Wally Backman, what the heck are you doing?
It’s bad enough that you leave the Mets, but do go on the radio and then blast the organization, it’s what got you blackballed from organized baseball in the first place.
Backman says he resigned, however anonymous sources – that probably came from the Mets organization – told the NY Post, he was fired because of tension with general manager Sandy Alderson.
““You want to be respected for what you do and I just felt for my time that I worked there the respect wasn’t there,” Backman said on WFAN. “The things that went on this year really turned my head it was time to move on.”
The 56 year-old wanted the bench coach job last off-season that went to Dick Scott. He felt that he was entitled to it and at least a September call-up this year. Neither happened. So Backman is taking his ball and going elsewhere.
That’s fine and he’s entitled to do so.
But unlike the Mets where he had a big ally in Jeff Wilpon, most other organization are going to view Backman from what they see from the outside.
Right now, that’s as Alderson would say, “bad optics.”
No matter if you are a Wally fan or not, you have to believe that Backman’s best shot at a big league job, which is what he wants, would have been with the Mets. He’s known in this organization and he is trusted. Plus the fanbase is behind him.
Unless he already has another job lined up, Backman may regret what happened today in the future. Teams will see this and possibly use it against the former Mets in future job openings. He already has a reputation as a loose cannon with a drinking problem and now he may be seen as someone who will rip a former employer when things go south.
“When you work for an organization and do everything, you want to be respected for what you do.,” Backman said. “I just felt for my time being there, the respect wasn’t there. I could be wrong. They could say different. They could say they respected me. The things that went on this year turned my head in the direction it was time to move on.”
Like him or not, Alderson is an extremely respected executive around the league. He ran three different organizations and has a large “coaching tree” when it comes to underlings that work for other teams. If Backman did resign, they will see a disgruntled employee, who complains about his former job. And if he was actually fired, then this confirms why Alderson let him go.
Either way, Backman would have been better off just keeping his mouth closed.
The former second baseman is an excellent minor league coach and manager. His players love him and you have to believe Backman had a part many of the current Mets development over the past few years.
And he is correct when he said, “There was no future in New York.” Backman probably made the right decision to move on. If Terry Collins gets fired or retires on the next couple of years, Alderson can easily hire a Bud Black or someone else who is in his mold.
But Backman needs to chill and move on. Complaining about it will only have teams shy away from someone who is a minor league manager with a poor reputation.
If that happens then the only job Backman may find out there would be with a team like the Bridgeport Bluefish.
And that would be a shame.
Wally, though, made his own bed here. He now has to lie in it.
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