‘I think they bully him’ — Tony Vitello is getting mistreated by the most unlikely people in MLB
It’s been a tough go for former Tennessee Vols baseball coach Tony Vitello in his first season as the manager of the San Francisco Giants.
When Tony Vitello was hired as the San Francisco Giants’ manager despite having no previous MLB experience, the expectation was that the former Tennessee coach would face some pushback.
For the most part, though, the pushback was minimal as most in the sport — such as Phillies superstar Bryce Harper — offered public support.
(Former Angels and Cubs manager Joe Maddon was one of the few who was unhappy about Vitello getting the San Francisco job).
Tony Vitello is getting pushback from an unlikely group in MLB
While it’s mostly been smooth sailing for Vitello when it comes to the reception from longtime big leaguers and rival managers, there is one group that seems to be pushing back against him.
Umpires.
Former MLB All-Star and current Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow believes umpires are “bullying” Vitello.
“The umpires, I mean, even more so than players, pay their dues,” said Krukow on KNBR’s Murph & Markus. “They’re in the minor leagues for a long time. That entire group, when they finally get to the big leagues, they have a mental toughness because they did what it took to get to the big leagues, and the road to the big leagues is normally twice as long for an umpire as it is for a player. And I do think that they’ve held that against Tony Vitello, 100 percent, and I think they bully him, and I think that he needs to rise above it and get back in their face.”
Vitello was ejected last week after he wasn’t allowed to challenge a terrible call.
“I thought he should have been out there at second base, you know, pulling the base out of the dirt and throwing it at Lance Barrett, the head umpire on that crew,” said Krukow. “I really do. It just ticked me off that they do this to him, but it’s one of the things that he’s going to have to overcome himself.”
Vitello has never been afraid to mix it up with umpires — just ask Tennessee fans — but it doesn’t matter how much he argues his case if umpires have it out for him.
Unfortunately for Vitello, it’s just another mountain he has to climb if he’s going to find a way to stick in MLB.