Is Tony Vitello becoming the most popular coach in UT history?

#51
#51
AllThingsTN said:
I don’t know that he could ever be the most beloved as a baseball coach. Not that he wouldn’t be up there with those of us who actually watch college baseball. But the majority of our fan base does not. But to those of us who do watch, I think he is quickly gaining ground; and if this level of success is somewhat sustainable, he will be in my Mount Rushmore 100%. I mean every time TV talks I get a big smile on my face. He’s just so damn likable.
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The following he and this team have cultivated is something I thought I’d never see at this University. My first year at UTK was 2004-05 and we had a great team that finished 2nd in the SEC, made semifinals in Hoover and went to Omaha. I didn’t miss a home game and would look around and didn’t understand why we’d have maybe 1000 people in the stands and little to no students when we were putting a great team on the field. What else do you have to do as a student on the weekend in April? I went to Hoover for the entire tournament that year and can say without reservation we might have had 500 fans. I was jealous of the crowds OM, LSU, State and Arkansas brought and longed for something like that.

This week I finally saw it. The atmosphere leading up to, during and after the LSU game was as intense as any game I’ve ever seen in Hoover. The only two that come close in my experiences are OM vs State in the 2005 finals and LSU vs State in the 2019 quarterfinals.

The championship crowd was the most one sided and one of the largest I’ve ever seen in my 5-7 finals experiences. That’s somewhat a product of the opponent not having many fans but it still requires 12,000 UT fans willing to make the trip. This week, our fanbase looked like a school with a baseball culture. My only hope is that we can sustain it, even in the less fruitful years á la how State, OM and Ark do.
 
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#53
#53
AthensVol2007 said:
The following he and this team have cultivated is something I thought I’d never see at this University. My first year at UTK was 2004-05 and we had a great team that finished 2nd in the SEC, made semifinals in Hoover and went to Omaha. I didn’t miss a home game and would look around and didn’t understand why we’d have maybe 1000 people in the stands and little to no students when we were putting a great team on the field. What else do you have to do as a student on the weekend in April? I went to Hoover for the entire tournament that year and can say without reservation we might have had 500 fans. I was jealous of the crowds OM, LSU, State and Arkansas brought and longed for something like that.

This week I finally saw it. The atmosphere leading up to, during and after the LSU game was as intense as any game I’ve ever seen in Hoover. The only two that come close in my experiences are OM vs State in the 2005 finals and LSU vs State in the 2019 quarterfinals.

The championship crowd was the most one sided and one of the largest I’ve ever seen in my 5-7 finals experiences. That’s somewhat a product of the opponent not having many fans but it still requires 12,000 UT fans willing to make the trip. This week, our fanbase looked like a school with a baseball culture. My only hope is that we can sustain it, even in the less fruitful years á la how State, OM and Ark do.
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There’s no doubt about that. The level of support that TV has gained in such a short amount of time, and at Tennessee of all places, shows just how special he is. We all absolutely love him. And I mean it as no disrespect, but I don’t see how any college baseball coach goes down as the most popular in their schools history. The amount of people watching compared to football just doesn’t allow for that. That doesn’t mean he can’t be that for those of us who actually watch every game and realize how special Tony is. But for the greater majority of UT fans I don’t see how you can rationalize it. Not that any of this matters at all, it’s semantics, and to those who watch college baseball I think we can all agree that we have something very special in coach TV. We’re so lucky to have him as our coach.
 
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#55
#55
Vtonerider said:
Maybe I'm naive but I think CTV wants to build a legacy and not just be known as a journeyman coach. He has a a blank slate with Tennessee.
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From his comments it seems like he’s not going anywhere. And with what he’s built already, the fan support, and the resources the athletic department is going to pour in, I think we can feel safe in having Tony be here for the long haul.
 
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#57
#57
Somewhere JH is saying, “Hold my beer, challenge accepted.”

Give it 10 years and those two will crowd the Vol’s Mt Rushmore.

We have two young guys with the world of success in their grasps. I expect they will both get it done.

After seeing a handful of interviews with TV and a few players, being a good baseball team seems like it will be normal, for a long while.
 
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#58
#58
AllThingsTN said:
From his comments it seems like he’s not going anywhere. And with what he’s built already, the fan support, and the resources the athletic department is going to pour in, I think we can feel safe in having Tony be here for the long haul.
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FWIW, I shot CTV an email after last season to thank and congratulate him for a great year and for staying at UT despite the offers. Yeah, I know that’s pretty lame, but I figured we are co-workers on some level after all, haha!

Anyways, I was surprised when he emailed me back a little over an hour later with a nice note acknowledging my comments and expressing thanks for the support. Really appreciated that. Think CTV will be here for the long haul and we will do all we can to make sure of it.
 
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#59
#59
Volfan1000 said:
Right now, Summitt and Mears and Neyland are the Mount Rushmore figure heads of Tennessee Athletics but Vitello has a chance to join them after winning a few national championships and he will surpass Delmonico as the best baseball coach in program history.
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As I was reading the above post of this thread, this name kept popping into my head. The things this guy did with little media attention that has expanded during Pat's and other coaches' time in the limelight, coach Mears is/can be overlooked. Not meaning to misplace Pat or the General from their historical top seats, but coach Mears was very important to all Vol sports history and must not be overlooked.
 
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#60
#60
Naw, TV is only one game, one questionable decision away from the Vol nation reigning down on him.

I’d say Skip Bertman is the most popular LSU coach in their history.
 
#61
#61
wmcovol said:
Naw, TV is only one game, one questionable decision away from the Vol nation reigning down on him.

I’d say Skip Bertman is the most popular LSU coach in their history.
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Unfortunately, this is far too close to the truth.
 
#62
#62
If his team wins the CWS, UT baseball and his legend will grow. We gotta have a more seats though. UT has a lot of money. I think they can make Coach V happy.
 
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#65
#65
Volprofch05 said:
FWIW, I shot CTV an email after last season to thank and congratulate him for a great year and for staying at UT despite the offers. Yeah, I know that’s pretty lame, but I figured we are co-workers on some level after all, haha!

Anyways, I was surprised when he emailed me back a little over an hour later with a nice note acknowledging my comments and expressing thanks for the support. Really appreciated that. Think CTV will be here for the long haul and we will do all we can to make sure of it.
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That awesome. I might have the email printed out and hanging in my office somewhere haha.
 
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#66
#66
couldn’t find a better place for this: anybody know what’s TV’s bonus for making the CWS and for winning the whole thing?
 
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