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Kids' Chance Roast of Leo Mazzone
Author: | Thursday February 01, 2007
The "roast" of Leo Mazzone offered surprises and memories of the famous coach. In photos, Leo with Kris Benson (top photo), Leo and Stan Walker, Executive Director of the State Board, Leo with (from left) Rep. Mike Coan, Kris Benson, John Rocker and Judge Carolyn Hall, Chair of the State Board of Workers' Compensation.
Leo Mazzone Honored
Famous Coach
"Roasted" to
Benefit "Kids"
By Ray Brasted
Leo Mazzone was bubbling and happy as he shook hands with young pitchers he coached, chatted with old friends who came to honor him and had his photo taken with dozens of admirers. The occasion was a Kids Chance, Inc. fundraiser and Mazzone was the honoree who was to be "roasted".
Mazzone was the the beloved pitching coach of the Atlanta Braces for more than fifteen years, but last year returned to his native home in Maryland and is now the pitching coach for the Baltimore Orioles. The event was held Jan. 18 at the World Congress Center in Atlanta and it was an evening participants won't soon forget.
The roasters were Bill Curry, former star football player and ESPN commentator, former pitcher John Rocker, pitcher Khris Benson, Baltimore coach Sam Perlozzo and attorney Jack Reale. It was difficult for any of the group to say anything bad about their friend, although a few bald jokes were tossed at Mazzone along with comments about his penchant for enjoying an alcoholic libation from time to time.
It was another reunion for Mazzone and his new boss at Baltimore Perlozzo. The two grew up together and knew their respective fathers and it was clear there was mutual respect between the two.
Benson revealed a bit about Mazzone's interaction with pitchers when he had to come out to the mound and just about everyone joked about Mazzone's habit of rocking back and forth, unable to sit still during a ball game.
A surprise roaster was Anna Benson, wife of Khris and a celebrity in her own right as a model with her own web site. She came on stage dragging a bag filled with a variety of "accessories" and promptly began to drape them over a bemused Mazzone who took it in good humor, as only the Kids' Chance "Sport of the Year" could.
At 58 years of age, it is clear that Mazzone loves baseball and working with pitchers. He is considered among the best, if not the best pitching coaches in the major leagues. He led the Braves pitching staff to first and second place finishes in twelve of the last fourteen seasons, guided six Cy Young Award winners, nine 20-game winners and had ten different pitchers named to the National League All-Star team during his tenure in Atlanta.
The event featured a cocktail reception and dinner prior to the roast.
Program chair Lesley Wright Johnson welcomed the guests along with Polly Hall, President of the Kids' Chance Board and event co-chair and Robert Clyatt, Kids' Chance Founder and Chairman of the Board.
Special guests were Mike Coan, State Representative and Chair of the House Industrial Relations Committee and Judge Carolyn Hall, Chair of the State Board of Workers' Compensation.
In his "rebuttal" to the roasters, Mazzone was generous in his praise and added, "I have one goal left in my career and that is to help Sam Perlozzo win in Baltimore before I cash in my chips. I'm fired up," Mazzone concluded.
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