Backman beginning to turn his team around

Terry Collins wasn't the only manager in the Mets' organization whose team was mired in an early-season losing streak.

Wally Backman, one of the finalists for the job that went to Collins last November, became agitated as his Double-A Binghamton squad dropped five straight to fall to 2-6 earlier this month.

Losing was tough enough, but what really bothered the gritty, fiery former Mets second baseman was when players didn't take the game seriously. In a telephone interview, Backman said a few players on his team were simply "going through the motions" during the losing streak.

Stuff like not hustling during games or not taking batting practice seriously, Backman said, that's what ate at the competitor inside him. Backman knew he had to stop that type of behavior right away or face the prospects of a long season of uninspired play.

"You got to do it as quick as you can," Backman said, "or else players will fall into a pattern."

So he said he quickly made it known to the offenders on his new team that he wasn't pleased with what he had been seeing. Based on their play in the past week, he thinks his message was received.

"We had meetings and we worked on different things," Backman said. "You've really got to talk about expectations, you know? Not only what I expect from these players, but also what the organization expects from them as well."

SEE PHOTOSWally Backman

After managing Class A Brooklyn to a playoff berth last summer in his first season in affiliated baseball since 2004, Backman was interviewed but ultimately passed over for the job of Mets manager, and he didn't hide his disappointment.

But Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said at the time that he was impressed with Backman. Also, it's telling that the Mets' new front-office regime chose to keep him in the organization and promote him to Double-A, which often is referred to as the most important level in the development of major-leaguers.

At 5-8, Backman's team is tied for the Eastern League's worst record. It's not a team built on speed -- the type of team Backman prefers -- but he'll modify his managing style to meet their needs.

"This is a team that's going to have to fight to compete," Backman said. "The pitching is what's going to carry us, but offensively, we've got to be able to do the little things like moving runners over."

Rain postponed four of their first 17 scheduled games and limited their time on the field. Backman said he was able to run his team through pregame drills only three times in a recent seven-day homestand, and "at this level, you need to be able to get some work done."

That could be why Binghamton has scored a league-worst 42 runs with a combined. 289 on-base percentage and .336 slugging percentage. But despite the early-season obstacles, Backman believes he'll help make them a winner, as is his history on the minor-league level.

"I work with what I have, and my job is to make them better," he said. "And we're getting better."

Well, Jeter's been worse

Even after going 4-for-6 yesterday, Derek Jeter’s statistics still look anything but pretty. Typically a fast starter, Jeter is hitting .257 with a .317 on-base percentage and a paltry .284 slugging percentage after 18 games. But don’t think he’s never been this bad this early before.

After the first 18 games of the 2004 season, Jeter was mired in a career-worst 0-for-32 slump, hitting .184 with a .262 on-base percentage and .224 slugging percentage. But fast-forward a few months and Jeter showed a nice recovery, finishing with a .292 average, .352 on-base percentage and .471 slugging percentage.

Yes, Jeter was seven years younger then. But one of his favorite stock answers is this: Any time you do something once, there’s reason to believe you can do it again.

Switch pitcher struggling

Pat Venditte, the Yankees’ much-ballyhooed switch-pitching prospect, has been having a tough go in his first full season with Double-A Trenton. He’s allowed seven runs, 14 hits and three walks in seven innings, with lefthanders hitting .444 and righthanders hitting .435 off him.

Though Venditte intrigued Yankees brass, they have long questioned whether the quality of his pitches — from either arm — is good enough for him to climb the minor-league ladder and make it to the majors.

His past success came in Class A, where Venditte, as a four-year college player, often was significantly older than the competition. Double-A often is viewed as the make-or-break level for prospects.