Insider Compares New Giants Manager Tony Vitello's Tennessee Team to 'Happy Gilmore'

The San Francisco Giants went outside the box in their search for a new manager, and they officially hired former Tennessee head coach Tony Vitello to the position on Wednesday.

The Athletic's Joe Rexrode explained what could have gone into the Giants' thought process as they made Vitello the first person ever to go from college head coach directly to MLB manager.

"College baseball wasn't sure how to take this guy a few years ago when his teams started beating everybody in their path — all while taunting bat-inspecting umpires, wearing fur coats and running the bases with middle fingers extended," Rexrode stated. "Vols baseball was like Happy Gilmore, luring chest painters to pro golf events and offending traditionalists. Vitello might be a bit excessive for the Carolina League, too. And now he's in The Show? Tony Vitello? Tony the Tiger and Dick Vitale would have been just as believable before Giants president Buster Posey made this a serious pursuit."

Despite Vitello's eccentricities, there's no denying his success. He led Tennessee to a College World Series title in 2024. Under his direction, the Vols won two SEC regular season titles and two SEC tournament championships while advancing to the NCAA Regionals in each of the last five years and the Super Regionals three times.

Rexrode added that Vitello will inject new energy into the Giants and baseball as a whole when he arrives to San Francisco.

"But it's serious, and real, and compelling. Posey got his guy, a devastating loss for Tennessee. And a major win for people who like fun with their sports. It could be a win for the Giants," Rexrode stated. "It's absolutely unconventional and a risk. It's also going to make that franchise, and its press availabilities, much more interesting to the world at large."