Giants 'Closing In On' Tennessee Baseball Coach Tony Vitello for New Manager

The Athletic — After just one year, it’s already become apparent that Buster Posey is anything but a traditional top baseball executive. And Posey’s unconventional choice to manage the San Francisco Giants is further proof.

Industry sources confirmed that the Giants are closing in on hiring Tony Vitello, a 47-year-old Division I head coach who transformed the University of Tennessee from a bottom-feeder in the Southeastern Conference into one of the most talented programs in the country.

What the fuck, dude. This is not how I needed to start the Third Saturday in October.

I really can't believe this. Tony Vitello has obviously been an unbelievably successful college baseball coach, but this is quite an unconventional move by Buster Posey and the Giants. I am equal parts fascinated to see how it works out and devastated that we have lost the best baseball coach in America.

I have no doubt that some of what has made Vitello successful will translate to professional baseball, but his biggest strengths asa college coach are in recruiting and developing young players. In the MLB, they just hand you a team in March and you have to make it work. I'm sure Tony does plenty in a clubhouse that's great and he's clearly a terrific leader, but I'm curious how he'll do with a team he doesn't get to hand-pick.

The worst possible outcome in all of this is Vitello goes to San Francisco, gets canned after three or four years and then has his pick of college jobs, goes to another SEC school and kills it there for 20 years. I need him to be successful in MLB so that nightmare scenario does not come to fruition.

Sad day. Bad day. They can never take my national title, though.