The District Administrators met in October and determined the host districts for the 2012 State Tournaments.  Also at that meeting, the pairings for the tournaments by random draw was determined.  The SECTIONAL FORMAT was also eliminated at that meeting.  So, for 2012, there will be ONE site for each level of tournament play.  However, the District Administrator of the host district still determines the FORMAT to be used for the tournament (Pool Play or Double Elimination). 

The sites for the 2012 Tournaments and general locations are:

Not finding a where you live on the maps with the District 3 site? This link is another tool to see if you can find a league that you live in.

On November 23rd, Little League International announced some very significant changes in the 2012 Little League Regulations and Rules. 

• Proof of Residency documents must be dated between February 1, 2011 and February 1, 2012.
• Changes to Regulation I(c)(9) do not apply to Arizona.
• The Senior Baseball Division League Ages may now include 13 year olds and the Big League Divison now includes 15 year olds.
• Allows the District Administrator to approve a CHALLENGER player who lives outside a local league's boundaries to play in that league.
• Senior Divison players must meet Mandatory Play of 6 outs and one time at bat.
• Changes to the use of COMPOSITE bats in Majors and BBCOR bats in Juniors, Seniors and Big League Baseball.
• Defines that jewlery OF ANY COMPOSITION may not be worn by players.  Before, it was defined at metalic. 
• Defines "illegal bat" versus "damaged" bat for new rule on penalties for an "illegal" bat.
• Rules now will allow batters to advance to first on a dropped third strike, provided less than two outs and first base is unoccupied in the MAJOR DIVISIONS.
• If a batter uses an illegal bat, they will be called out.  The manager will also be ejected from the game. (Which also means the Manager MUST sit out the next scheduled game as well!)
• Tournament Rules now give the Tournament Committee the ability to removed a manager/coach/players for unsportsmanlike conduct or willfully/intentionally violate Tournament Rules, Regulations or Policies.  Even if a protest is not lodged.
• The release of names in the 9-10 Year Old SOFTBALL tournament teams now matches baseball.  They may be relesed on June 15th OR TWO WEEKS PRIOR to the start of the tournament.
• Tournament Rule 3 will allow batters to advance on a dropped third strike in the 10-11 Year Old Baseball level, BUT NOT in the 9-10 Year Old level.

This is an article written by Curt Schilling that appeared in the 4/18/11 issue of USA Today.  Curt Schilling played Little League in Paradise Valley East Little League (now Shadow Mountain LL) and at Shadow Mountain High School.  I urge EVERY parent, manager and coach to read this article.   

By Curt Schilling

In hundreds of cities, thousands of parks and millions of minds, the biggest day of the year will be soon upon us. Little Leagues are readying for opening day, and aspiring Major Leaguers are again seeking that elusive championship season.

I want to offer a message to an incredibly generous group of folks: The coaches and volunteers. First off, coaches give hundreds of thousands of hours of their time to help raise our children, and for that, all parents owe a hearty thank you. Second, coaches should remember that everything they do — every pitch, inning, game and week of the season — is about the kids.

My son's story

I share this message now because my son is preparing for his new season, too. Grant is a marvelous child, but he suffers from Asperger's syndrome, which is on the autistic spectrum. This disorder has led him to test the patience of every coach on every baseball team he's ever been on.

There are kids like Grant in Little Leagues across the country. Since baseball is rooted in numbers — ERAs, RBI, batting averages — here is the most relevant statistic for coaches and parents to ponder: The chances you have a child who will become a Major League Baseball player are one in 11,700. According to Autism Speaks, the chances you have a child who is on the autism spectrum are one in 110.

You read that right. For every child you may run into that is talented enough and lucky enough to get through the first 18 or so years of life healthy and get drafted by a Major League team, you will run into scores more who have some form of autism. To parents of children with Asperger's, this is no small thing. Our kids are every bit as special as yours, just different. Different in ways society isn't comfortable with, and that is both maddening and disappointing as hell.

Baseball is the ultimate sport to teach lessons. The problem lies with the coaches and parents who view winning and championships as the only measures of success. That perspective is one of the worst ways to coach a child or raise an athlete.

My wife, Shonda, and I have made our four kids understand the difference between failing and losing. Losing is a part of every day life. You will get beat and you will be bested, but those are life's true gifts when you take them as lessons and learn from them. I truly believe the only way you can honestly fail in life is to quit. If you never quit, you can never fail. It really is that simple.

All about winning?

In Little League, high school and junior college, the game was the single most important thing in my life. I hated losing. Hell, the only time I ever cried over the outcome of a game was Little League — it was that big of a deal. That was how I was wired, not how I was coached or parented.

I was raised by a great man, but my father never was a head coach in Little League for me because he wanted me to have mentors outside the home, to learn from other men. These men were good coaches sure, but more important, they were and still are fantastic role models.

Ultimately, if coaches focus on making kids better people, I don't care what the record says at the end of the season, they've coached a winner, and in the process they've almost certainly changed some lives.

Curt Schilling is a retired All-Star pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. His wife, Shonda, is author of the new book about their son, The Best Kind of Different.

Want to know the history of tournaments in Arizona? 

Did you know District Three is one of the orignial Districts formed in 1957?

In 1965, South Mountain (then South Mountain East Side) was the first District Three team to go to the Little League World Series, and so far, the only District Three team to play in the LLWS.  They had to win District, State Sectionals, Sectional Playoff, Division, and Western Region to get to the LLWS.

In 1990, Cactus West (now Cactus) won the Arizona State Championship and played in the Little League Western Region?

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