By Walt Barron: A close, personal friend to Rocky Top Insider, Barron is a lifelong Vol fan who will travel when he can but mostly cheers for the Big Orange from his home in Durham, NC. Barron also writes personal stories about the Vols and all things sports on his Substack, Sportingly Yours.
There was one particular moment in Monday night’s win over Wake Forest that epitomizes why Tennessee head baseball coach Tony Vitello is so good at what he does.
With nobody out in the bottom of the eighth inning and Tennessee comfortably ahead 10-5, Tennessee starting catcher Cannon Peebles struck out swinging, started walking to the bench, and then turned his head back to say something to Wake Forest catcher Matt Conte. Crew Chief Casey Moser immediately threw Peebles out of the game, for unsportsmanlike conduct. Both teams had been warned earlier in the game, and even though Conte apparently said something first, the responder is the one who usually gets busted.
Vitello calmly walked out of the dugout, and after a brief explanation from Moser, turned around and walked back. The whole thing seemed rather innocuous. Peebles didn’t protest but rather headed directly to the locker room. Vitello didn’t offer up any argument.
The lack of any drama is exactly why it stood out to me.
Vitello is known as a player’s coach and open book. He’ll gladly and passionately fight for his players and staff, even if it means getting himself ejected. That’s happened to him five times as Tennessee’s coach, the most recent one being this past May against Auburn. I was expecting at least a mild argument in defense of Peebles this past Monday, but instead he simply received the news and carried on.
Vitello’s restraint was important in two ways. First, it showed situational awareness. Arguing with Moser in that moment may have been justified, since Conte, the instigator, seemed to get off scot free. But it also could’ve gotten him ejected. Peebles’ ejection means he also will be suspended for the Vols’ first game against Arkansas in Saturday’s Super Regional. Vitello couldn’t let this punishment multiply. His poise contained the damage and kept the Vols focused on the task at hand.
His comments after the game revealed something more important: his commitment to his own values.
“The catcher celebrated the strikeout, as he should. We are in a regional,” Vitello said, noting the significance of the moment. “Cannon said something back to him, as he should not.”
Read that again if you need to. Vitello didn’t just acknowledge the mistake his player made, a costly one at that. He also defended the opposing player’s right to celebrate in his player’s face, even if that celebration technically started the interaction that got his catcher ejected and suspended for the next game.
If there’s anyone who believes in celebrations, it’s Vitello. He’s been known to execute a jump roll or slide to greet his team in the outfield after a big win. Monday night, it was a running jump into the waiting arms of star pitcher Liam Doyle.
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This unabashed exuberance attracts players like Doyle, who was either pumping himself up or exclaiming after one of many big strikeouts Monday night. And first baseman Andrew Fischer, who hit a clutch two-run home run during a big fourth inning that turned a 2-1 deficit into an 8-2 Vols lead. As he stepped to the plate, Fischer waved for the crowd to get loud. After hitting the home run, his “walk” around the bases looked more like a professional wrestler after pinning his opponent. It was pure joy. And as it turns out, it wasn’t just about him. Fischer explained after the game that he “lost his mind” when freshman Manny Marin hit a three-run home run earlier in the inning and stayed there well throughout his own home run.
Vitello’s emotional style often irks the you-know-what out of Tennessee’s opponents, but endears him even more to his own players. They clearly feed off of it and celebrate others’ successes with as much gusto as their own.
And they respect him in large part because he’s consistent in living out his beliefs. If he’s going to encourage his own players to celebrate, he has to respect his opponents’ right to do the same. Especially if that means teaching one of his players a hard earned lesson.
“I have sat in here and I would like to think these kids would say I’ve got their back as much as any coach they have been around. But [what Peebles did] was foolish,” Vitello added.
Contrast this with the actions of two head coaches during regional play this past weekend, both of which required apologies from their athletic director bosses. The first is Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, who was caught on video berating officials from the NCAA and host team Coastal Carolina. Why was he upset? Because of a common courtesy apparently. The NCAA decided to delay the start of the Florida-East Carolina game by one hour since the previous night’s game had ended so late. Apparently O’Sullivan thought that was worth a rather heated and provocative personal attack, as this video shows.
The other incident is one Vol fans know very well by now. Seconds before Fischer’s electric home run Monday night, Wake Forest head coach Tom Walter was caught on video shouting a homophobic slur. It’s not clear who he was directing it toward – Fischer or crew chief Casey Moser. It doesn’t matter. There’s no place for that. It was poetic justice that Fischer responded with actions, not words.
I’m not here to demonize these two coaches, or to deify Vitello. They’re all human and all make mistakes. But what O’Sullivan and Walter did was intended to belittle another human being. To devalue them, and tear them down.
Celebrations do the exact opposite. They build people up. Vitello knows this and believes this is the way. It strengthens bonds. It shows gratitude for what’s good in life. It’s more fun. And his actions Monday show that his beliefs don’t just hold true for him and his team, but for all coaches and teams.
“They need to enjoy it. All kids should enjoy it.”
One Response
Great article Walt and GBO!!