No baseball on menu for restaurateur Backman

BY ANTHONY RIEBER | Newsday Staff Writer

August 17, 2006

By now, Wally Backman thought he would be sitting in a big-league dugout, managing the Arizona Diamondbacks, using the fiery personality and win-at-all- costs mentality that made him a World Series champion with the 1986 Mets and a successful - make that very successful - minor-league manager.

But life has a way of changing on you. Two years ago, in November 2004, Backman was hired as the Diamondbacks' manager, his first big-league job. Four days later, he was fired amid revelations of an arrest record and financial problems.

He'd like to get back into the game, but today his only connection is watching his son, Wally Jr., play centerfield for the Spokane Indians, a Texas Rangers farm club. The son is 6-2 and 215 pounds; the father was 5-9, 160 in his playing days. "Must have gotten it from his mother," he said, laughing.

These days, Backman is managing in a different field. He's opening a restaurant in the spa town of Prineville, Ore., called "New York on Seventh Street."

The name is a nod to the best time of his baseball life, the nine seasons he spent as a Met, the greatest of which was the one that ended with champagne and a World Series ring.

"People really want to know what it was all about and what it was like," Backman, who hit .320 in 1986, said recently in a telephone interview. "The common question is, 'God, what was it like playing in New York and playing in front of all those people?'

"I tell them it was the thrill of a lifetime to be able to do that. I don't think anything really compared to it, or compared to the fact I played in New York for nine seasons. I played with other teams and other organizations that were good organizations, but on a scale of 1 to 10, New York being a 10, all the other cities I played in would have to be a 5."

DARRYL STRAWBERRY
1986 stats: .259, 27 HR, 93 RBIs, 28 SBs.

What he did then: Led the Mets in home runs, was second in steals and was the top vote-getter for the All-Star Game. Hit a three-run homer in 6-5 win in Game 3 of the NLCS. Homered off Nolan Ryan in 2-1 win in Game 5. Fumed after being double-switched out of Game 6 of the World Series, but homered in the eighth inning of Game 7.

What he does now: Worked as a spring training instructor for the Mets the past two seasons.

His best memory: "Our fans loved us ... really supported us. They poured into the park to see us every night. It was like we owned the city of New York."

On being an '86 Met: "We had some wild fellows ... everybody was afraid of us. We intimidated people. We were a fighting team. I guess Davey Johnson wanted everybody to hate us because he thought it made us play better."

TIM TEUFEL
1986 stats: .247, 4 HRs, 31 RBIs.

What he did then: Righthanded-hitting (and less popular) half of second-base platoon with Wally Backman. His error allowed the only run to score in World Series Game 1, but rebounded to hit .444 in the series.

What he does now: He is a tile importer in St. Lucie, Fla.

His best memory: "There are many memories ... there were exciting things, game-winning home runs, the playoff game against Houston. The topper was the end of Game 7 ... the memory of that last out and running out on the field, Jesse throwing his glove in the air, it's almost like, 'It's finally over.' It was great."

On being an '86 Met: "It still affects my life. When you're part of something that successful, people don't forget. It's a great feeling."