Backman starts road back as manager of Cyclones
Friday night was a homecoming of sorts for new Brooklyn Cyclones manager Wally Backman, the scrappy second baseman of the world champion 1986 Mets.
The Mets' Class A New York-Penn League affiliate Cyclones were opening the season against the host Staten Island Yankees, who were honored as the defending league champs. The real attraction was Backman, though. Despite being the visiting manager, he received the loudest applause.
Backman, who went into managing and coaching after his playing days, was fired four days after being named manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks in November 2004. He spent the last six years dabbling as a deli owner and meandering through independent baseball, managing the South Georgia Peanuts and the Joliet (Ill.) JackHammers.
On Friday, Backman began what he hopes will be his redemptive road to the majors.
"I'm happy. I'm grateful," he said before the game. "The initial call I made to Jeff [Wilpon], it's a call I wish I'd made before. Jeff got back to me in a week, and the next thing I know, I was going to the Brooklyn club.
"It means a lot to return to where I started from. I was in the organization for 12, 13 years, and when you get traded, there's a piece of you that you lose because that is like your family . . . When Jeff decided to bring me back, it's like you're going home again."
The Diamondbacks fired Backman shortly after hiring him when they learned of a domestic dispute involving his wife and a drunken-driving incident.
The firing crushed Backman, who in a 2007 interview with ESPN described his pain as akin to a death in the family.
What did he learn from the Diamondbacks debacle? There was a long pause.
"Probably the biggest part of it is I've had a couple of bad days in my life,'' he said. "You can't take them away; you learn from them."
Has Backman returned with a chip on his shoulder?
"Never," he said. "I fought for everything I got at the major-league level That's hard work, that's work ethic . . . That's no chip."
Backman added that he is not upset at anyone, including the Diamondbacks, for what happened. "You put that behind you and move on,'' he said.
He said his gig with Brooklyn is important to showcase what he's learned and the talent he's always had. Said Backman, "I'm putting myself in a position not only for the New York Mets to evaluate me, but for everyone to evaluate me."
Backman has apologized for his off-the-field indiscretions but said he will not shy away from arguing with umpires or, if the occasion calls for it, unleashing havoc on some equipment.
"That's just me. That's just my style," he said, adding, "Oh, and I want to win. That's the bottom line. And unfortunately, some of that frustration comes out on the umpires."
Backman's intensity fuels his all-out approach to managing the game and fosters closeness with his players, who love his salty talk and aggressive style.
"He's a great guy to play for," said centerfielder Darrell Ceciliani, who had a clutch two-out bunt in Friday's 5-3 victory by the Cyclones. "I like the style we play. He lets us run, try to bunt guys over and beat it out. He lets us wreak havoc on the bases."
Ceciliani is small, but he has emerged as one of Backman's favorites because of his hustle and improvement since the two first met in extended spring training.
"I've always tried to get players to overachieve for me," Backman said. "Knowing how to put guys in a position to succeed, I'm good at that."
And with a driven coach like Backman primed to make a quick leap from Brooklyn to the majors, it looks as though the Mets are good at that as well.
