“I feel that I’m plenty young enough to work my way back to the top. I feel that somebody at some point in time is going to give me the opportunity. If it means coming to the Atlantic League for a year or two, then so be it. I’m trying to let the past be the past and go into the future.”
Part II
This is the second installment of the New Era’s interview with Wally Backman. In this segment, he discusses his dismissal from the Diamondbacks, his failures and successes in the South Coast League and his chances of getting back to the majors.
Do you feel like you’ve been treated fairly by big-league organizations?
There were some mistakes made. Everyone seems to get second chances and I’m the one who hasn’t gotten one yet. I’m still hopeful for it. I sat out two years after I got fired from the Diamondbacks. It was grinding at me. I took the job in the South Coast League. I wasn’t going to sit out of the game another year. If it’s going to be in independent ball again this next year, so be it. But I’m not going to sit out.
Did you wait for two years because there was nothing on the table or because you needed to get away from the game?
The first year was almost a must-wait. The next year I had a few offers to do some independent ball in the El Paso area, but I really didn’t want to go back that route. I didn’t get any offers that whole year in 2006 and I didn’t even send my resumes out for this last season because I was a little bit pissed off. Kash Beauchamp (head of the SCL’s baseball operations) wanted to bring me into independent ball. I talked with the Newark team last year. I had already made a commitment to Kash and ended up going to the South Coast League.
There were some incidents and some suspensions during your time in the South Coast League. Can you explain what happened and what went wrong?
The way that some of the stuff was blown out of proportion … I was the target in that league. I served an eight-game suspension. I was thrown out of a game after we had a fight on the field. The choice I was given by the league was my coaches who were on the field were each going to get a five-game suspension or I had to take an eight-game suspension for my coaching staff.
Players are going to make mistakes. Sometimes they’re going to be wrong. Part of my job as a manager is to protect your players. If one of my players gets thrown out of a game, more than likely I’m going to go with him. That’s just the way that I am. You’ve got to earn the respect of your players. That’s one way to earn it. You can read any article, players have always said it about me: I stand behind them 100 percent, right or wrong. After the incident, it’s easy to take them into the office and say, ‘Hey, man, we can’t be doing this.’
I think I was thrown out of four games (in the South Coast League). I had a three-game suspension for bumping an umpire, which is understandable. I wasn’t hitting the guy. It was chest to chest bumping. It’s what happens in baseball. They had a little bit of a bull’s-eye on my back, I think. The bad thing was there was a lot of local umpires. They had an incident where the guy hit a home run and the ball was 30 feet foul. One of the waitresses at Appleby’s said the fans in Macon, Ga. wanted to see Wally Backman get thrown out of a game. That was just a blatant bad call. You don’t do that. It affects players and it affects the outcome of games. It was unprofessional the way a lot of things happened there.
What about your brief resignation?
Two of my players supposedly used a masking agent for a drug test (and were suspended). When I resigned and came back three days later, I had the drug policy. The ownership group did not know what was in the drug policy. Why do I know and the ownership does not? The players were supposed to meet with the doctor. It was never supposed to be public. It was supposed to be a sit down with myself and the doctors in an office and tell the player, ‘If it happens again, this is the consequences you’re going to face.’ That would have been a 10-game suspension. It said it right in the drug policy. One of the players is suing the league and rightfully so. I told the league they were going to get sued and they didn’t care. It was a learning experience to go to a first-year league like that.
On the field, you won the championship and had the best record in the league. What does that say about you?
The key is knowing how to get the players to play for you, knowing how to run your pitching staff and how to get the right players. Or convince the right players to come there because you’re dealing with a lot of independent clubs.
The players know everything about me before we even step on the field. If you can’t come out here and bust your ass for three hours, I don’t want you. I don’t care if you play in the big leagues or rookie ball. It doesn’t matter. You’re getting paid to play a game and you’re playing to win.
Winning is developing. That’s what I tried to get across to all the players who played for me. You have to learn how to win before you can become a winner. I think I teach it the right way. It’s pretty much that simple. I know how to get that performance out of the players.
It’s such a long climb to reach the big leagues as a manager. You made it, if only for a few days, and now you’re back at the beginning. How difficult is that for you?
I feel that I’m plenty young enough to work my way back to the top. I feel that somebody at some point in time is going to give me the opportunity. If it means coming to the Atlantic League for a year or two, then so be it. I’m trying to let the past be the past and go into the future.
Thanks, Jason. Wally sounds like the type of manager that understands his players and is right there upfront supporting them.
I liked his admission that “It was a learning experience to go to a first-year league like that.”
I have seen some very confident people in my life. Often time, that confidence is misconstrued as cockiness. Wally definitely seems to be very confident in his abilities as a manager. One who can develop a winning team in a short period of time.
Good interview!
dadTB
Man the more I read about him the more I dislike him. We all make mistakes but he wants everyone to feel sorry for him. He blames every thing on someone else. He says everyone had a bull’s-eyes on him. The whole “waitresses at Appleby’s” thing is so out there. I also would have like to know what his reason for going up to the press box and get into it with the play by play guy from the other team. Also, I am not going to say who is right but what he says is not the same things I read and been told about. I been told that he was fired (Not that he resigned) and that it had to do with everything and not just the drug policy. I was told and read that it had to do with all the problems they had with him for the whole season.
I understand people should get a second chance but you have to earn the second chance. The South Coast league gave him a second chance and he proved he was not ready. There is more than wins or loses and this guy is just bad news.This last part is just a rumor but I hear the the south Coast League does not want him back. If that is true then that should tell you something (again the last part is just a rumor and I not sure if it is true).
Jason.. You did a great job on this even if I don’t like the guy and don’t want him being our manager. You ask good questions and I really enjoyed reading it even if it get my blood boiling. It would be good to see what the South Coast League says about Walley Backman
There are guys that can be great managers and can get us wins and not give us all the headaches that I feel Walley Backman would give us all.
Backman doesn’t seem to have a filter when he talks to the media (or anyone). That doesn’t bother me. It’s good for business, in fact.
The on-field tirades don’t bother me, either. When Klebe was hired, people seemed excited to watch him mix it up with the umpires and he did — over and over and over.
If you look at Backman’s pre-Diamondbacks history, there wasn’t a lot of controversy. That’s why he got the big-league job in the first place. I think the SCL was a low-level operation and Backman felt he didn’t belong there. He was above it. You know what? He’s right.
If the Barnstormers hire Herr or Hobson instead of Backman, I think that’s a fine decision. If they take a less accomplished candidate over Backman, I think it’s a mistake. This is indy ball. You shouldn’t be afraid to take a chance on someone. In fact, that’s the very purpose of indy ball.
If the York job goes vacant, as reported, how would you feel about that as the ODP managerial trifecta? Just a matter of picking teams.
So take the chance on Ryan Minor instead.
fausto,
That would be a fun scenario. Add in Joe Ferguson and the Atlantic League’s South Division would have some of the best managers in independent ball.
Jason – I agree 100%! People might think I’m his agent the way I am pushing for his hiring, but my prefernce has remained Hobson, Backman and Herr. If all 3 are available and want the job, there is no need to drag it on. Announce the Barnstormers manager and then let ODP find managers for the other teams. My concern is if we wait too long there are probably other leagues that want these guys. I don’t want to lose an opportunity at getting one of these 3, any of which would be an asset to the team!
PS: Remember, it took a pain in the butt named Paul Owens to get the Phils over the hump after the Danny Ozark era.
Anybody know the name of the book that John and Bob Wolff wrote?
Is this what you are looking for?
http://www.alibris.com/search/search.cfm?qwork=8870092&wauth=Bob%20Wolff&matches=14&qsort=r&cm_re=works*listing*title
The Wolffe’s book is titled Harvard Boys, a father and sons adventure playing minor league baseball. The title is longer than my career.
Right Sidd..thanks. Thats the one.
Sounds like Hoiles is staying with the Revs. Check it out here.
just off the wire – Jose Offerman gets a slap on the wrist
http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/articles/2007/10/31/offerman_receives_probation/
Gary Carter is coming to Lancaster for an interview Thursday. Bob Robertson interviewed earlier this week. According to Keith Lupton, Robertson has no prior managerial experience, but served as a roving hitting instructor with the Astros.
I’m told Hobson will not travel here for an interview. The Barnstormers don’t believe it’s necessary. They are familiar with him from his days in Nashua.
Gary Carter was in my era of growing up… same age in fact. He was one heck of a catcher, for sure.
The Expos always beat up on the Phillies during those days.
2003 Hall of Famer in Lancaster tomorrow!
Are you going to try to catch up with him, Jason?
Picked up my copy of Wolff’s book yesterday afternoon at Barnes & Noble. Can’t wait to read it! Hopefully, he’ll write a sequel and it will include his experience in Lancaster. Had it reseved in advance because I didn’t want to take a chance of not getting it right away.
So excited about Wolff’s book that I forgot to mention this:
Can’t sell me on Wally. I just don’t see him fitting in with such a conservative Lancaster County community. However, it does appear that some fans really like that kind of excitment. Hopefully we won’t have to wait long to find out who it will be.
dadTB – As a lifelong Phillies fan I remember the “Phillie Killer” well! He actually was one of my favorite players on the “I wish he played for us” list. I liked the batting helmet when he caught and how he wore his socks up. And man could he hit!
On a side note, it’s intersting how the guys wore their socks back then (remember Rusty Staub?). I remember the sloppy sock thing started with the Phillies with Richie Hebner. Bring back a dress code so we can see those socks! Even the old school guys like Rick Wise wear their pants down now. I always appreciate players (Ross Peoples, Barry Armitage, even A-Rod) who wear the uniform the right way.
So much for my “Mr Blackwell” moment! Only 3 months until Spring Training!!!!!!
I always wondered what the deal with the socks were.
My kids like to wear them up – makes them feel like real ballplayers. But I have no problem with players that keep them hidden. I do feel like a team should have a uniform, uniform policy – but don’t know that it needs to be league mandated.
But whatever they do these days, it’s much better than the stirrups from yesteryear!
Hi Barney,
I talked with Gary Carter for a little while today. I’ll have some of his comments on the blog at some point as well as a story in the paper.
Also, I wore those stirrups. They were great!
It seems to me that almost all the player’s kept their socks hidden in the late 80’s to mid 90’s. The exception was Jim Thome with Cleveland who hiked his pant legs up to show his solid colored socks. He got hurt during the 97 season and many of his I ndian teamates showed their socks to honor Thome. If you see hilights of the 97 World Series,you see most of the player’s with the socks showing.After that,it just seemed more and more player’s liked the look and went that way. BTW, I know this goes under the Get A life heading. lol
Jason – Can’t wait to read about the “Phillie Killer”
chuckerd58 – I tried to post this link but it didn’t show …
Stirrups are uniform socks that were commonly worn by baseball players up until the mid-1990s, when major league players began wearing their pants down to the ankles, setting a trend that was soon picked up by players in minor and amateur leagues. Until then, stirrup socks had been an integral part of the traditional baseball uniform, giving them a distinctive look. A high sock was needed since baseball players wore “knickers” which, similar to football pants, came to just below the knee. The stirrup socks served to display team colors, stripes or team logos. For example, for several years the Minnesota Twins wore black stirrups with “TC” on the side, for “Twin Cites”. The Houston Astros wore black stirrup socks with a white star on the side. The stirrup sock colors were also the basis of team names, including the Cincinnati Red Stockings (later the “Reds”), Boston Red Sox, and Chicago White Sox. For these reasons, traditionalists lament the recent “sockless” look in baseball uniforms.
Stirrup socks are worn on top of long socks called “sanitaries,” usually white in color. This is because early color dyes in the outer stirrup sock were thought to pose health issues, as well as the fact that the inner, less expensive white sock could be changed more frequently. The stirrup sock lacked a foot, instead having a loop (“stirrup”) which fit under the foot and exposed part of the white undersock. Over the years, the stirrup loop tended to get longer, exposing more of the white undersock, thus creating a look unique to baseball.
However, by the 1980s many players were pulling the loop so high that only the white undersock and the loop itself showed – the rest of the game sock being hidden by their pants. For many years teams had enforced rules so that uniforms were worn “uniformly”, including team socks. For example, Leo Durocher, longtime manager of the Chicago Cubs, had a measuring stick in the clubhouse. Players were required to match the length of their stirrup loops to this stick at about 4 inches, exposing only a small part of the white sanitary. Increasingly lax regulation of uniform codes by Major League Baseball eventually contributed to players ignoring the traditional look.
Although some teams continue to wear traditional baseball stirrup socks, particularly college teams, another option has been to replace the stirrup/undersock with a “2 in 1″ combination sock mimicking the real thing, or simply to wear a single solid knee high sock with knickers. The trend back to knickers and high socks is particularly evident among youth and high school teams. A few pro players, such as Brian Tallet of the Toronto Blue Jays and Jamie Moyer of the Philadelphia Phillies have been spotted wearing genuine stirrups recently to much fanfare. The minor league Springfield Missouri Cardinals wear a 2-in-1 version of the traditional St Louis Cardinals’ game sock that looks very much like the real thing.
Other sports also use, or have used, stirrup socks, but traditionally wore a white sweat sock over, instead of under, the colored stirrup game sock (eg, basketball, football, hockey). There are still some sock companies manufacturing stirrup socks for baseball and other sports, including Twin City Knitting Company in Conover, North Carolina. Uni Watch Blog, a site that is committed to the “Obsessive Study of Athletics Aesthetics,” advocates the use of stirrups in baseball. In fact, Uni Watch’s support of the stirrup is so large, a striped stirrup is present in the logo.
I was one of the fans that baseball lost with the strike in the early 90’s. Which is, apparently, the same time stirrups faded away and the current trend(s) emerged. No wonder I feel lost
In case anyone wonders, when Dave and I were in the booth, we had our socks up…
Tom
Barney,
I asked Carter about beating up on the Phillies and he had a pretty good answer that I’ll post with the rest of the interview.
Also, there are two new names in the manager hunt. One is from the Phillies’ not-so-glorious days in the mid- to-late 80s. More on that later.
Didn’t know Steve Jeltz was looking for work.
Actually, I was fishing for a Juan Samuel reference.
He was my favorite.
Too easy. Was gonna go Sixto Lezcano on ya.
Joe Cowley for pitching coach!!!