, we hold tournaments for each division and end the season with an All-Star tournament. Practices for the All-Star teams are daily.
Fall Season is a bit more relaxed and begins in August and runs into November. There is just 1 practice per week and 1 game per week with no post-season tournaments. During the Fall Season, Minors and Majors may be combined to create an "Upper Division" which might be necessary to keep teams competitive because of lower fall season registration numbers.

Events. All events are posted in the schedule below (this schedule is updated frequently so check back often...). Once registered you will receive emails on scheduled events and instructions for signing up, etc.

Clinics are optional events usually run by league coaches to give the kids instruction on specific aspects of the game, i.e., hitting and pitching. Clinics vary in time, scope and structure.
Verification Day is a mandatory Spring season event mandated by the Little League organization where parents are asked to bring 3 forms of proof of residence or a School Enrollment Form (you have the school fill it out). If you're unsure whether your son or daughter should play in MMLL or some other local Little League, refer to the Division & Registration Fees section above.
Evaluation Day is a mandatory event for Farm, Minors, and Majors players (Tee-Ballers are excluded) for both Spring and Fall Seasons. The purpose of evaluations is to provide the coaches with an idea of each player's skill level. The coaches use this information when drafting teams in order to avoid one dominate team at the expense of a winless team which ensures the kids have a fantstic, memorable experience. Each kid will field a few ground balls, a few pop-ups, hit a few pitches and run to first base.
Practices are based on the Coach's schedule since we rely on volunteers - Moms and Dads like you. The number of practices depends on the season (see above) and the Coach's schedule.
League Games are played only against other teams within MMLL. The number of games and schedule depends on the season (see above), the number of registrants and teams, and the Coach's schedule since we rely on volunteers - Moms and Dads like you.
Inter-League Games are played against other local Little Leagues. We do this because some local leagues in the Phoenix/Scottsdale area don't have enough teams to make a healthy game schedule. Therefore, the different districts rely on each other to play each other thus giving the kids enough games against a variety of competitors. Game locations vary depending on which leagues participate. The number of games is typically just a few during the season but depends on other league requests, the number of MMLL registrants and teams, and the Coach's schedule since we rely on volunteers - Moms and Dads like you.

2020 Spring Season Schedule. All dates/times may be adjusted - check back for updates. Emails will go out to all registrants with specific information for these events.

October 21, 2019	Spring 2020 Season Registration Opens	Location NA
February 7, 2020 (Fri)	Spring 2020 Season Registration Closes	Location NA
February 7, 2020 (Fri)	Tee-Ball Verification Night (Ages 4-6)	Copper Ridge
February 7, 2020 (Fri)	Farm Evaluation & Verification Night (Ages 7-8)	Copper Ridge
February 8, 2020 (Sat)	Minors/Majors Evaluation & Verification Day (Ages 9-12)	Copper Ridge
February 9-12, 2020	Coach's Draft - Players Assigned to Teams - Practices Begin	Copper Ridge
February 18, 2020 (Tue)	Coach's Safety Meeting	TBD
March 16, 2020 (Mon)	Opening Week - PLAY BALL!	Copper Ridge
March 28, 2020 (Sat)	Picture Day	Copper Ridge
Mid-May, 2020	Regular Season Ends - Tournaments Begin	Copper Ridge
May 24, 2020 (Sun)	Tournament Season Ends	Copper Ridge
May, 2020	Fall 2020 Season Registration Opens	Location NA
August, 2020	Fall Season Begins	Location NA

***Locations:

Aztec Field:  13636 N 100th St, Scottsdale, AZ 85260 - click to see a map.
CR1, CR2, CR6, CR7 aka Copper Ridge Fields:  10101 E Thompson Peak Pkwy, Scottsdale, AZ 85255 - click to see a map.
Interleague Games:  played at various fields within Scottsdale and Phoenix.

QUESTIONS? Email Coach Phil at phil@philgrossfield.com or info@MMLLbaseball.com or call/text Phil on his cell at (619) 549-9797.

COACH A TEAM OR ASSIST & SPEND QUALITY TIME WITH YOUR KIDS:

All teams are coached and managed by Moms, Dads, and Grandfathers, etc., JUST LIKE YOU...join us for a fun and fulfilling way to spend time with your kids and make friends in the community! If you're interested but not sure what it's all about, or for any other reason please feel free to call or text Coach Phil on his cell at (619) 549-9797 or email phil@philgrossfield.com or info@MMLLbaseball.com.

UNIFORMS & EQUIPMENT:

Glove. Your son or daughter will need a glove. Make sure it’s not too small and do your best to soften it up before your first practice - it should be soft enough to close freely. If you have a new glove that is stiff, here's a 4-minute video from the professional Glove Guru at Wilson Sports on how to soften/break-in a stiff glove.

Batting Gloves. Some coaches recommend them and some don't - it's your call. The argument against batting gloves is that kids become dependent on them. The argument for batting gloves is that it gives a kid more confidence and if the ball isn't hit on the sweet spot it's less likely to sting.

Bats. Your son or daughter will need a bat. All bats must have the USA Baseball logo on the barrel (see below)…without it the bat is not allowed. Bat speed is critical so be sure to get a bat that is the right size for your Little Leaguer...below is a guide on the size of the bat you should consider.

Uniforms. All kids will be supplied with a jersey and hat. Below are the things you will need to buy but keep in mind that your Coach will tell you the colors required so wait until you get some instruction before you purchase. Also, you might want to consider getting more than one pair - games and practices don't wait for the laundry to get done! Here's what you'll need before the first practice:

(1) baseball pants for games and practices,
(2) baseball uniform belt,
(3) baseball socks for games and practices,
(4) baseball cleats, and
(5) a protective cup and support brief for boys which is required for practices and games.

Shopping. Some good places to shop are:

Between the Lines - ***PREFERRED*** FRIEND OF LITTLE LEAGUE! They give us price reductions on league equipment and give our Registrants discounts. Be sure to tell them you're with McDowell Mountain or Desert Foothills Little League. (Scottsdale Rd. and Thunderbird).
Baseball Express - Team Express (www.teamexpress.com) - Contact Keith Martin at (866) 816-9892 extension 4914 or keith.martin@teamexpress.com. Tell him your with MMLL and Coach Phil Grossfield.
Big 5 Sporting Goods - limited inventory but typically good prices (3330 N Hayden Rd - south Indian School Road).
Dicks Sporting Goods - excellent inventory but typically more expensive (7000 E Mayo Blvd - near the 101).
Play It Again Sports - sell used equipment but in good condition so it's a good economical way to shop for an ever-growing child...if you find what you need here you can save a ton of money (32^nd & Greenway – just west of the 51).