Racine's own Brewer: Milwaukee calls Vinny Rottino up to the Major Leagues

By Susan Shemanske

Saturday, September 2, 2006 2:09 AM CDT

MILWAUKEE - The look on his face said it all.

But just to make sure there's no doubt, let's ask 26-year-old Vinny Rottino how it felt to pull on his new Milwaukee Brewers' uniform for the very first time? "Oh, it was awesome," the Racine native said late Friday afternoon at Miller Park, just 14 hours after he'd been promoted from the Brewers' Class AAA Nashville farm team. "This is absolutely unbelievable. I don't know if it's really sunk in yet."

This was the day Rottino had dreamed about. Dreamed about since he was barely old enough to walk.

"He was born with a ball in his hand," said Marcia Rottino, Vinny's mother, one of 12 family members on hand Friday night. "When he was a baby, we'd throw him a baseball and he'd crawl after it."

Luckily for the former St. Catherine's High School and University of Wisconsin-La Crosse standout, Rottino also was blessed with a strong work ethic and an equally strong sense of determination.

And it was those enduring qualities, as much as his baseball talent, that helped Rottino finally realize his dream of becoming a major league baseball player a little more than 3½ years after signing with the Brewers as an undrafted free agent.

"Seeing is believing," said Tony Rottino, Vinny's father. "This is the day we've all been waiting for."

By now, it's a story quite familiar to baseball fans in Racine. Despite earning NCAA Division III All-America honors at shortstop at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse in 2002, Rottino was passed over in the 2002 draft.

He applied for and was accepted into the University of Wisconsin Pharmaceutical School, but found he couldn't let go of his dream.

With the help of longtime Racine Kiwanis coach Jack Schiestle, Rottino got a tryout with the Brewers in Arizona in February 2003, and the Brewers were so impressed with what they saw, they immediately offered him a contract.

Rottino worked his way through the Brewers' farm system, earning rave reviews at each level. In 2004, he was honored with the Robin Yount Performance Award as the Brewers' Minor League Position Player of the Year after hitting .304 with 17 home runs and 124 runs batted in for the Class A Beloit Snappers.

He continued to impress as he worked his way up the ladder at Class AA Huntsville (2005), then earned himself an invitation to the Brewers' spring training camp this year. Rottino was one of the last players cut in spring training and began the season at Nashville.

Despite getting off to a slow start with the Sounds, Rottino came on strong at the end, hitting .420 in August to raise his batting average to .314. He also continued to show his versatility, playing third base, first base, left field, right field and catcher.

After the Sounds' game against Albuquerque on Thursday night, Rottino was told Nashville manager Frank Kremblas wanted to talk to him.

"He said, `You're going to be on a 7:30 (a.m.) flight to Milwaukee tomorrow. You're going to be in the big leagues,' " Rottino said.

"In this game, you never know what's going to happen. I wasn't really expecting to get called up, but I knew there was a chance. I was hoping to get a call."

Rottino and right-handed pitcher Dennis Sarfate were the only players called up Friday by the Brewers, the first day major-league teams could expand their rosters from 25 to 40.

Rottino is the first Racine native to play for the Brewers, and only the seventh Racine County native to play in the major leagues since the end of World War II. He's also the first position player from Racine to reach the major leagues since former Case High School standout Duane Kuiper, an infielder for the Cleveland Indians and San Francisco Giants, retired in 1985. Rottino joins former Horlick High School standout Jack Taschner, a relief pitcher with the Giants, in the major leagues this season.

Brewers general manager Doug Melvin said Rottino earned the promotion.

"He was hitting in the high .300s, low .400s in August," Melvin said. "He's got some offense. Nashville's probably going to be in the playoffs, but he was a guy we felt could help us out here with his versatility. We wanted him to come up here and gain some experience and it gives us a chance to take a look at him and see if he's a guy that might be a fit on our roster next season."

Rottino didn't have to wait long to make his major-league debut. Trailing 3-1 going into the bottom of the ninth, the Brewers got within a run when Laynce Nix led off with a home run off Marlins reliever Joe Borowski. After Kevin Mench fouled out and David Bell grounded out, catcher Damian Miller, a native of La Crosse, singled to center. With pitcher Francisco Cordero due up next, Rottino got the nod from manager Ned Yost to pinch hit.

With the crowd of 33,334 on its feet and cheering loudly, Rottino dug in at the plate against Borowski with the game on the line. Had this been Hollywood, the kid from Racine would have lashed a double down the right-field line to tie the score. Instead, Rottino struck out looking to end the game.

"We know it's a tough spot for a guy to make his major-league debut in," Yost said after the game. "Vinny's been swinging the bat well and we needed to keep the inning going."

Though it may not have been a happy ending Friday, the Brewers have made it clear that Rottino will have more chances to prove himself.

And that's all he has ever wanted.

"This is what I've been working my whole life for, this opportunity," Rottino said. "So, I want to make the most of it and stick around."

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