All our good arms except Beam and Russell are leaving and we’ve only added a bullpen guy from Jacksonville State who had a 5 ERA in the Atlantic Sun conference
Way too early to jump off the ledge. Off season has barely even officially started. Tony will cook something up. Alabama ace Luke Holman is likely Tennessee bound to give one example. Not saying a player the caliber of Burns is something you just wave a magic wand and replace, but things will fall into place
We are heavily recruiting Snead from Wichita State plus the Holman kid, who was Bama’s Friday starter. We have solid class of arms coming from the high school ranks as well if we can survive the draft. I don’t get the gloom and doom just yet.
There are some annoying crybabies on twitter blaming Vitello. Lol, no. Vitello did what was right for the team and for Burns. Burns is better off both here and transferring because of what Vitello did. Burns is free to do as he wishes, but it would have been negligent for Vitello to NOT make the moves he thinks are best just to satisfy one player. I don't know shit about baseball or coaching. That's just life. We wanted Burns, and we wanted to win games. He doesn't want to be here. That's okay.
Even if there is a down season I think we can live with that after the last 3 seasons. ‘24/‘25 classes are ranked top 5 as well. Just need to hang on to TV.
Yep Tony said on radio today he has known Burns was gone for a while now. Cain at VQ said Tony was on his way to see Holman and has another visit with Snead lined up. Two big time arm talents. Causey had a tough year as a starter but he was good as a back end guy as a freshman and I forget which pitch, but his track man numbers for one of his pitches was tops in country. Sound like the catcher Peebles is coming for a visit after chatting with staff.. they doing work
That is just a byproduct of today's transfer portal age across all big time collegiate sports now imo. At least he didn't blindside anyone and gave us 150% of his effort when his name was called on this year despite him and everyone else apparently knowing that he was done with UT in a few weeks. Although just looking at this specifically from a modern college baseball POV, I think if anything it is an indictment on the culture of all things Daddy Ball travel baseball that these kids of this era have grown up amongst. Starting at 10 years old if you/mommy & daddy aren't happy with your playing situation the protocol in the dog-eat-dog, zero sum baseball universe at any age nowadays is to immediately switch to a new team that will accommodate your needs. Few things are more political than finding the absolute perfect travel team/situation for lil Johnny to play on each summer.
Hubbs at VQ had said they had heard there was some initial talk, it cooled, the roared back after last loss. Burns camp putting out stories about Vitello flaking on more than one occasion for a 1v1 talk… sounds like agents/advisors are in his ear about how Frank was using him
I don’t buy for a second Vitello wouldn’t talk 1 on 1 with Burns. I do buy he wouldn’t talk to anybody else in Burns “camp” about it. Burns had over 6 ERA starting the season. I don’t care what ranking, what round of draft etc. Can’t win games if your first or 2nd starter in the rotation has a 6 era. Pitch better and the pen isn’t an option.
I think what the claim was that he agreed to speak with Chase but never had the talks … like.. let’s sit down at SEC Tourney.. Vols get bounced and TV jets off recruiting.. essentially kept getting pushed off.. From TV comments, and it sounded like he handled it perfectly in his delivery… along with listening to the 247 podcast.. sounds like there is some entitlement there from CB and in the end TV and staff were just gonna do what they thought got them Ws vs what one player wanted. Credit to Burns though for not leaving midseason and sticking it out this long.
Yea Tony is just too much of a players coach to fully buy that version of the story. Tony will openly appreciate someone like Griffin Merritt confronting him in a 1-1 "come to Jesus" type meeting that ultimately resulted in Tony being convinced that Merritt belonged as a permanent fixture in his batting order. Yet he allegedly wouldn't even dare entertain a single meeting with one of his veteran star players he has known since he was a teenager that wanted to hash out and communicate his concerns? Makes no sense knowing how Tony rolls
Agree. Ben McKee laying out the agent angle probably is a good start. That guy is connected to TCU where rumors are he is headed. Also noting that he has changed advisors multiple times. He also said TN left CWS feeling they had smoothed things over, things changed, TN made a last ditch pitch and Burns camp wasn’t entertaining.
Following to say Causey metrics on his change rate tops in country… Low 90s submarine guy with a developing sinker and the dirty change up.
I will focus on the upcoming UT athletics and leave TV and staff to do their thing. Burns needs to focus on getting better and hope his "advisors" aren't doofases.
