Backman interview: Part I

“If you’re happy in independent ball, that’s not where you want to be. You better come to independent ball to work your ass off and promote yourself to affiliated clubs. I’m not going to put my stamp on a guy that I don’t feel is giving it his all.”

Part I

This is the first part of the New Era’s interview with Wally Backman. In this segment, he discusses, among other things, his managerial approach, why he could be successful with the Barnstormers and how he would rebuild the roster for the 2008 season:

How interested are you in this job?

Very much so. There are other clubs I have to talk to still. But I was really impressed with the setup there in Lancaster. There could be some affiliated teams and there’s another independent team I have to talk to in a different league. I’ve already made the commitment to talk to them. I need to see what they have to say.

The meeting that we had in Lancaster seemed to be pretty informal. We talked about some philosophies and things like that. I saw the stadiums, I saw the suites and went into the clubhouse – all those kinds of things.

Would you bring a blue-collar approach to the Barnstormers?

If you look at the teams I’ve had in the past, that’s what they’ve done. It’s not really an old style of baseball. It’s a National League style of baseball. I like to run. I like to hit and run. The numbers we put up this year speak for themselves, the number of bases we stole and things like that. It has been my motto everywhere I’ve been. I expect guys to give me 100 percent every time they’re out there. They know that going in. They won’t be there long if they don’t. I’ve been fortunate to be able to put the right players together in the past when I’ve been in independent ball. I felt in organized baseball I was able to get the most out of the players.

My main thing I feel about myself is I know how to put players in position to succeed. The other thing is knowing how to run your pitching staff.

With your past independent league experience and your connections in affiliated ball, do you think you’d be able to help build an Atlantic League roster?

This past year I picked every single one of those players. The one thing that I saw that was nice talking with Keith (Lupton) and Jon (Danos) is Keith is going to be part of that too this year. The manager will have some help getting players, which makes it that much easier. You can weed through a lot more players. The connections in independent ball are a must. I know players are going to get released before they’re released. It definitely helps.

What is the likelihood that you’ll get an affiliated offer for next season?

I’ve got a couple of resumes in and a couple of organizations have shown some interest. What interest that is going to be, we’ll have to see. I’m an on-field guy. I want to be on the field. Some of that interest might not be on the field. It might be in the scouting system. It could be a lot of different directions. I’m not going to take an affiliated job just to take it. I have to feel it’s with the right organization and it’s the right job.

You interviewed with Newark prior to last season. How familiar are you with the Atlantic League?

A little bit. Not a whole lot. The travel is nice, I know that. The stadiums are nice. You find very few stadiums in affiliated ball that are as nice as the stadium in Lancaster – to be honest with you. It’s a nice set-up. It seems to me it’s run like a professional organization. That’s very enticing.

In independent ball, it seems the manager is a huge part of the motivation for players because they’re not in organizations and they’re not trying to advance through a system. Do you see it that way?

As a manager, that’s your job. If a player starts to lay back a little bit, I would take that personally. That’s a personal reflection on me, the way that I teach and the way I let my players play the game. I’ve managed four years in independent ball. I can count on one hand how many players have not played hard for me. If they did, they were either gone if it was independent ball or they had a pretty good ass-chewing from me in my office, along with other people that were higher up in the organization.

I understand you have a connection to Rick Wise. Could you explain how you know him?

When I found out Rick was the pitching coach there, he was the first guy I called. I talked to Ricky (Wednesday morning). We’ve been friends. We haven’t been on the same path with each other for a long time. I don’t know if I would get the job or anything, but I have the stats for the players. In my opinion, there are a lot of changes that would have to be made. If I was the one who was there, it would be a completely revamped team. You might have six or seven guys off that club. That would be the max.

You’ve got to have new blood coming in there, guys who want to further their career. If you’re happy in independent ball, that’s not where you want to be. You better come to independent ball to work your ass off and promote yourself to affiliated clubs. I’m not going to put my stamp on a guy that I don’t feel is giving it his all. Every club I have ever had is run like a major league affiliate. My guys are required to be in a weight training program, the whole works. I want to be able to tell an affiliated club this guy can come in and play right now. He can do everything. He has a good work ethic off the field.

---

NOTE: In Part II of this interview, Backman will discuss what went right and wrong during his one season with the South Georgia Peanuts of the South Coast League. That includes his suspensions and brief resignation.