It's simply fun
Tennessee baseball will play again next weekend in front of sell-out crowds at Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
This time, it will be for a ticket to the College World Series.
Win or lose, count on these Vols to be all gas and no brake. There will be bat flips, heroics, drama, a whole lot of intensity…and a hell of a lot of fun.
Their head coach is emotional. He sprints down the field in big moments and does front flips. He seems to push all the right buttons and right now he could win political office in the state.
And soon he’s going to be worth a whole lot of money.
But that’s not the story of this team and credit Tony Vitello for not allowing it to be. It’s not about him. It’s about this team.
Since the start of this season, I’ve tried to figure out who this team is, what they are and what they are about. All that I’ve come up with is that they are just old-school, crazy baseball players.
They have guys who wear adult-size onesies to the ball yard on game day. They have a pink home run “Daddy” hat. They have their rituals, their superstitions and their own languages for one another.
These Vols aren’t the most talented roster in college baseball, but they are one of the best baseball teams in the country.
And they are a hell of a lot of fun.
I wrote a couple of weeks ago about what pride is worth to Vol Nation at this moment. Right now, it’s worth a Brinks Truck full of cash because this team has captured the hearts of a fanbase looking for something to hang their hat on and to buy into.
This Tennessee team at this time has provided that. With football hitting the restart button for the fifth time in 13 years and with a basketball season where only a handful of people were allowed to watch in-person, this team has hit the mark with thousands of fans clamoring for something to brag about.
In his introductory press conference four years ago, Tony Vitello was asked what it would take to get fans to come back to Lindsey Nelson Stadium.
His reply? Fun. Fun in how his team went about playing the game.
“If people see we’re doing the right things, they’ll appreciate us and they’ll give us that opportunity. But eventually, we’re going to have to show them wins. But I will say, if there’s anything we want to market, I want someone to give us one game, one chance to come to the yard, and see our style of play. And if our guys aren’t having fun in that dugout, and they’re not going all out on the field, then don’t come back again.”
Fans are back. It was standing-room-only with temporary bleachers for three games in the regional. It will be this weekend in the super regional.
Baseball has become Vol Nation’s pastime in 2021. And when you are two wins away from making it to Omaha, everyone is all in.
Why wouldn’t you be? It’s a hell of a lot of fun.