Read about the Bulldogs recent victory here.

Backer assisted in securing funding for the construction of the fieldhouse.

He has represented Stratford since 1993 and is currently serving his ninth term.

Tonight the Stratford Town Council will honor Johnson at its regularly scheduled meeting at 8 p.m. in the town hall council chambers.

Press release:

For over 60 years Stratford Little League has had a strong commitment to thousands of local families who have taken advantage of the League’s programs and clinics. And for much of that time they have relied on volunteer coaches to store equipment during the off-season. That is about to change.

Stratford Little League and the Town of Stratford are actively accepting bids for a general contract professional to construct a 2-story, 1,800 square foot Field Control Center. The facility addresses several needs for the League as it continues to grow its ranks and for the town as it meets demand for the ballfield complex

In addition to providing winter storage for equipment, the new building will have rest rooms and a snack bar. The grounds will see much needed improvements, including the installation of a patio area, redesigned walkways, and a brick entrance way to the facility.

“This is a much needed facility,” said Keith Ferrara, League Treasurer and Building Needs Committee Co-Chair. He added, “it is critically important for us to have a centralized location to store, organize and inspect all of the leagues equipment. Also, with the money raised by the snack bar we can put much needed funding back into the equipment for all players and much needed field improvements,”

For the past 18 months a Building Needs Committee has been meeting on a regular basis, with State and local officials to review site plans as well as scope the size and duration of the project. Construction is slated to begin this spring, with facility up and operating during the fall baseball season. Former Stratford Little League President and Building Needs Committee Co-Chair Chris Tyler commented that, “a tremendous amount of time has gone into getting the details right. We want this building to be more than just facility to serve the needs of the people who will use it – This will be a permanent home for Stratford Little League.”

The idea for the project began when the league felt it was could not keep pace with the growing demand for the baseball and softball programs it offers to hundreds of Town boys and girls each year. They turned to State Representative Terry Backer who immediately recognized the importance of the project and set about securing a grant from the State of Connecticut to aid in the construction. The League is also aided by the support of several local firms who offered pro-bono services, including those of: Robert L. Tobin, architect; Silver Petrucelli and Associates, OWI Construction Management, and Perreiera Engineering. “I am extremely grateful for all the time and effort everyone has put in to make this project a reality. The generosity of volunteering services is in keeping with the values of our League, and a great example for our kids,” said current Stratford Little League President Bill Augustine.

Plans and documentation for anyone interested preparing a bid are available through the town of Stratford. The League is actively looking for donations of any of the building materials specified in the bid package and has committed to recognizing the generosity of those make contributions to the project with permanent signage. Questions should be directed to the Stratford Little League by calling 203 545-9963, or by emailing StratfordLittleLeague@gmail.com.

They all played for UConn. They all now play for the Pistons. And they all just took a photo together in Houston holding up the Connecticut Post front page.

The former Huskies trio and current Detroit Pistons teammates  took a trip down to Houston to watch their former team win a third National Championship.

And a few minutes after the game ended, Villanueva tweeted this picture, holding up the commemorative Connecticut Post cover:

Stratford Special Education PTA presents: Stratford Little League Challenger Division Registration from 6 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 29 at Sterling House Community Center, 2283 Main Street in Stratford.

The Challenger Division welcomes baseball players with physical and mental challenges, ages 4-18 (21 where applicable).

Bring a birth certificate or other proof of age document, three or more documents showing the address of legal residence of parents or guardians. Cost: $75. Opening day is April 16.

For more information, email info@stratfordsepta.org.

An ESPN crew piled into the blacksmith shop at Boothe Memorial Park and Museum in Stratford Thursday to film a Texas-inspired video package for the sports network’s Superbowl pre-game coverage. Footage from the nine-hour shoot will be spliced into five to 10 second clips to be aired on five of the network’s programs in the week before the big game Sunday, Feb. 6. Stratford resident Albert Snow, 76, a volunteer blacksmith at the 1932 shop, will likely appear in the final footage, according to ESPN Senior Creative Director Carol Boyle.

French Open finalist and World No. 5 Samantha Stosur has been granted a wildcard into Pilot Pen Tennis at Yale, an Olympus US Open Series event on the ATP World Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, to be held August 20-28 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale, it was announced today by Anne Worcester, tournament director.

The Australian star is having the best year of her career in singles, winning a title at Charleston, reaching the finals of the French Open and at Stuttgart and reaching the semifinals of three other events. She has climbed to a career high ranking of No. 5 in singles, but she has previously been the World No. 1 ranked doubles player. Earlier in her career Stosur and American Lisa Raymond captured numerous doubles titles, including two Grand Slams at the US and French Opens. After a viral illness cost her part of the 2007 and 2008 seasons, she came back to the Tour with a renewed focus on her singles game. In 2009 she rose into the top 20 of the world rankings by reaching the semifinals of the French Open and capturing her first tour title in Osaka, Japan. This will be her sixth trip to New Haven, with her best results coming in 2005 when she won the doubles title (w/ Raymond) and in 2006 when she reached the semifinals in singles.

“Adding Samantha Stosur to the women’s player field gives the Pilot Pen four of the top eight women in the world, with one remaining women’s wildcard yet to award,” said Worcester. “Sam’s story is quite interesting as she was essentially a doubles specialist, then suddenly found her singles game and rocketed up in the rankings. Fans will love her very stylish game and her phenomenal athleticism. A Grand Slam victory could be in her near future.”

In addition, two-time defending Pilot Pen champion and World No. 3 Caroline Wozniacki will make her 2010 tournament debut during the night session on Tuesday, August 24. In attendance will be the entire Yale football team and Coach Williams cheering her on. Last year Wozniacki visited one of their practices during a rain delay and this year the team is returning the favor by coming to her first match. The team will also be honored by the tournament during the match.

The Pilot Pen still has three men’s and one women’s main draw wildcards to distribute and there are four spots in both main draws for advancing qualifiers.

For tickets, how to become a volunteer, or more information about the tournament, please call the Pilot Pen Tennis Box Office, 888/99-PILOT, 203/776-7331, or log on to www.pilotpentennis.com.

About Pilot Pen Tennis at Yale

Pilot Pen Tennis at Yale, an Olympus US Open Series event on the ATP World Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, will be held August 20-28, 2010 at the Connecticut Tennis Center at Yale and feature a number of international tennis stars. The 2009 Pilot Pen, whose champions are Caroline Wozniacki and Fernando Verdasco, drew nearly 80,000 spectators and was televised nationally for 16 hours on ESPN2 and CBS Sports. An economic impact study conducted in 2008 showed that the event generated an estimated total gross economic impact on the New Haven regional economy of more than $26 million.

About the Olympus US Open Series

The Olympus US Open Series brings together the 10 summer tournaments in North America, three television networks, tennis’ sanctioning bodies and top corporate sponsors during the summer tennis season. In 2009 the Series continued its enhancements to the sport, including more national TV hours, live back-to-back Finals every weekend, bonus prize money at the US Open, and a significant national marketing campaign.

Submitted by Pilot Pen Tennis

The Stratford-bred second baseman for Siena College hit only one home run at the College Home Run Derby, a nationally televised batting showdown.

Paolini was one of eight young sluggers invited to compete to hit the most balls out of the park at the inaugural event. He earned the invitation by hitting the second-most number of home runs in college baseball this season.