Around Town

Did You Hear … ?

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Congratulations to New Canaan’s Mitch and Erin Hoffman on the birth Monday of twins Brody Merrill and Cole Francis Hoffman. See the slideshow above, where the newborns are pictured on their own as well as with big brother Maddox. Son of the New Canaan High School varsity baseball coach, Maddox autographed baseballs for his new siblings. ***

“Everybody asks me, ‘How do you sleep at night, chief?’ And I say, ‘Like a baby: I sleep for two hours, wake up crying, then sleep some more.’ ”—That’s what New Canaan Police Chief Leon Krolikowski told the Town Council on the subject of overtime spending, during the legislative body’s March 25 meeting. ***

Congratulations to the New Canaan High School Debate Team, which sent three pairs of students to Saturday’s state finals at Wilton High School, and senior co-captains Casey Manzella and Steven Singer won the state championship varsity division.

News

Major Leaguer Curt Casali To Headline New Canaan Baseball Clinic

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Less than a week before Christmas and the exact day of winter’s official beginning is not exactly the time of year one has in mind when thinking baseball. That said, for New Canaan High School baseball’s varsity head coach Mitch Hoffman, there’s no time like the present to bring together New Canaan baseball’s past, present and future. On Saturday, Hoffman will host a baseball clinic for youth players of all ages. The clinic is particularly special as it will be headlined by New Canaan’s first major league player, Curt Casali of the Tampa Bay Rays. In addition to Casali, the clinic will be run by many former Rams who are now playing at the collegiate level.

News

Home Renovation Plan on Marshall Ridge Road Earns Support from Neighbors, Dad

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A planned Marshall Ridge Road home renovation that includes turning a blacktop driveway and garage into a grassy yard is winning support from neighbors and town officials. The lot at number 34 sits on the southwest corner of the loop created by Sunrise Avenue, and includes a 1929 two-story Colonial. Owner Mitch Hoffman, a Board of Education employee (and NCHS varsity baseball coach) represented at a Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing Monday by Stamford-based attorney Burt Hoffman (his father), needs three variances to build an addition off of the rear of his house—that is, down along Sunrise Avenue—that will include a playroom and master bedroom built above a new lower-level garage. “The most severe impact of what he wants to do is a renovation and addition—essentially a bedroom for his growing family, and the most impact is on the Sunrise side,” Burt Hoffman said during the hearing, held in the Douglas Room at Lapham Community Center. The addition would increase the size of the home, which would still be well under allowable coverage—Mitch Hoffman is allowed 2,128 square feet on the .2-acre property, and he’s asking for about 1,780.

Sports

New Canaan Baseball Cleans Up With Postseason Honors

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Although New Canaan’s run at a second consecutive state title ended Tuesday with a 7-1 defeat at the hands of Cheney Tech, 2014 was still a memorable year for the varsity baseball team. The Rams finished at 15-8 in a season that saw its fair share of dramatic wins, including what ended up being the last ‘W’ of the year – a 5-4 walk-off victory over Wethersfield in the first round of the Class L playoffs. The results of the All FCIAC voting point directly to the program’s success. Given that baseball is a sport that only fields nine players at a time, to have ten players garnering postseason honors is truly astounding. Leading the way for the Rams were senior co-captains Nick Cascione and Matt Toth, who along with junior Alex LaPolice were named to the All FCIAC team.

News

One Down, Four to Go: New Canaan Baseball Beats Wethersfield in States Opener

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In a game with so many twists, turns and storylines, it only seemed appropriate that it would all boil down to the bat of New Canaan’s Erik Jager. The Rams co-captain has had a tough senior campaign at the plate, with a seemingly endless amount of hard hit baseballs that found leather instead of grass. That would all change today. Jager’s clutch bases-loaded single in the bottom of the ninth inning gave the defending state champion Rams a dramatic 5-4 win over Wethersfield in the first round of the 2014 Class L playoffs. “It feels great,” Jager told NewCanaanite.com.