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Balzano to Receive Award from American Legion Baseball

Former Branford Senior American Legion baseball coach Rich Balzano will receive the Distinguished Coaches Award from the Connecticut American Legion Baseball Committee. Balzano will be presented with this distinction at the committee’s 16th annual Hot Stove Baseball Dinner at the AquaTurf Club in Southington on Friday, Jan. 6. Cocktails will be served at 6:30 p.m. with dinner to follow at 7. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased at http://www.ctlegionbball.com.

Balzano was the head coach of the Post 83 Seniors for 12 seasons, a span in which Branford won four state and Northeast Regional titles to earn the right to compete in the American Legion World Series all four times. He also won state championships at the Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, and Junior Legion levels in Branford.

—Chris Piccirillo