‘He’s never expressed that to me’ – Insider shares the latest on Tennessee’s Tony Vitello and the Giants job
Tennessee Vols fans are waiting to hear if Tony Vitello is going to leave for the San Francisco Giants or stay on Rocky Top
Tennessee Vols fans are anxiously awaiting to hear if UT baseball coach Tony Vitello is going to leave Knoxville to become the San Francisco Giants’ new manager.
News broke last Saturday that Vitello, despite having no MLB experience as a coach or a player, had emerged as the Giants’ top target.
A decision is from Vitello is expected at any time.
Vols insider Tony Basilio shares the latest on Tony Vitello
Longtime Vols insider Tony Basilio joined The George Plaster Show on Tuesday afternoon and he shared his latest thoughts on Vitello (Basilio often has Vitello on his show for segments — the two know each other well).
“Those around him, as I’ve talked to different people, he’s really conflicted, like, tortured by whether or not to take this job,” said Basilio. “In fact, when the news first broke on Saturday, he was in the middle of a scrimmage. He told his team after the scrimmage, ‘Hey, look, no matter what happens here, you’re going to be in good hands’, which is code for, ‘I’m leaving’. As this thing has gone on, I believe that Tony has gone back and forth and back and forth on what to do. And I just think that this is going to be a really hard place for him to leave.”
The belief by many (including myself) is that making it to the big leagues (in some form or fashion) has always been a dream of Vitello’s (as is the case for many baseball lifers).
George Plaster asked Basilio on Tuesday if Vitello has ever expressed to him that his dream was to make it to MLB one day.
“He has never expressed that to me,” said Basilio. “Now, I know he loves Major League Baseball, because, you know, him and Bryce Harper are kind of bros — they kind of run around together and all that stuff. But he’s never expressed to me that, ‘Hey, man, I’ve got to coach in Major League Baseball’. No, this all came about because (Giants President of Baseball Operations) Buster Posey is extremely fond of him.”
It certainly feels like Vitello is completely torn on what to do. On one hand, it’s hard to say no to a job in MLB. On the other hand, Vitello has arguably the best job in college baseball right now, and he has job security (which wouldn’t be the case in MLB — managers come and go all the time).
We should find out at any minute what Vitello is going to decide. But at this moment, I’m not sure that Vitello even knows what he’s going to do.
Tennessee Volunteers News
Tennessee insider clears up misconception about Tony Vitello, Kim Caldwell, and the Lady Vols
There are all kinds of “rumblings” and “rumors” flying around Rocky Top this week with the San Francisco Giants reportedly in hot pursuit of Tennessee Vols baseball coach Tony Vitello. The Giants are reportedly hoping to hire Vitello as the franchise’s next manager. One rumor flying around is that part of the reason Vitello may […]
