I can't believe the Wally Backman debacle. The former Mets second baseman who had just been named manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this week was fired. The reason: the management just learned that he had a DWI (that he reportedly fought for two years before finally pleading guilty), an assault charge, and they had concerns about his financial situation because he'd gone bankrupt two years ago.
I have not done any investigation into this, but it doesn't smell right. The team completely botched the hiring (who waits until after a press conference to do a background check?), but shouldn't there have been some information they already knew? Backman had been one of their minor league managers. Why hadn't they known about his declaration of bankruptcy from a couple years ago? The team had a new managing partner with the departure, but unless I'm mistaken (which is possible, I don't follow the team closely), the new managing partner had been an owner prior to being named managing partner. Shouldn't he have been aware of who was among their managers?
Frankly, I think we're not hearing the whole truth. The first thing that crossed my mind when I heard on the radio that Backman had financial troubles that concerned the team was that was code for "this man gambles and might gamble on the game." Perhaps there was more similarity between Backman and Pete Rose. I caution this by saying I have never met Wally Backman, I know no one who knows him, I am not calling him a gambler, and I think he's gotten a raw deal. But as an observer of baseball, where some managers and players are known to be alcoholics, womanizers, pot smokers, and worse, it's unfathomable to me that there isn't more to the smattering of details that have been released. Good God, future hall of famer Tony Gwynn went bankrupt because of a corrupt agent. He manages at San Diego State now. There must be something more to the Wally Backman story.
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