Tennessee Vols HC Tony Vitello takes exception to question from reporter and delivers a rant for the ages
Tennessee Vols head coach Tony Vitello let all of the emotions out after advancing to the College World Series on Sunday night via UT's win against Evansville in game three of the Knoxville Super Regional. Vitello took exception to a question that was asked by a reporter after Tennessee's loss against Evansville on Saturday (which […]
Tennessee Vols head coach Tony Vitello let all of the emotions out after advancing to the College World Series on Sunday night via UT's win against Evansville in game three of the Knoxville Super Regional.
Vitello took exception to a question that was asked by a reporter after Tennessee's loss against Evansville on Saturday (which forced a game three in the Super Regional).
The reporter basically asked if the 2024 season would be a failure if the Vols came up short in the Super Regional against Evansville.
Vitello answered the question calmly on Saturday. On Sunday, during his opening statement in the post-game press conference, Vitello wasn't quite as calm as he explained how he defines success.
"The question was posed basically about our season and if we lose tonight, it's all for naught, and Blake Burke wasn't too happy about it," said Vitello. "Blake Burke's got a lot invested in this particular program. If I was Blake, back in that day, I was a little too wild. I would've said, 'B you wasn't with me shooting in a gym or something similar to that.' But he kept his composure. Clearly you've seen me in action. I don't have great composure so I'll speak on it for a sec because it started out as we were No. 1 for most of the season. That's an incorrect statement. It's not a fact. I don't know who was number one preseason because I don't look at it. It's a very difficult sport to predict what's going to happen. Nobody predicted Evansville to be here, but they were. And then also we were not No. 1 the majority of the season.
"As a matter of fact, when we first took over, I was astonished Kentucky was winning our league, which you guys write up, it's one of the most, if not the most competitive league, and they were No. 1 in the division. But somehow we were number one on writer's polls. But we weren't for most of the season we had to work to get to that point."
"So success for me is what I get to judge," added Vitello later on during his rant. "If you're talking about success for this team, the one thing I stated after last season, because I'm in a bathroom crying with just a lot of emotions after we're able to beat Clemson last year, was to show up at work every day and get out of my car excited. And to have fun and to be around people that want to be here and be in an environment that you're excited to get to every day. 100 percent success. Omaha is real fun to go to. If you don't play that well, it ain't that fun. But I don't really give a damn to be honest with you. As a matter of fact, we kind of can pick up where Evansville left off –we're not supposed to win because the No. 1 (overall seed) never wins. So house money. So I'm going to consider this even more of a success this year, but definitely because of that group in particular being the way they are."
Vitello, as much as anyone in the sport, understands that baseball is a game of failure. There are far more failures than successes in every baseball game that's played. It's a spot where the outcome is incredibly difficult to control. You can make every play you're supposed to make and still lose the game. You can have great at bats and get beat by a pitcher who happens to have his best stuff that night.
I can't blame Vitello for being heated after getting asked that question. Baseball is a sport where trying to define a season by one game isn't just unfair, it's unwise.
Tennessee's season gets to continue thanks to their blowout win against Evansville on Sunday evening. But even if the Vols had lost that game, it wouldn't change a single thing about this season for Tennessee. The 2024 season was a success for every player on the Vols' roster before the NCAA Tournament even started.
Good on Tony V for passionately reminding people of that fact.
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