STEALTH: PLAYING HOOKY : STEALTH RESTOVICH DELAYS NOTRE DAME FOR BASEBALL CAREER.Byline: Chris Cocoles Staff Writer Attending Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame is almost a rite of passage rite of passage n. A ritual or ceremony signifying an event in a person's life indicative of a transition from one stage to another, as from adolescence to adulthood. for members of the Restovich family of Rochester, Minn. Michael Restovich Michael Jerome Restovich is a Major League outfielder. He was born on January 3, 1979 in Rochester, Minnesota, where he attended Mayo High School[1]. He is 6'4 and weighs 250 pounds. He was drafted in 1997 in the second round by the Minnesota Twins. , the youngest of Notre Dame graduates George and Helen's four children, had no doubts he'd join sister Anna and brother George Jr. and migrate to South Bend South Bend, city (1990 pop. 105,511), seat of St. Joseph co., N Ind., on the great south bend of the St. Joseph River, in a farming and mint-growing region; inc. as a city 1865. upon graduation from Rochester Mayo High. There was just one potential snag: professional baseball. Further complicating matters for Michael, who planned on playing baseball for the Fighting Irish first and then giving pro ball a shot, was a second-round pick in 1997 and guaranteed a hefty signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee by a company as an incentive to join that company. These are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive to the employee e.g. if the annual salary is lower than they desire. offer. And his beloved Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twins are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Twins have played in the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. drafted him, offering even more incentive to put Notre Dame on hold. ``When I was drafted by the Twins, I was obviously very excited,'' Restovich said. ``There was no other team I would rather be playing for than the Twins.'' That's why today Restovich is finishing the California Fall League season as a Lancaster Stealth outfielder and is a top outfield prospect in the Twins' organization. Tradition mandated that he prepare for law school while doing his undergraduate work at Notre Dame. It was a difficult choice for Restovich. ``I was going to go to Notre Dame,'' said Restovich, 20. ``That was something I dreamed of my whole life. Both my parents went there. My brother and sister both went there . . . I grew up a huge Notre Dame fan. There really was never a doubt growing up that I was going to college there.'' But the 1997 draft shortly before high school graduation gave Restovich a new option to consider, despite the family's kinship with the Fighting Irish. So Restovich spent an anxious summer pondering his future. A six-figure bonus offer was intriguing, but George and Helen wanted their son to make sure he found time for his education. George Restovich Jr., five years older than Michael, had a brief career in the Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are a professional baseball team based in Detroit, Michigan. The Tigers are a member of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Tigers have played in Comerica Park. organization before attending law school and supported signing right away. So did sister Anna, also currently in law school. Another sister, Catherine, just finished her Ph.D. ``I'm the one that didn't make it in education,'' joked Michael, who signed with the Twins five days before classes started at Notre Dame, collecting a bonus of $650,000. ``To be able to play for the Twins was obviously a dream. I think I made the right choice, and I'm happy with my choice,'' Restovich said. ``I'll always be able to go to back to school, and I wanted to give myself the best opportunity to get to the big leagues.'' Thus far, Restovich is on his way. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder who played primarily third base in high school was converted into an outfielder. Signing late prevented him from making his professional debut until 1998. But Restovich hit .355 with 13 homers and 64 RBI RBI abbr. Baseball runs batted in Noun 1. rbi - a run that is the result of the batter's performance; "he had more than 100 rbi last season" run batted in at short-season Elizabethton of the Appalachian League The Appalachian League is a Rookie-class minor league that began play in 1937 with one year of inactivity in 1956. From 1937 to 1962, it was Class D League. Teams are located in the Appalachian Virginia, North Carolina, West Virginia and Tennessee region. . He spent this year in a full-season setting for the first time at Quad City of the Single-A Midwest League The Midwest League is a Class A minor league baseball league which operates in the Midwestern United States. History Six teams – the Belleville Stags, the Centralia Cubs, the Marion Indians, the Mattoon Indians, the Mount Vernon Braves, and the West Frankfort , and Restovich displayed a knack to hit for both power and average (19 homers, 107 RBI, .312). He's been a consistent run-producer for the Stealth, hitting .287 with two homers, 28 RBI, nine doubles and two triples through Wednesday. As a young boy, Restovich supported the Twins almost as much as he cheered for Notre Dame. Minnesota won two World Series titles in 1987 and 1991 before Restovich entered his teen-age years. The winning has subsided since then, and the small-market Twins are seeking to regroup re·group v. re·grouped, re·group·ing, re·groups v.tr. To arrange in a new grouping. v.intr. 1. To come back together in a tactical formation, as after a dispersal in a retreat. behind one of the best farm systems in the majors. ``It's a great opportunity for us to make it,'' Restovich said. ``We don't need to worry about the Twins signing Ken Griffey Ken Griffey may refer to:
He's one of the blocks in the reconstruction process. One publication compared his left-handed bat to Twins legend Kent Hrbek. The Midwest League ranked Restovich fourth among the top big-league prospects at season's end. As a native son, Restovich understands that the locals expect him to help revive a once-proud franchise. It's a challenge he relishes. ``There's added pressure, but I think it's good pressure. It's pressure that will help me to work harder, and there's a little more incentive to make it,'' Restovich said. ``I realize if I do make it, being from Minnesota, a lot of people are going to be excited about it.'' CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO (ran in AV edition only) The Stealth's Michael Restovich, a Minnesota Twins prospect, has impressed with his batting stroke for power and average. |
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