The Barnstormers are about to begin formal interviews for their managerial opening. Two new names have appeared on their wish list: Hal Lanier and Bob Robertson.
Lanier managed the Astros for three seasons. He was the National League’s manager of the year in 1986 when he guided Houston to the playoffs. He has experience in independent ball with the Winnipeg Goldeyes and Joliet JackHammers. of the Northern League.
Robertson played 11 seasons in the big leagues, mostly with the Pirates, and was known for his prodigious power. He retired as a player in 1979. Roberston lives in Frostburg, Md. and has family in Lancaster County.
Seven candidates are scheduled to be interviewed. In addition to Lanier and Robertson
, the others are names we have discussed here before: Tom Herr, Butch Hobson, Wally Backman, Ryan Minor and Gary Carter. Head of baseball operations Keith Lupton didn’t have a timetable for when the interviews would be completed.
Herr, Hobson and Backman remain the most interesting names on the list. Lupton knows Herr and Hobson well from their days in the Atlantic League. Minor is also an old favorite of Lupton’s. The two go back about 10 years to when Minor was a player in the Orioles’ system with the Delmarva Shorebirds.
As for Backman …
“I don’t know much about Wally,” Lupton said. “He’s a good baseball name. I have heard he’s an awfully good manager. He always has more Ws than Ls.”
When these men interview with Lupton and ODP president Jon Danos, they will be considered for both the Barnstormers’ vacancy and the opening with the expansion Southern Maryland Blue Crabs. It’s an impressive list of candidates.
“Some of these guys could get affiliated jobs between now and the time we talk to them,” Lupton said. “We know that going in. We want to talk to the best and give it a shot.”
this is going to be interesting to follow. i am glad that the list is large and that they are going to take their time with the interview process and not just jump at the first possibility.
can’t wait till opening day. any word on the status of the nashua pride?
The Pride’s future is still in limbo. The deadline for a decision is Thursday.
I have been out of the loop awhile,what’s the deal with the Pride? Are they folding? T hat would be kind of sad.
How was the Pride’s attendance this season? Any better being in the CanAm league?? That would be a big factor in the Folding process.
Announced attendance was 1,553 a game, which ranked last in the Can-Am League. The last article by Tom King in the Telegraph said the Pride needs to have 830 season tickets sold to return in 2008. They were about 600 short of that figure on Oct. 12.
I still think that if a Hall of Famer with that kind of name value wants a spot in the Atlantic League, he’s going to find one somewhere. Not necessarily Lancaster, but maybe Southern Maryland…
He has managed before too, so that isn’t an issue…
Bob Robertson is a name from my past. Being a Pirate fan as a youngster. Robertson was our big slugger for a few years. I think he also had hit the farthest home run in the upper deck in left field for a right hander.
He played on the 1971 team which was one of the great Oriole teams. 1979 being the other year that we beat the Orioles. So I dont know how much of a fan favorite he would be.
But it was interesting to see his name pop up.
Being an Orioles Fan for 53 years I wouldn’t mind having Bob Robrtson manage the Barnstormers. If he can win us some games and get us into the Playoffs again I don’t care if Reggie Jackson would manage the Barnstormers. I hate hate Reggie Jackson. I wasn’t a fan favorite of Tommy Herr when he took over the Barnstormers either. But I am now!
Love those Stormers!
I am back. I needed some time after my gandfather died (I was almost closer to him than my father). I also was stuck in bed for a couple of weeks after I busted up my back falling down steps trying to not step on a new kitten we have. The last thing I wanted to do was get on the internet when I busted my back up.
Well, I have a lot to say but I will keep it with the manager search. I don’t have a problem with a lot of the guys on the list. Hal Lanier is a good man and I feel he could do the job. I don’t know a lot about Bob Robertson so I am not sure about him. I also don’t have a problem with Tom Herr or Butch Hobson. The only thing about Tom Herr is will be here two years from now. He really wants to manage in affilited ball and would drop Lancaster in a heart beat. I know managers don’t say long in Indy ball but it would be nice to have a manger that will be here two or three years. If a big name is what you want then I say go get Gary Carter. You will bring fans in just by him being the manager. If I was making the pick I guess it would be between Hal Lanier, Butch Hobson, and Gary Carter with Butch Hobson being the front runner. He knows the league and is a very good coach. I have nothing against Tom Herr but I want a guy that wants to be here.
I feel Ryan Minor will be left out in the cold and not get a manager job this year but if he does then it will be for the Maryland team.
Now for Walley Backman, I hope to god that he does not get the job. He is not a good guy. People say Barry Bonds is an A$$ but Walley Backman is much more of one. I don’t care if he is a good manager. He will make AL and Lancaster Barnstormers look bad. He will make a joke out of this league and the team. Just look at his history and what he did with the South Georgia team and the South Coast league this past year. He was ejected and fined a bunch this past year and really had a lot of blow ups this past year. The league had enough of him that they stepped in and fired him just to bring him back (Rumor is that they decided to bring him back because it put the new league in the paper and media and while it was not good news, it was news and let people know about the league). He was ejected from many games and even had his team walk off the field before the game was over. He was ejected in that game but again it was rumor that he told his coaches to have his team walk off the field. I read many quotes from player and coaches from other teams in the South Coast league that had nothing but bad things to say about him. I even read that some of him own players could not stand him. Last year he was given another shot to be a manager and he messed it up and I for one don’t want anything to do with him. If he becomes the manager I really may never go to a game this coming year and spend my money in Reading or Harrisburg. He is a bad choice.
PTW,
Jason has a great story about Wally earlier. He also has a documetarty link. The players interviewed for the spot loved him, the coaches admired him I seem to rember a story about the team walking off, the did so in support of Wally.
Read more about it on this blog maybe it can change your mind.
Wally might be fun considering we had those three horrible umps this year, imagine what Wally would have said about some of those bad calls.
Backman interviewed with the Barnstormers on Monday. From what I can gather, the interview went well and both sides remain interested.
I talked to Backman for about 20 minutes today. I’ll tell you one thing: He’s impressive. I’ll transcribe some of the interview for this site and I’m writing a story for the New Era.
Among the topics …
*How his connections in affiliated ball will help acquire players in the Atlantic League.
*What he thinks of last year’s Barnstormers roster.
*How he gets players to work hard for him.
*What went right and wrong during his one season in the South Coast League.
And more …
PTW,
Welcome back. I hope you’re feeling better and I’m looking forward to reading your opinions on here again.
Yeah we missed you Play! Hope the back is gettin better.
Sure some interesting things going on with the whole managerial search. I’m not sure what to think. Play had some intersting points about Wally, yet just what if….
anyways, the Sox are spanking the Rockies. YESSSSSSS!
NL SUCKS @$$!!!
If I spend good money to go to a baseball game only to see my team lose by forefeit because the players walked off the field, I will not return.
Many managers can win and get their teams to play hard without carrying on like a maniac when things don’t go their way. The Barnstormers need to hire one of them.
Not to beat a dead horse but here is some more reasons I don’t want Walley Backman here with the Barnstormers. Here are some of the other things he did that I did not post in my other post. He bumped umpires multiple times that got him ejected a few times and even was bad enough to get him suspended 3 games one time. Many times he threw equipment on the playing field when things were not going his way. Many times was heard saying the F-Bomb that even fans of the South Georgia team called to complain that he was usuing the word too much. One game that he blow up and was ejected, he went up to the radio booth to contront the other teams play by play man because he said that backman was acting like a child after each ejection he gets. The GM tried to step in and break it up and got into it with him. From what I read there was no puches thrown but a lot of f-bombs and pushing. He also confronted a macon player after that player had bad things to say about Backmen in the papers. Those are just the on field stuff that happen in just one year as manager. You put all those thing and the things I listed in my other post and you can see that this guy has no reason to be a manager and I don’t want to see him here. I agree with JP, there are lots of managers that can win and get the team to play hard. We don’t Backman here. He may be a sweet talker and may be a good manager but the side stuff is way too much for him to be manager in Lancaster.
You can read about a lot of these things I listed by going to the South Coast web site and look under the News section. I also found some of these things about him by just doing some research. I could of listed some other things he has done but they are minor.
I don’t want to sound so hard on this guy but he is just a bad guy and we can find a better manager and person to manage the Barnstormers.
The Pride is returning to the Can-Am League. Story here.
A blurb in the Baltimore Sun says York manager Chris Hoiles could become the Orioles’ first base coach.
I am a little suprise about the Pride coming back. I felt they were going to shut down the team. I also don’t think Butch Hobson will be back for them. I think he has decided to move on.
I agree on the F-bomb. That word is used way to much among players and coaches these days you have kids saying it like it is part of the normal vocabulary. I have heard a few of our past players say it after a strike out and I heard it at the top of Section 20. There are many ways to get your point across without using profanity. You come across a lot more “Professionally” and make your point using a better choice of words. But that is my humble personal opinoin.
How many people would read this site and his articles in the paper if Jason dropped a few choice words. Thanks for keeping it clean Jason.
Obviously, I’d rather players or coaches not curse in front of fans — more specifically, kids — but I think it’s a little unrealistic to expect that.
It’s a competitive league and these are competitive guys. Yes, there are more constructive ways to express your frustration, but as someone who could fill a swear jar in about 24 hours, I’m not sure that’s realistic.
The only stuff I have a problem with is when you’re in a half-empty stadium and you can hear f-bombs from all the way up in the press box during an argument or something like that. It’s somewhat unavoidable, but it’s also pretty ugly, too.
Not trying to stir things up, but how come when I brought the same thing up a few months ago about JT everybody came to his defense. He was tossed from the game and continued during his walk of the green mile. There were comments like it’s part of the game, don’t sit so close to the field, etc. I don’t think we can have a double standard! If it’s part of the game, so be it.