Posted on 10/22/2025 3:39:23 PM PDT by Mariner
In a groundbreaking move, Tony Vitello, the head baseball coach at the University of Tennessee, has accepted an offer to be the next manager of the San Francisco Giants. Reports of mutual interest between Vitello, 47, and Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey broke last week, unleashing something of a mini-saga in Knoxville as Vitello deliberated his next step.
Volunteers fans hung a banner during a recent fall practice that read “PLEASE STAY TONY.” University of Tennessee diehards appeared to create fake San Francisco Giants fan accounts intent on raising faux concerns about the hire in a last-ditch attempt to keep Vitello in town. But in the end, Vitello, who led the Vols to the first national championship in program history in 2024, apparently couldn’t pass up a shot at the bigs. In San Francisco, he’ll replace Bob Melvin, who went 161-163 in two seasons at the helm and was fired after the 2025 season ended.
It is, quite simply, a shocking development for a number of reasons.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
But if you want glory, you have to swing for the fences.
Posey is a winner
In the grand scheme of things, this is of infinitesimal consequence and knowledge.
Managers have become mostly pass-throughs of decisions made by data analyst geeks. At least Vitello won’t have a bunch of former MLB player buddies that he owes jobs to. Maybe more clubhouse beer and food for current players.
There’s a reason Vols fans are talking about baseball in late October. RTR!
I hope he succeeds. ASU coaches Bobby Winkles, Jim Brock, and USC coach Rod Dadeaux had trouble transitioning. But ASU/Notre Dame coach Pat Murphy has done well.
Clearly, Posey wanted to make a “not business as usual” splash with an iconic, noteworthy, and iconoclastic first hire. Now there are two new sheriffs in town!
But that doesn’t fix the Giants’ offense, which scored 100 fewer runs than both the Dodgers and Diamondbacks.
Dedeaux never wanted to switch to MLB.
My nephew worked for Dedeaux’s trucking company and visited Rod in his home. The staircase balusters were bats signed by Hall of Famers.
Exactly. Derek Jeter two weeks ago said that Aaron Boone does not make the calls on the field. Those decisions come from "others."
So my Alma Mater University of Northern Colorado hired him as their head coach.
They quickly found out that high school doesn't translate to college, even at the lowest level, so he was fired.
I remember when the Broncos had their training camp up here at UNC (Northern Colorado, NOT North Carolina), before they built their big complex near Denver. I delivered pizzas to a few of them.
My guess is NIL drove Vitelli out of college baseball.
Posey is certainly bold.
Oracle Park was built for Barry Bonds - they are going to have to adjust the fences in some way to improve their offense. They never did much with the bats even during their World Series runs a decade ago.
So why does Vitello command such a high salary?
I’m here in Knoxville and I can tell you that as badly as he will be missed, I totally understand him jumping at this unique opportunity. He took the Vols to amazing heights, and maybe he can do the same in the big leagues.
Probably a bit of a “crow sees a shiny button” thing.
Maybe because Vitello is Italian for veal?
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