Tony Vitello made a classic Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce reference as he left Tennessee for the San Francisco Giants

One of the things that will be missed the most about Tony Vitello in Knoxville is the former Tennessee Vols baseball coach's authenticity and transparency.

In a world where coaches often default to coach speak (looking at you, Josh Heupel), Vitello was always unabashedly himself at Tennessee. Vitello almost always said what was on his mind -- whether it was a good idea or not.

Vitello wasn't perfect, but he was real. And I think that's the main reason why he connected with players and fans so easily.

Tony Vitello made a classic Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce reference as he left Tennessee for the San Francisco Giants

Vitello did something very unusual this week after agreeing to become the new manager of the San Francisco Giants.

On Thursday, the former Tennessee coach spoke to some local Knoxville media outlets -- the ones that covered his program regularly over the last several years -- about his decision to leave UT.

Vitello delivered a lengthy statement (which can be read in full at VolQuest.com), that included a reference to all of the "stars in Tennessee".

"The stars are in Tennessee," said Vitello. "You’ve got the biggest male and female performer in the world in Tennessee. Of course Morgan (Wallen), and then the gal (Taylor Swift) that dates the tight end (Travis Kelce). West of the state— the shape of the state is unique. In the west you’ve got Ja Morant doing his thing. In the middle, you have Theo Von that the whole world loves. You come east and our damn mayor is Kane (Glenn Jacobs). He’s a superstar at his job he does now, but he was a superstar in the ring where I know I was one guy that was a fan back in the day, too. I don’t think people realize how unique it is until you give it some perspective."

Vitello's reference to Taylor Swift -- "the gal that dates the tight end" -- is classic Tony V stuff. That's just who Vitello is. He's not a guy that has long prepared statements and talking points. Vitello just speaks from the heart. Always.

And that's why I think he'll find success in MLB. Sure, he'll have to learn some of the nuances of the big leagues, and he will make mistakes (every MLB manager makes mistakes -- I don't think any MLB fan likes their manager by the time September rolls around and every little decision could mean making or missing the playoffs). But ultimately, Vitello's ability to be real and connect with people on a deeper level is why he has a legitimate chance to be a star at the next level.

window.addEventListener('message', function (event) {if (event.data.totalpoll && event.data.totalpoll.action === 'resizeHeight') {document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-2140').height = event.data.totalpoll.value;}}, false);document.querySelector('#totalpoll-iframe-2140').contentWindow.postMessage({totalpoll: {action: 'requestHeight'}}, '*');