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00:00This is the moment we've been waiting for.
00:01Get over to YouTube right now, because the new manager of the Giants,
00:08Tony Vitello, is joining us live here on Willard & Dibs 95.7 The Game.
00:13And it feels like, because I know Tony, who joins us on the River Islands guest line, by the way,
00:18I know you've been, you know, busting with the boys and MLB Network.
00:21It feels like you've got a new Giants hat on every hour today
00:25as you move around, you know, making different appearances.
00:28I like that lid that you've got on right now.
00:31I appreciate that.
00:33It was gifted, so I'm grateful for the opportunity.
00:37Also, the gear to wear, probably the best home jersey in all of Major League Baseball.
00:43I could keep going on if you guys want, but I know I'm interrupting.
00:47You guys are dissecting that Warriors schedule pretty early.
00:50Hopefully, you keep in mind, when it's early in the season, you're still formulating some stuff.
00:54Come on, you've been working in the SEC.
00:59Nobody freaks out too early about games, do they?
01:02Oh, do they ever.
01:03I'll tell you what, though, it's phenomenal.
01:06Again, excited about my opportunity, but anyone who has a chance,
01:10even just to experience a game in the SEC, no matter what sport it is,
01:15the fans make it special.
01:17And then because of the fans, you get great athletes.
01:20And that's kind of what's going on in San Francisco is there's been a tremendous tradition.
01:24And who started it, the players, the fans, I don't know.
01:28But to be a part of it is, you know, surreal is a word we all throw out probably too often.
01:34Whatever's way down the road from surreal, that's kind of what I'm trying to deal with.
01:37Well, Tony, I want to jump right into that because I think we've heard a lot from you
01:41over the last week or so, including the press conference here in the Bay Area,
01:46about the difference between college and the major leagues.
01:51And obviously the gut-wrenching decision that you had to make
01:54and everything that went into that and all the people you talked to,
01:57super fascinating and you've been open about it.
02:00You know what question I don't know if I've heard you answer, though, is why?
02:04Why did you eventually make the decision to leave somewhere you loved and join this?
02:12I think ultimately the challenge, I think Buster Posey was the X factor.
02:21I think if you're comfortable in a position, you work at, you know, it could be South Carolina
02:27or it could be Florida State.
02:28It doesn't have to be in our league.
02:29It could be at Oregon.
02:30And it's going well.
02:31And by that, I mean, you know, we're having a little success,
02:34but there's really strong relationships in place.
02:36It's a great, you know, place and people to work around.
02:39Then it's going to be tough to leave.
02:42So it's got to be a situation where some criteria is met.
02:46And I think once you start dissecting each organization in the big leagues,
02:50there's 30 teams and it's all under one label, but they're all very, very different.
02:55That's something we tried to educate recruits on is just because you get drafted.
02:58It doesn't mean you're getting drafted by Major League Baseball.
03:00You're getting drafted by a certain organization.
03:02And when you break down all the things that are in the Bay Area with, again, the tradition,
03:09how cool of a city and area it is, the park, the way everything is structured from Greg Johnson on down,
03:17the roster, the current roster certainly is not, it's not, oh, poor me.
03:22We need to find some players.
03:23We're in a decent spot.
03:24Obviously, everybody wants to get better.
03:26All these things started to pile up.
03:28And then ultimately, if you're able to attach your name to one of the biggest winners in the history of American sports in Buster,
03:37that maybe is one thing that kind of pushes or tips it over the edge.
03:41Yeah, it's exciting.
03:42And I think Giants fans are excited to have you be here.
03:46And one of the questions many people have is about the transition from college to the major leagues.
03:51College, much shorter season, but it still is, you know, three outs an inning and nine innings in a game.
03:56Do you think the whole idea of you making the transition has been overblown?
04:00Or is it something that you think is going to be really daunting?
04:04No, I mean, I was kind of joking about, you know, you guys maybe overblown.
04:10And I wasn't even listening the whole time.
04:12But fans overreact to a Warriors loss or whatever.
04:16That's the beauty of sports is you get to read the newspaper back in the day when I would follow the Cardinals and the Giants and teams like that.
04:24Now it's online and Twitter.
04:27It's the beauty of sports.
04:28You pick a side and that could be, you know, a debate within the team.
04:33We're all Giants or 49ers fans, but we pick a side and a debate.
04:37And you argue who was better in this era.
04:39It's the beauty of it.
04:40And it's a part of it.
04:42Unfortunately for me, when it comes to the Giants or in the past it was the Vols baseball squad, I can't take part in that.
04:49All I can do is kind of focus on my job.
04:51So that's going to keep coming up.
04:53I think it's best served to be kept out of my ears or out of my focus as well as the rest of the coaching staff.
05:00But it's not going anywhere.
05:02It's going to be brought up.
05:03And if we have success, people will take jabs.
05:06And if we suffer defeats, people will take jabs.
05:09So why worry about it?
05:10Let's push forward and try and make this team that's coming up this coming spring and summer as good as we can.
05:16Tony Vitello, the new manager of the Giants, is with us here on Willard & Dibbs 95.7 The Game.
05:20You mentioned Greg Johnson, his name here a few minutes ago, and also even just that subject you were just talking about.
05:26I saw a comment from him recently where he's like, sure, this is a little out of the box, but maybe not as out of the box as people are making it out to be to make it sound like they hired you from the NBA or something.
05:38What's your reaction to that?
05:40Do you think this is as big of a jump as people are making it sound like it is?
05:46Here's an overly honest answer that I'll probably get myself into trouble more times than once, especially with the multiplication of media opportunities with the big leagues.
05:56I don't know.
05:57I've not been in that dugout.
05:59I've been to a lot of games.
06:00I've coached players.
06:01I've talked with guys.
06:03I don't know exactly what differences will pop up.
06:06Now, that might make me look bad down the road, but I'll take a little weight off my shoulders, and I'm not trying to make any excuses, but especially at the pro level, but also in college, the players are the ones that are on the field.
06:19And our job as coaches is to put them in a successful position.
06:22And, of course, you know, the better ones like Coach Shanahan do that more often.
06:27But there's a lot of people that are involved in a win and a loss, a crowd, the players have the biggest role, and then there's going to be an entire coaching staff we put together.
06:37My role on that coaching staff will be maybe the final say on a pitching change or a lineup decision or what a speech is after a tough loss or something like that.
06:48But I'm not going to be the only one in the dugout.
06:51I'm not going to be the only one in the building that's helping us prepare for a game.
06:54I know you haven't put the staff all together just yet, and I don't want you to have to name names, but what types of people, what mix of OGs, major leaguers, young bucks like yourself, what's the mix you're looking for for your coaching staff?
07:09Yeah, I'm Italian, so I can't name names.
07:12That's right.
07:12That's right.
07:13You've been sleeping with the fishes.
07:16Exactly.
07:16Exactly.
07:17Had a phenomenal meal at Joe's, by the way.
07:19Nice.
07:20My first official night as a Giant, so that was great.
07:22You know, I think it would be great to retain some of the staff at a minimum for some consistency.
07:30I think some new blood would be great.
07:32I think some major league experience, and by that I mean cleats in the dirt and in certain situations, even if it's just one or two guys.
07:41The big thing for my input, and so far I don't think I'm being tricked,
07:45it's a collaborative vibe and a collaborative effort mindset that's going on over at the park when we all get together or if it's on Zoom or a teleconference.
07:56And so when my input is welcomed, loyalty and team chemistry is huge.
08:02And that's got to start with the coaching staff because the players, whether they're 19 years old or 35, they can sniff it out if the coaches aren't on the same page.
08:13And the players have their own deal where they got to come up with stuff behind the scenes when the coaches aren't around where they get along.
08:21And then ultimately, if you're going to have not just a good team, but a great team, then everyone's got to kind of intersect.
08:28And the whole deal has got to be, you know, it's a cliche for a reason, one group pulling on the same rope.
08:34So, Tony, Knoxville to San Francisco is quite a jump.
08:37And I know you had that time in Salinas, but Salinas to San Francisco is quite a jump in and of itself.
08:44So, like, prior to last week when you came and said hello to everybody, what was your experience and impression of San Francisco?
08:52Yeah, I mean, just a lot of fun going up and down the coast in general.
08:56And San Francisco had a unique feel to it when we'd go to the Giants game.
09:01And it was different, and I don't want anyone to slash my tires yet, but, you know, I'm from St. Louis.
09:07And like it or not, they do know the game well there, and they appreciate a guy that hustles or plays the game the right way.
09:14They appreciate a good rivalry.
09:16And you could sense that it was a different type of baseball fan in San Francisco, maybe compared to some other places.
09:24We can talk about that off air.
09:25But compared to other places, it just had a true baseball feel to it.
09:30And then going around the city, you get unique variety that you don't get.
09:36Even in St. Louis, I don't know population and things like that.
09:40I'm not smart enough, but it's a bigger feel, and it's more of a melting pot of different restaurants and different things you can do.
09:48And you get to see the water and the bridges and things like that.
09:50And then if you go further north, there's some pretty cool areas, as you all know.
09:56And, you know, free time will be at a premium.
09:58But just overall, it's not just San Francisco, the city.
10:01The entire area is one that will captivate you if you're around it, especially if you're around it for the first or second time because you see so many new, cool things.
10:10Tony, I thought one of your more interesting answers last week was when you used the word abnormal, and you used it in kind of an abnormal way.
10:19Like, you were very careful to paint it as a positive thing with your impressions of San Francisco when you were actually spending time within the city limits for a week.
10:28Can you expand on that a little bit?
10:30Like, what it is you noticed about maybe just the people when you were out and about in the city?
10:37Yeah, you know, I think whether it's, you know, a waiter or somebody, you know, in whatever service industry where they're helping you, you can pretty much feel out whether it's because they're on the job or they're trying to fake it until they make it or if it's coming from a sincere place.
10:55And I just felt like leaving a place where it's called Southern Hospitality, the hospitality was every bit as good, if not better.
11:04And there was a lot of sincere gestures involved, whether it's paying attention to small details or going out of their way not to just look after you, but look after your crew.
11:15And an awful lot of positivity, too.
11:18And at this point, you guys mentioned, again, one thing that's not going away is there's a tough decision.
11:23There's, you could call it risk or a challenge or whatever involved.
11:27So the more people that lift you up, even if it's just one subtle comment, it can change your mood, even just for a bit.
11:34But no, I meant abnormal, obviously, in a positive way.
11:38And that was because, you know, is unique.
11:42And Giants fans, I know this since I was a little kid, they're not interested in being average.
11:48And so abnormal is distant from the average.
11:52And I know I don't have any interest in being average.
11:55Buster Posey doesn't.
11:56The club was good last year.
11:57The coaching staff was good.
11:59They want to try and do some things to find a formula to make it great.
12:04Because in the past, it's been legendary.
12:06And your offseason will be abnormal, to spin your own phrase.
12:10You're not out there recruiting and knocking on doors and trying to get 18-year-olds to come to Knoxville.
12:14Now you're trying to get to know a big league club and a farm system.
12:19What do you plan on doing?
12:20And how do you set about going from now into March to get yourself and your staff ready to go out and be a winning team next year?
12:29Yeah.
12:29Well, I got to get to know you guys first.
12:32It's a good story.
12:33Yeah, yeah.
12:34And there's some closing of the books on things in Tennessee.
12:38There's some commitments I made to help out in the community.
12:42You know, you want to call it that.
12:44And there's real estate stuff.
12:45So, like anyone, turning the page and closing some books.
12:49But opening that new door and figuring out where's the best place to live in Scottsdale.
12:55Incredibly excited about that.
12:56Where to set up shop in San Francisco.
12:59Get to know everybody.
13:00Step one right now, though, on the major list that's more interesting is hiring staff.
13:04From there, it'll be revisiting some combos with some players and maybe even getting to get out and see those guys in person.
13:11And then really sit down and get an early start with some staff.
13:16Hopefully, most of us can get together in person and figure out how is this spring training going to set the tone for what we really want to make the next season.
13:25Tony Vitello, the new skipper of the Giants, is with us here on 95.7 The Game.
13:29Yeah, I feel like we haven't gotten – the media as a whole hasn't really had much of a chance to talk baseball with you yet.
13:36And maybe you haven't even had a chance to think about it, but you joked last week about how Bryce Eldridge turned down Tennessee.
13:43And maybe you needed to have a little chat with him about that now that you're his manager.
13:47But what is your vision for him this year, positionally, roster-wise, all of that if you have one?
13:54I think it picks up where when we scouted him in high school, what a blessing to see a guy that is ultra-talented and could make an impact at a high level right away.
14:08But also, you can legitimately dream on what is to come.
14:12And I wouldn't by any means call him raw.
14:15He knows what he's doing.
14:16He played at a very high level at some competitive areas and on a great team when he was in high school even.
14:23And now he's been through the system a little bit.
14:25But physically, he's still growing into that body.
14:28And body control is so important.
14:30Part of that is, you know, adding in agility stuff and things to become more athletic.
14:36But also, a lot of it is some of those guys, it takes longer to gain true core strength, which can control your body and just make things easier to repeat.
14:45And I think as he does that, it'll be a higher percentage of success he has at the plate.
14:50But more importantly for him, I think defensively and on the basis, he'll become a more complete player as he becomes more of a complete athlete.
14:59What is your general baseball philosophy?
15:01And I can't help but think about Toronto this year, so close to winning the whole thing.
15:04And they're a team that doesn't really strike out much.
15:07There are a lot of contact, and they like to get people in motion.
15:10Do you look at your philosophy and then look at this ballpark and try to marry the two going forward as the new skipper?
15:18Yeah, a little bit.
15:20I mean, I think if you want to fire me in six months, you can recall on this answer, whatever's going to win.
15:27You know, I think a lot of things for me are overly simple.
15:31And I really don't like losing.
15:35I haven't grasped onto the idea of you even having a good season means 60 losses.
15:40That's going to take a change and some temperament and some other things.
15:45So I like when the whole team for us, it would be meeting, you know, in left field or right field.
15:51I assume it'll be now in the dugout at the conclusion of a game.
15:54There's no better feeling when everybody, the group, got what the group wanted.
15:59And sometimes that means a guy had to pitch outside of his normal role or maybe a guy had to lay down a bunt.
16:06And I'm not, you know, again, bunting.
16:07If it helps win, I'm all for it.
16:10But I don't feel like I'm drastic one way or the other.
16:13I just, I hate the feeling of not being prepared, and I hate the feeling of not competing.
16:18And it is a true challenge to compete every inning of every game, no matter what level you're at.
16:25But when you're playing that many games, it becomes an even greater challenge.
16:30And so that's part of my role is to make sure our guys are helped, you know, kept in check as it relates to preparing and competing the right way.
16:38Tony, I saw you say that some of the Bay Area sports elite have maybe already made contact
16:43and that you have a number on George Kittle and you wouldn't mind getting into some shenanigans with him.
16:49I'd like to know, what do you want to do with George Kittle?
16:52Just be around that guy's energy.
16:55You know, he kind of seems to be a guy that makes you feel like you're on his team,
17:00no matter when you're around him or in what capacity.
17:03And that's the type of energy that makes a locker room great.
17:09But also, the guy's got unique charisma.
17:11So I'm sure any time you're – I didn't even know there was a Kittle Fest, but at a game, Kittle Fest, or at a concert,
17:18or even just having coffee, I'm sure being a part of that, you know, energy he gives off,
17:24or again, just seeing that charisma in person would not only be entertaining, but probably a little inspiring.
17:30Well, I know he's also got an off-season home in Tennessee, so I'm wondering if maybe it'll feel a little bit like home.
17:36I actually wanted to ask you that, to the likes of, you know, Peyton Manning was a guiding factor.
17:41I know you talked to him last week.
17:43Morgan Wallen's one of your good friends.
17:45Now we're talking Kittle.
17:47Like, my perception of you is you've got this unbelievable kind of old-boy network thing happening in Tennessee
17:55that sounds from the outside like a whole lot of fun, Tony.
17:59Like, how does – is this – what kind of culture shock are you headed for here?
18:06I don't think much of one – one thing that I mentioned on the radio today,
18:10John Wilkerson is a phenomenal play-by-play guy for us, and, you know, we did a radio interview this morning.
18:16I mentioned a lot of times you're on the sideline of the football game, and again, I said Twitter's not real life,
18:23and Instagram, those pictures, those are a snapshot.
18:25And there's plenty of times where I got to do something, you know, that I never would have thought I would have got invited to.
18:33Like, the CMAs are a good example.
18:36And I enjoyed being around the people I was at, and you get to hear the music,
18:39but a lot of times it's every bit as much work and networking and things like that to put, you know,
18:45at the time, put Vol Baseball in a better spot.
18:48So the times I do get to hook up with those guys, pretty cool.
18:52We'll see a concert and things like that, but it's not as often or as frequent as you'd like,
18:58and a lot of times there's work to be done before and after.
19:01So if anything, maybe a little less recruiting and a little less fundraising means maybe I could do that more often,
19:08but I grew up around my dad, and it's kind of about the work as much as it is anything.
19:13And you played for your dad in high school, if I'm not mistaken, baseball and soccer.
19:18Which of those athletic sports were you better at as a kid?
19:23Just baseball.
19:24And, again, I'm probably giving you ammunition.
19:27I shouldn't.
19:28Oh, yeah.
19:28I love baseball.
19:31But I just love competing.
19:33I love sports.
19:34And I was the type of kid that I liked being on top of all of them, again,
19:38reading the newspaper or following all of them.
19:40I loved playing all of them out in the yard, going to all sporting events.
19:43And baseball was the one I wasn't great at, but I was best at.
19:47So that's what helped me move along and be able to be in a position where I could do something involved in the game for work.
19:55The one part that probably led me to love this game more than any other wasn't so much when I was in it because it was tough.
20:04I wouldn't have as much success as I wanted.
20:06But then I started to realize that's the beauty, overcoming things like fear, overcoming failure, and also just meeting challenges head on.
20:16And discovering who you are as a person is often what is at the source of many great players.
20:22Like some of the role players, you know, a guy like Bill Miller, he was able to put numbers up like superstar players like Derek Jeter and Manny Ramirez the year he won the batting title
20:34because he was not just on a journey to be a better player, but just to discover who he was as a person.
20:40And that was one of those things that was in the back of my mind when this decision was available.
20:46And our roster is pretty good at Tennessee, number one recruiting class next year.
20:51And the year after looks to be similar to that.
20:54But why not go out there and discover what happens when you get punched in the mouth a little bit more often or you got to move to a new city and you got to adapt to some things.
21:04And we'll see.
21:05No matter how it goes, I think it's going to be a great learning experience.
21:09And I'm no George Kittle, but I like to make things fun.
21:14So at the very least, I think I'll have fun and I think people around me will have some fun.
21:18Well, speaking of having fun, because you came in talking about our Warrior conversation, and I don't know if you know this, but our radio station knows a few people with the Warriors, Tony.
21:28So, like, you know, you want to go to a Warrior game and sit on the floor?
21:35We can do this.
21:36We can make this happen, Tony.
21:38You're damn right I do.
21:40Okay.
21:41And I'm laughing as you say this because I probably said about 20 times when, you know, I was trying to figure out what was best for me.
21:49And I just kept saying, well, if I take this job, am I going to get to meet Steph Curry or not?
21:55Because at the end of the day, let's all be honest, that's really the only reason I made the decision.
22:01So.
22:01I love the honesty.
22:03That's a good reason.
22:04That's a great reason.
22:04All right, Tony, I've got my calendar out.
22:06When are you coming back to the Bay?
22:08What's going on?
22:10That's a good question.
22:11I'm trying to make sure I'm not in the air when I have a media obligation.
22:14All right.
22:15And also, you know, got some things to wrap up around Tennessee.
22:20But I'll be back and forth a few times the next few weeks.
22:23All right.
22:23We'll figure it out because.
22:26Yeah, we got you covered.
22:27Yeah, it's a pretty good time.
22:28I love it.
22:29Yeah, yeah.
22:29Somebody gave you a hat.
22:31Maybe we'll give you some tickets, Tony.
22:32That's the way we do it around here.
22:34I love it.
22:35I'll get on Amazon and make sure I got my jersey ready to go.
22:38Please do.
22:38Yeah, we'll probably take care of that, too.
22:40But anyway, hey, Tony, you're a blast.
22:43Thank you so much for spending some time with us today.
22:46Yeah, thank you.
22:47Thank you, guys.
22:48And again, anyone we came across in the city, in the Bay Area.
22:51Thank you so much on behalf of me and my family.
22:53And we'll work hard to pay you back.
22:55Okay.
22:56Looking forward to it all, Tony.
22:58Yeah.
22:59See you guys.
23:00All right.
23:00See you.
23:01Tony Vitello.
23:02All right.
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