Wednesday, January 9, 2013
San Francisco Giants' pitcher George Kontos talks about everything from what it's like staying at his parents' house in the off season to teaching young kids how to pitch. The Niles West High School Alum came home after winning the 2012 World Series.
It must be good to be George Kontos. The 27-year-old pitcher recently won a World Series with the San Francisco Giants. "It's definitely been enjoyable after winning [the World Series]," Kontos told Patch. "Everyone has been giving me a lot of congrats, but my goals haven't changed; I'm still training with the same mentality and I think I've proven myself enough to be a lock for the opening day roster." The Lincolnwood native has been humbly staying at his parent's house since Nov. 15, but that might change come next year. "It's been a little bit difficult. I was on my own and had my own space [in San Francisco]," Kontos said. "To really not have your own space again is a little challenging. I think this is going to be the last offseason I…
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
The local athlete gets some big support from his Greek family. Kontos played at Wrigley Field against the Chicago Cubs last Friday.
In this two-part series, Patch profiles San Francisco Giants pitcher George Kontos. The Niles West graduate was at Wrigley Field playing against the Chicago Cubs on Friday. To read Part 1, click here. George Kontos played at Proesel Park in Lincolnwood, among others, on his way to athletic stardom. In fact, he lettered in baseball, basketball and golf for the Niles West Wolves. But baseball is where he excelled. He was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Illinois in 2003 as he played for the Wolves under Coach Garry Gustafson, with whom he is still in touch. Colleges were paying attention, and that is when his parents began to think the fulfillment of a dream for so many teenage boys could be a reality for Kontos: a shot in the …
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
In this multi part series, we look at a day in the life of baseball player George Kontos, a local kid from Lincolnwood who is now playing for the San Francisco Giants. Kontos played the Cubs over the weekend.
George Kontos played in the parks of Lincolnwood and Skokie growing up. He was a three-star athlete at Niles West High School and went on to play baseball for three years at Northwestern University in Evanston. Kontos made the major leagues when the New York Yankees drafted him. Now a member of the San Francisco Giants, Kontos achieved another career highlight when he played his first game at Wrigley Field on Friday. Patch was along for the ride as Kontos achieved the fantasy that so many Chicago area young men have. Pregame The Giants arrived in Chicago around 3 a.m. They played a game in Houston the night before, and flew over the remnants of Hurricane Isaac to take on the Cubs less than 24 hours later. Most of the team did not arrive …
Thursday, June 7, 2012
There's a 1 percent in the high school baseball ranks, and Niles West's star shortstop Kevin Ross is among the lucky few with a choice of a Big Ten scholarship or a bonus in the $200,000 range with MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates.
A full baseball scholarship to the University of Michigan or a signing bonus around $200,000 with the Pittsburgh Pirates MLB organization. Which way would you go if you were a freshly-graduated Niles West High School alum? “I’m squarely in the middle,” said Kevin Ross, an 18-year-old with win-win options. A hard-hitting shortstop who attracted scouts this spring like bees to honey, Skokie resident Ross will mull over the biggest decision of his young life in the coming days. He has his college education paid for at one of the best public universities in the country in Ann Arbor. Or he can take the Pirates’ money, have the team pay for his education in the off-season and start a pro baseball career on a rookie-level team in Florida. Ross, …
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Joshua Orlan
1:29 pm on Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Great article about a great local kid but about that last paragraph. I think it is unfair to blame Steve Bartman for the Cubs loss. He was an excited fan in the stands. One team won, the other lost, don't blame somebody who may have been over-excited. It wasn't his fault. more ›