Wally Backman Finds a New Job, For DiamondBacks A Ball Team Options

[Chisoxfn]

Courtesy of the Birmingham Barons

BIRMINGHAM, AL – Five days following the resignation of new manager Eddie Rodriguez, the Arizona Diamondbacks have announced today that Wally Backman will skipper the Lancaster JetHawks, the Diamondbacks Single-A, California League affiliate, for the 2004 season. Rodriguez recently accepted a position with the Montreal Expos as their new bench coach to open up the spot for Backman.

Backman lands in Lancaster after three seasons as a manager in the Chicago White Sox organization, the last two with the Class AA Birmingham Barons. In his two seasons with Birmingham, his clubs posted a 152 - 125 (.548) overall record and made the Southern League playoffs each season. In 2002, the Barons captured the Southern League championship and Backman was named the manager of the year as well as the league's Baseball America top managerial prospect.

The Oregon resident began his managerial career in the independent ranks, capturing a league championship in the Western League while with Tri-City in 2000. In four seasons, Backman guided three different independent clubs before joining the White Sox organization.

A former first round draft pick of the New York Mets and a member of that club's 1986 World Series Championship team, the 44-year-old played with a total of five organizations during his career before retiring in 1993. He hit .275 with 240 RBI in 1,102 career games at the big league level. In addition to the World Series title in 1986, Backman saw action in two other postseasons, 1988 with New York and 1990 as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

[cwsox]

glad he has a job in baseball

his future will just be slowed down a few years

[Gene Honda Civic]

Congrats Wally... I wish you well wherever your travels take you. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/Drinking.gif)

[SnB]

did we ever find out if that story about him wanting us to lose was true?

[Wise Master Bueh...]

did we ever find out if that story about him wanting us to lose was true?

If it wasn't, then I seriously doubt the Sox would have fired him. He could have a bright future as a manager. It's really a shame it turned out like this...

[southsider2k5]

I am the only one who thinks something else must have happened for Backman to get blackballed the way he has?

[southsideirish]

Good riddance to that pile of s***!!!!!!!! :fyou

[J.Reedfan8]

I am the only one who thinks something else must have happened for Backman to get blackballed the way he has?

Do you think The Twins management was telling the whole truth? Even their manager said he called him up to say "beat their sorry brains out so I can have Manuel's job."..or something like that. But I'm glad he found a job. He's going to bring intensity, aggressiveness, and fire in that A ball team.

[J.Reedfan8]

Good riddance to that pile of s***!!!!!!!! :fyou

:headshake

[Tony82087]

Good riddance to that pile of s***!!!!!!!! :fyou

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smilies2_nono.gif)

[greasywheels121]

Congrats to Wally....I don't know what to believe w/ what happened this season with Backman, but he is a good baseball guy. He's well deserving of this.

[Gene Honda Civic]

Good riddance to that pile of s***!!!!!!!! :fyou

Wally Backman is hardly a "pile of s***". He's a manager who over the past two seasons got more out of his team than most anyone in baseball. He may have been a little over anxious to get himself to Chicago, but he didn't do anything underhanded to get there.

He REPORTEDLY told Gardenhire to go out an whip the Sox so that he could have the managerial job. While that's far from an honorable thing to do, when you're cashing checks from the organization, he didn't do anything to physically harm anyone on the team or hinder thier development in any way. And I'm sure you never wished to get a promotion at your job, especially if you had a lame duck candidate ahead of you.

I'm sure Cotts, Bullard, and Jeff B. would come on here and defend him as a great manager. One who if he was the skipper of the big league club last year, we would have had a division championship at the very least.

[Spiff]

He REPORTEDLY told Gardenhire to go out an whip the Sox so that he could have the managerial job.  While that's far from an honorable thing to do, when you're cashing checks from the organization, he didn't do anything to physically harm anyone on the team or hinder thier development in any way.  And I'm sure you never wished to get a promotion at your job, especially if you had a lame duck candidate ahead of you.

No, bottom line is you can't defend it if he did it. You cannot slant it any way to make it right. If he did it, he's a douche bag. If he didn't, I take it back.

[Gene Honda Civic]

No, bottom line is you can't defend it if he did it.  You cannot slant it any way to make it right. If he did it, he's a douche bag.  If he didn't, I take it back.

I know I'm not going to change you mind on the subject, but here's a somewhat simillar scenario. I know your a giants fan too, but stick with me...

Jerry Angelo didn't want Dick juaron to be his coach. That's plain as day fact. But after his key aquisitions(Wahington and Traylor) and first season DJ was 13-3 and coach of the year in the NFL. DJ's contract was due to be extended, and JA was forced into having a coach he didn't want.

So how is this simillar to the Backman situation you ask. Well

JA set out to sabotage the Bears. Backman did nowhere near that, only making a comment, as opposed to a systematic destruction for ones own personal gain.
Dont think JA could pull it off? here's proof:

• Cut starting takle Blake Brockermyer
• Replace with rookie first round draft pick Marc Columbo -- who was considered a stretch pick in the first round
• Forgets to check a box requiring teams to provide compensation for Warrick Holdman if they sign him to an offer sheet. Subsequently the Bears have to pay through the nose in order to match Kanasas City's offer leading to the departure of double digit sackman Rosevelt Colvin
• Forgets to check a box requiring teams to provide compensation for Dwayne Bates . Dwayne Bates is signed to an offer sheet by Minnesota which our "hero" Jerry matched because he "knew" that Dwayne would renegotiate to a smaller salary. When Dwayne refused to take a pay cut Angelo released him, but Dwayne got to keep the signing bonus. Bates signed with Minnesota and enjoyed a comparable, but slightly more productive year than Dez White.
• Drafts CB Roosevelt Williams in 3rd round. What might have been? CB Derek Ross who had 5 interceptions 2002. Williams was cut the following year
• Releases (starting Tacke)Big Cat Williams in favor of Aaron Gibson or Bernad Robertson (subsequently cut).
• Declines to resign double digit sackman Rosevelt Colvin -- declaring Bryan Knight his replacement. Bryan Knight was demoted by game four of 2003 and ended the year with no sacks.
• Trades Ted Washington away in favor of Alfonso Boone -- hurting team chemistry, morale, and diminishes Urlachers effectiveness. All we got in return was a 4th round pick, for a superbowl teams starting NG?
• The Bears 2002 draft was arguably the worst in football. The only productive player from the draft is Alex Brown, a fourth rounder, who had first-round talent, but fell because he had an extremely sketchy background.

So now that Angelo's actions have been documented, What, if anything, did he do to deserve a 4 year contract extension, while Jauron was shown the door? How much bigger of a "douche bag" is Angelo than Backman? Why should he still have a high ranking job, while backman is essentially fired and demoted?

--------
Note: I may hate Jerry Angelo's past moves, but I think he does have a good football mind, as evidenced by last years draft. I just think he did an underhanded thing to get his own guy into position. All of the moves he has made this off season I have been impressed by.

[Rex Hudler]

There are many sides and facets to what goes on in baseball from personalities to performance. I don't buy that there is any one reason that Wally left the Sox. I do have a few thoughts, however....

1. First of all, Wally was not fired. He was simply not offered a new contract. His previous contract was up. Secondly, Wally was very emphatic that he would not got back to AA again. He felt he had earned a promotion. As it turns out, if he were offered a AA contract in December he could have had a change of heart since many other jobs were filled at that point. I do think the fact that he didn't want to go back to AA had an effect on the Sox decision not to offer the contract.

2. The Sox actually did indeed offer him a new contract during the season. Without a guarantee that he would not have to come back to AA and not knowing what was going on with the White Sox, he decided to hold off signing it. That was his choice at the time.

3. I personally find the story that broke about his "conversation" with Gardenhire stinks, big time. One source reported it with no direct quotes whatsoever. Other media sources only reported it a few days later because the story hung out there. No specific person was quoted and no other media source decided to do any kind of follow up. With today's media, that makes no sense.

4. If Wally did make such a comment, I have no doubt it was in jest. Did he want the Sox managerial job? Hell yes. But was he trying to undermine JM to get that job? I don't think so. The bottom line is 85% of Sox fans wanted the same thing, Manuel fired. Many people on this board went to great lengths to make long posts as to why he should be fired. So to call him an asshole for having the same thoughts you were is quite hypocritical.

Perhaps joking with a buddy was a bad idea. But how many times have any one here made a comment in jest that was meant to stay in that room only?? When casual comments land in print, they look 10x worse than they were intended.

5. That said, Backman is not without his faults. I don't pretend to know everything he ever did or said, but I know enough that like all of us, he was not perfect. I believe his biggest crime was not being patient enough in waiting for a position that White Sox personnel were telling him was all but his.

6. Lastly, regardless of everything else, Backman is one hell of a manager. His players loved playing for him, they played hard and they won games. He was a master at the game itself and won games for his team. Watching him over two seasons it was evident how much of an effect he had. I for one, will miss watching Wally manage.