The San Francisco Giants, desperate to reinvigorate the team after failed playoff pushes in each of the past four seasons, made the bombshell hiring of Tony Vitello, who made his mark on the coaching radar as the head honcho of the Tennessee Volunteers baseball program. This hire was unprecedented, as MLB teams usually preferred to hire those with significant coaching experience, at least within the MLB system.
Nonetheless, teams have to take risks sometimes to make the most of the talent they have at their disposal. This was what the Golden State Warriors did back in 2014. Despite being a good team under Mark Jackson's coaching, they decided to change course and hire Kerr, who did not have any coaching experience, to be the team's head coach. Suffice to say, that move worked out perfectly, resulting in four rings for the Dubs.
Kerr, more than anyone, would know what it means to do something new while being put under the microscope. And in an appearance on 95.7 The Game's Willard & Dibs show, the Warriors head coach gave the Giants manager some pieces of advice.
“I think all of us, when we first start coaching at this level, there's gotta be a little bit of imposter syndrome,” Kerr said. “You just have to get comfortable, get used to it. Tony's obviously a really smart guy and he's managed a lot of baseball games. He's gonna be fine.”
"I think all of us, when we first start coaching at this level, there's gotta be a little bit of imposter syndrome."
– Steve Kerr details what advice he'd give Tony Vitello in his first season as a Major League manager (via @WillardAndDibs). pic.twitter.com/xfFKnXQx71
— 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) April 1, 2026
Warriors figured it out quickly under Steve Kerr
The Warriors wasted no time going from good to great under Kerr's coaching. Kerr revolutionized the Warriors by installing a motion-based offense, and he was able to stumble upon Draymond Green being a Hall of Fame-caliber player and defender. He also got Andre Iguodala to buy into being the team's sixth man for good.
The Giants will need a bit more time to coalesce seeing as they are sharing the same division with the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers. But Vitello has time to figure it out, that's for certain.
