Coach Vitello agrees to contract extension

[@1RBFjr]

That was great times. We looked forward to the frat guys.

I was in the crowd for Delmonico's first game. It was spitting snow, so the 'crowd' was about a dozen people in that weather. He had a guy steal home; I nudged my date and said 'this coach is going to be fun.'
What's really amazing is that I had a date agree to go with me to a baseball game in the snow. Despite that fair warning of my love of baseball no matter the conditions, we've been married over 20 years

 

[therealitytheory]

My alma mater has a top-15 athletic budget but makes coaching hires on the relative cheap (Rick Barnes being the outlier). Our up-and-comer/cross-your-fingers approach has had mixed results- and that's being kind, but there's no doubt Vitello is a winner. The notion that we don't have the resources to keep CTV is grossly mistaken (again, top-15 budget).

The bigger question is do we have the will. I would hope so, but who knows? We pay handsomely to keep Barnes from leaving, while paying peanuts to bring in once-fired Kellie Harper. My gut says we wouldn't get in a bidding war for a coach of a (currently) low-revenue sport. Even when we look 150 mi. to the west....where low-budget Vandy rationalizes paying Corbin 2 mil+ plus......for championships.

Ah well - I'll continue watching, attending, and enjoying the season and just hope for the best. Get us to the CWS, Coach - meanwhile we'll work on Phil and the administration.

 

[Volunteer08]

Vitello is paid well compared to many other top tier programs. Coaches that make near or at 1mil have won a WS or have taken teams to the CWS regularly. He'll keep getting bumps as we continue seeing progress. Vitello sees the bigger picture having said multiple times he would rather take less to see improvements to the facilities and pay his staff.

We're going to take care of this guy. You may let an older coach take a walk when asking for large sums of money, but not a young coach with many year ahead.

 

[YankeeVol]

My alma mater has a top-15 athletic budget but makes coaching hires on the relative cheap (Rick Barnes being the outlier). Our up-and-comer/cross-your-fingers approach has had mixed results- and that's being kind, but there's no doubt Vitello is a winner. The notion that we don't have the resources to keep CTV is grossly mistaken (again, top-15 budget).

The bigger question is do we have the will. I would hope so, but who knows? We pay handsomely to keep Barnes from leaving, while paying peanuts to bring in once-fired Kellie Harper. My gut says we wouldn't get in a bidding war for a coach of a (currently) low-revenue sport. Even when we look 150 mi. to the west....where low-budget Vandy rationalizes paying Corbin 2 mil+ plus......for championships.

Ah well - I'll continue watching, attending, and enjoying the season and just hope for the best. Get us to the CWS, Coach - meanwhile we'll work on Phil and the administration.

Serrano was a great hire, it just didn't work out.

IF TV can have the same type of success as the Weekly's (or near it), I think the admin would fight to keep him.

Like you said, they can afford to.

 

[vol66]

I am confident Fulmer will do what is necessary to keep the momentum going, this he gets. All we can do is enjoy the ride anyways.

 

[ksgovols]

Just observations:

1. I'd rather worry about keeping a coach that big time baseball schools want than those schools taking a hard pass.
2. Let's get into SEC play and see how things work out top 25 wise. Round Rock was an eye opener. Everything else was expected.
3. Support the boys! I wish I was close enough to make games.

 

[arkyvol]

If they let Vitello get away, they might as well shut down the program and spend the money on polo.

 

[therealitytheory]

If they let Vitello get away, they might as well shut down the program and spend the money on polo.

Exactly. Better to open the wallet for a quality coach in the fold than to keep throwing money at the ones sent packing. Seems like we've been "Buyout U" going back to Hamilton and continued under Hart.

 

[SGMVols]

It’s going to take a new stadium to keep Vitello long term IMO. The only way I see boosters funding that is as part of a collaboration with the Smokies to build a new stadium for both teams near downtown. They won’t fund a new UT-only stadium when fans don’t even fill LNS.

 

[ksgovols]

It’s going to take a new stadium to keep Vitello long term IMO. The only way I see boosters funding that is as part of a collaboration with the Smokies to build a new stadium for both teams near downtown. They won’t fund a new UT-only stadium when fans don’t even fill LNS.

Exactly. It will be an arms race in facilities that would hold UT back with CTV or any high profile coach imo.

 

[therealitytheory]

I suspect there will be much better attendance this year. One thing I know for sure - this Sunday I will be sipping a draft beer inside LNS. And maybe another....

Beer 'n baseball. Can't wait for it to get hot.

 

[@1RBFjr]

It’s going to take a new stadium to keep Vitello long term IMO. The only way I see boosters funding that is as part of a collaboration with the Smokies to build a new stadium for both teams near downtown. They won’t fund a new UT-only stadium when fans don’t even fill LNS.

I’d think the school wouldn’t want to locate off campus. Traveling back and forth eats up time and is harder for players to get to practice quickly after class. Also who controls the facility?

Also think of schedule overlap between college baseball and anything other than short season MiLB. I can think of just a few situations where this exists. SEC series are on a weekend. It’d be hard to schedule a MiLB team around all of that, and they might want some weekend crowds and revenue. And what if the Vols host a regional or super regional?

 

[SGMVols]

I’d think the school wouldn’t want to locate off campus. Traveling back and forth eats up time and is harder for players to get to practice quickly after class. Also who controls the facility?

Also think of schedule overlap between college baseball and anything other than short season MiLB. I can think of just a few situations where this exists. SEC series are on a weekend. It’d be hard to schedule a MiLB team around all of that, and they might want some weekend crowds and revenue. And what if the Vols host a regional or super regional?

All of that will certainly be a challenge. But I also don't know where UT would find space on campus for a new stadium. Every active construction project on campus right now, that I know of, required something else to be torn down first. And I don't think UT would want to tear down LNS.

 

[@1RBFjr]

All of that will certainly be a challenge. But I also don't know where UT would find space on campus for a new stadium. Every active construction project on campus right now, that I know of, required something else to be torn down first. And I don't think UT would want to tear down LNS.

At one point there was a plan to rotate it where home plate would be out where centerfield is presently (obviously a new stadium would be built around the new home plate area). More recently, and it was a number of years ago, suites would be added down the baselines as well as seating (with the current stadium). IIRC, then Coach Raleigh may have taken care of the need for more seating
I hope the success of the program will fast track stadium upgrades soon.

 

[NorCalVol67]

At one point there was a plan to rotate it where home plate would be out where centerfield is presently (obviously a new stadium would be built around the new home plate area). More recently, and it was a number of years ago, suites would be added down the baselines as well as seating (with the current stadium). IIRC, then Coach Raleigh may have taken care of the need for more seating
I hope the success of the program will fast track stadium upgrades soon.

I laughed, then I cried a little.

 

[arkyvol]

I've been away from Knoxville for going on half a century. The baseball field I remember from back then was probably light years behind Lindsey Nelson. My question is how does Lindsay Nelson stack up against other SEC ballfields? My only frame of reference is Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, opened in the late 90s and often updated. It's first class, top to bottom. Are the Vols that far behind?

 

[ksgovols]

I've been away from Knoxville for going on half a century. The baseball field I remember from back then was probably light years behind Lindsey Nelson. My question is how does Lindsay Nelson stack up against other SEC ballfields? My only frame of reference is Baum Stadium in Fayetteville, opened in the late 90s and often updated. It's first class, top to bottom. Are the Vols that far behind?

Yes. Arkansas probably ranks just behind Dudy Noble at Mississippi State and just in front of LSU. I'd say Lindsay Nelson is well within the bottom third of the SEC as far as facilities go. I also read somewhere that only 2 or 3 SEC baseball programs operate in the black too.

 

[@1RBFjr]

Yes. Arkansas probably ranks just behind Dudy Noble at Mississippi State and just in front of LSU. I'd say Lindsay Nelson is well within the bottom third of the SEC as far as facilities go. I also read somewhere that only 2 or 3 SEC baseball programs operate in the black too.

At one of the baseball lunches a year or two ago, the speaker was a broadcaster from the SEC Network. He had been around the league. He was asked how we rated. He said he thought we were only ahead of Missouri. I hope that’ll change soon.

 

[6-4-3]

At one of the baseball lunches a year or two ago, the speaker was a broadcaster from the SEC Network. He had been around the league. He was asked how we rated. He said he thought we were only ahead of Missouri. I hope that’ll change soon.

I would agree with that assessment. Although Vandy’s digs are pretty bad too. Hopefully, we have some big improvements on the horizon. Nowadays, I guess it’s all about “fan experience”. If we can improve on that I believe we can get a solid number of butts in the seats.

 

[arkyvol]

I would agree with that assessment. Although Vandy’s digs are pretty bad too. Hopefully, we have some big improvements on the horizon. Nowadays, I guess it’s all about “fan experience”. If we can improve on that I believe we can get a solid number of butts in the seats.

Here's hoping. If it happens, it can be called the house Vitello built.

 

[GoVolunteers]

My alma mater has a top-15 athletic budget but makes coaching hires on the relative cheap (Rick Barnes being the outlier). Our up-and-comer/cross-your-fingers approach has had mixed results- and that's being kind, but there's no doubt Vitello is a winner. The notion that we don't have the resources to keep CTV is grossly mistaken (again, top-15 budget).

The bigger question is do we have the will. I would hope so, but who knows? We pay handsomely to keep Barnes from leaving, while paying peanuts to bring in once-fired Kellie Harper. My gut says we wouldn't get in a bidding war for a coach of a (currently) low-revenue sport. Even when we look 150 mi. to the west....where low-budget Vandy rationalizes paying Corbin 2 mil+ plus......for championships.

Ah well - I'll continue watching, attending, and enjoying the season and just hope for the best. Get us to the CWS, Coach - meanwhile we'll work on Phil and the administration.

Last year we had the #6 of highest paid football staff.

 

[therealitytheory]

Last year we had the #6 of highest paid football staff.

Our last 4 football coach hires - NONE paid in the top half of SEC HC salaries
unemployed/fired Oakland Raider mid-season
LA. Tech coach
Cincy coach
bama asst.

current SEC HC salaries:

SEC coaches’ pay in 2020

• Nick Saban, Alabama: $9.1 million
• Ed Orgeron, LSU: $8.7 million
• Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M: $7.5 million
• Gus Malzahn, Auburn: $6.9 million
• Kirby Smart, Georgia: $6.8 million
• Dan Mullen, Florida: $6.1 million
• Mike Leach, Mississippi State: $5 million
• Mark Stoops, Kentucky: $5 million
• Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss: $3.9 million
• Jeremy Pruitt, Tennessee: $3.8 million
• Chad Morris, Arkansas: $3.5 million
• Will Muschamp, South Carolina: $3.3 million
• Derek Mason, Vanderbilt: $3.3 million*
• Barry Odom, Missouri: $3.05 million