Stache Talk with Kirby Connell and Other Related Podcasts

#527
#527
Article about Kirby in the athletic, here's some excerpts

Vols baseball is kinder and gentler, as embodied by its unofficial NIL champion

At some point later in his career, or maybe after it’s finished, Tony Vitello expects to sit down in front of a camera and talk about the 2022 Tennessee baseball team.

He will do so fondly if he gets the opportunity. The legend of those Vols — their brashness, their greatness and their on-field demise to the delight of the rest of the sport — will grow over time. It’s just at this moment, for the benefit of the 2023 Tennessee baseball team, Vitello would like to see it fade a bit.

“I truly think that’s a ’30 for 30,’ no way that team isn’t a special,” Vitello told The Athletic. “We literally have rules changes because of that team. That thing was so unique and so great, I love that team. But that deal has done more harm than good to this group, if that’s fair to say.”

A preseason No. 2 ranking was unwarranted and unhelpful. But opponents still view these Vols as those Vols. So do opposing fans. So, it appears at times, do umpires. The obvious difference this weekend, as Tennessee tries to get out of the Clemson Regional, is that these Vols aren’t buried under the mountain of June pressure that those No. 1 seed Vols were.
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Meet Kirby Connell. Senior left-handed reliever. Flowing red hair. Rollie Fingers mustache. Spotty beard. All on top of a tank of a 5-11, 210-pound body. The first guy off the bus for a team that wants to say: “We are badasses.”

“He looks like a guy who would be taking a nap in the bullpen, get called into the eighth inning after having like six beers, get hot on the mound, do his job, then go right back to his nap,” said fellow UT lefty pitcher and best friend Zander Sechrist.

But that couldn’t be Connell because he doesn’t drink. He’s the son of a Baptist preacher and investigator for child social services in Blacksburg, S.C. He’s a 22-year-old college graduate who hopes to attend graduate school and play his final season of eligibility for the Vols. He’s been honored by the SEC for both academic performance and community service work, and on this team, he’s a gentle and accessible leader, advising younger players as former teammates such as Redmond Walsh used to do for him.

“He’s a great lesson of why you don’t judge a book by its cover,” Vitello said of Connell, who leads the team with 30 appearances and has a .192 average against. “You might see him as a beer-swigging biker, even as a college kid, but in actuality, he’s a Boy Scout away from the field. I know we’re supposed to be bad guys and outlandish and all in your face. You might see Kirby get a guy out and pump his fist and think he’s a jerk. The reality is, there couldn’t be a more model citizen.”
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When the Vols win, Connell and Sechrist like to hold court with reporters in sessions that are essentially parodies of press conferences. They like to pretend-snap at questioners and each other, with food debates of particular interest. Whether on the team bus playing blackjack — with no money being wagered, for the record — or whiling away hours as road roommates, Connell and Sechrist have an especially good time.

“We just tend to do things differently than, say, right-handed people,” Sechrist said. “We like to do our own spiel on things. We put belts on a different way. We take showers a different way — basically, in weird parts of the day. You wouldn’t really think of taking a shower at 3 p.m., but lefties will do that to you.”

This is the sense of humor that keeps things light — Connell recently got grilled chicken nuggets at a drive-thru instead of the fried nuggets he ordered, inspiring a huge argument between him and Sechrist about grilled versus fried to the delight of the team. Add in the “Hells Angels member on the mound throwing 90 under your chin” appearance and you’ve got marketability.
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Vitello said taking the last two seasons combined into account, he believes Connell is the Vol who has capitalized the most on NIL opportunities. And Vitello said he uses that fact in recruiting — with a fan base this rabid, he tells prospects, you can come in, be a good player, be accessible and benefit significantly.

Connell is different from the average ballplayer, of course. Not everyone can have a mustache that luxurious. On the field, he’s one of a packed arsenal of arms, the primary tangible reason to believe the Vols can make a run.
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#530
#530
Didn't know where to put this and didn't want to start a new thread but to the best of my ability and futility C. Scott and Camden will leave as the winningest players in UT history with 203+ wins and 74 SEC wins. If anyone finds otherwise, let me know. Kirby and Ethan Payne (Ethan was not on official roster in 2020 but I count it) could pass them if next year's team gets more than 40 wins and 14 sec wins. I'm an interesting stats and records guy.
 
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#531
#531
preacherman20 said:
We apologize. Our guest’s interview only saved the second half. We have tried everything technically to restore it but no luck. We have decided to try it again next week if we can due the time constraints on the guys.
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I am seriously missing the weekly podcast. I have listened to each one (some I've listened to twice) since week 1. Hopefully a new one is coming up soon! It makes my Saturday mornings so much better.
 
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#534
#534
preacherman20 said:
Thanks to all who listened. We are working on some more for summer. The last few weeks have been chaos.
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Great! I had been thinking of inquiring whether there might be some stache talk episodes now that the chaos of the postseason had subsided. If so, we’ll be listening!

On a side note, it’s amazing that at the beginning of the season we didn’t know a number of guests, but in retrospect y’all covered pretty much all of the major contributors. It was great to learn more about our guys, thanks!
 
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#539
#539
Kirby's Camp yesterday in Johnson City. Had 85 kids show up. 1 from Birmingham, AL, 1 from Mt. Juliet, and 1 from Florence, SC. Over 250 people showed up throughout the camp. Also had a meet and greet in Kingsport, TN with AJ Russell and Charlie Taylor.

358022132_285044074045691_3135048629581559248_n.jpg

Had to get a little checkerboard on it also.
Back of the camp shirt says " Why bunt when you can hit bombs!" Just for txbo.


357749373_285048340711931_761978333463677126_n.jpg
 
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#543
#543
preacherman20 said:
Kirby's Camp yesterday in Johnson City. Had 85 kids show up. 1 from Birmingham, AL, 1 from Mt. Juliet, and 1 from Florence, SC. Over 250 people showed up throughout the camp. Also had a meet and greet in Kingsport, TN with AJ Russell and Charlie Taylor.

358022132_285044074045691_3135048629581559248_n.jpg

Had to get a little checkerboard on it also.
Back of the camp shirt says " Why bunt when you can hit bombs!" Just for txbo.


357749373_285048340711931_761978333463677126_n.jpg
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…when you can hit dongs. Do you wanna sell tshirts or what? 😉
 
#544
#544
preacherman20 said:
Kirby's Camp yesterday in Johnson City. Had 85 kids show up. 1 from Birmingham, AL, 1 from Mt. Juliet, and 1 from Florence, SC. Over 250 people showed up throughout the camp. Also had a meet and greet in Kingsport, TN with AJ Russell and Charlie Taylor.

358022132_285044074045691_3135048629581559248_n.jpg

Had to get a little checkerboard on it also.
Back of the camp shirt says " Why bunt when you can hit bombs!" Just for txbo.


357749373_285048340711931_761978333463677126_n.jpg
Click to expand...
Good for him. As elitist as baseball has become, free camps like this might be the only exposure some under privileged kids get to the game of baseball
 
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#547
#547
preacherman20 said:
Kirby's Camp yesterday in Johnson City. Had 85 kids show up. 1 from Birmingham, AL, 1 from Mt. Juliet, and 1 from Florence, SC. Over 250 people showed up throughout the camp. Also had a meet and greet in Kingsport, TN with AJ Russell and Charlie Taylor.

358022132_285044074045691_3135048629581559248_n.jpg

Had to get a little checkerboard on it also.
Back of the camp shirt says " Why bunt when you can hit bombs!" Just for txbo.


357749373_285048340711931_761978333463677126_n.jpg
Click to expand...
LOL. I'm just now seeing this. The pic is just a red x.
 
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