"Four days after the first reports of the possibility emerged, the San Francisco Giants have rattled the baseball world by hiring a college baseball head coach to be their MLB manager. According to multiple reports, University of Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello has accepted the Giants' manager job. ESPN's Jeff Passan and Pete Thamel were first to report about the official agreement."
"It wraps up a whirlwind week for Vitello, who was first connected to the Giants job on Saturday by a trio of reporters from the Athletic (including Giants beat reporter Andrew Baggarly). Vitello has continued to coach the Volunteers since the report came out and told Knoxville-based reporters that "nothing is done." According to the Knoxville News-Sentinel, Vitello coached a practice on Sunday and a scrimmage on Monday and was at the stadium again on Tuesday for a scheduled scrimmage."
"Tuesday's scrimmage turned into quite a spectacle for Volunteers fans in Knoxville who started a social media movement to try and get fans to go to the baseball stadium to show Vitello support. Local radio stations did live shows on the "Tony Vitello Watch" as Knoxville-based reporters posted videos of Vitello and Tennessee baseball players from afar as everyone waited for the news. He still didn't decide by the end of the day, but reports about his decision came out on Wednesday morning."
Tony Vitello accepted the San Francisco Giants' manager job after days of reporting and speculation. Vitello continued to coach Tennessee practices and scrimmages while reporters and fans tracked his decision, and he told Knoxville-based reporters that "nothing is done." Knoxville fans initiated a social media movement and local radio covered the "Tony Vitello Watch" as supporters gathered at stadiums and shared videos. Vitello, 47, has no professional playing or coaching experience, rising through college ranks with assistant stops at Missouri, TCU and Arkansas before becoming Tennessee head coach in 2017 and restoring the program to NCAA Tournament contention.
Read at SFGATE
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