Battlin’ Wally Backman to Manage the Cyclones

We have long hoped Wally Backman, the obstreperous veteran of the 1986 World Champion New York Mets, would someday manage the Amazin’s in the balls-out manner he evinced on the field and in court depositions. He’s a step closer now, as the Mets organization announced yesterday that Backman will manage the Brooklyn Cyclones, New York’s Short-Season-A farm team at Coney Island. Backman was hired in 2004 by the Arizona Diamondbacks to manage in the bigs, then fired when they found out about his DUI and domestic-violence arrests. He’s also been known, in his previous minor-league managing career, to throw a few bats and threaten an announcer. Just the man this mopey franchise needs! We hope he’s on the fast track to the big job, though he may have some ’86-vintage competition: the Mets have also promoted Tim Teufel to manage their double-A team, the Binghamton Mets.

Update: Backman interviewed! “When I was in New York, we took winning and losing personally… I’d like to have 30 guys that played like I played: hard.” W00t!