ARLINGTON, Texas — Sandy Alderson insisted at his introductory press conference as Mets general manager that he loves a fiery manager, valuing the sport as entertainment and believing the manager needs to be part of what makes the game fun for the fans.
In that way, he seemed to be opening the door for Wally Backman, who is expected to get an interview. However, friends and former associates of Alderson continue to say they cannot see him hiring Backman because Alderson is analytical and, thus, risk averse. And what is the risk in Backman?
Well, then Arizona GM Joe Garagiola Jr. hired Backman on Nov. 1, 2004 and four days later fired him. In between, in drips and drabs from investigative news reports, Diamondbacks officials were blindsided by of a series of financial and legal revelations from Backman’s past involving drunk driving and a domestic issues. Initially, they stood by Backman, but as the revelations persisted, Arizona officials cut their association with Backman and, instead, hired Bob Melvin.
“Should we have known earlier what we should have known? Yes,” said Garagiola, at the World Series as an MLB senior vice president for baseball operations. “But the past is the past. I just hope Wally learned from that experience. I really wish him nothing but the best. I really think he is a good person.”
The key element that infuriated Arizona officials was they did not think Backman was forthright when the initial revelations emerged in telling them the full extent of what could be discovered. Mets officials, therefore, would have to be confident that no other skeletons exist.
And if that is the case, then Garagiola says the baseball side is an easy sell with Backman, who managed Single-A Lancaster in Arizona’s system in 2003.
“Our young players who played for him knew the fundamentals and were willing to run through a wall for him,” Garagiola Jr. said. “Our experience was that young players respond to him and play hard for him.”
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Melvin, who was a Mets’ scout this year and is also under managerial consideration, is one of four finalists for the Brewers managing job. But Bobby Valentine
has emerged as the frontrunner ahead of Melvin, Angels bench coach Ron Roenicke
and White Sox bench coach Joey Cora
. Melvin is viewed as the long shot by outside officials who are monitoring the process.
The Brewers have done a lot of background work on Valentine and have interviewed him twice — once in New York and once in Los Angeles — a sign of how serious they are about hiring Valentine.
Milwaukee owner Mark Attanasio
, GM Doug Melvin
and assistant GM Gord Ash
were still deliberating yesterday whether to formally make a contract offer to Valentine, who would cost significantly more than Bob Melvin, Cora or Roenicke.
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Recently dismissed as Yankees pitching coach, Dave Eiland
is a secondary consideration in Baltimore. Manager Buck Showalter
is talking with Mark Conner
, a Rangers special assistant in player development who served as a pitching coach for Showalter with the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Rangers.
Showalter also wants to bring in former Mariners manager Don Wakamatsu
as bench coach, but Wakamatsu still may have managerial possibilities, including with the Mets. The only two coaches who are definitively set for Baltimore are Jim Presley
as hitting coach and Rick Adair
as bullpen coach.
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There is, of course, a copycat element to the major leagues. So now that Colby Lewis
has transitioned from MLB washout to Hiroshima Carp standout to postseason star with the Rangers there will be a search for the next American pitcher who upgraded his game in Japan.
There were thoughts that it was going to be reliever Brian Falkenborg
, who over parts of five major league seasons with five different teams pitched to a 5.59 ERA in 69 games. But in the last two seasons with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks had gone 9-2 with a 1.35 ERA, producing a tremendous ratio of 145 strikeouts against 17 walks in 113 2/3 innings.
But word is, despite some interest back here, that the 32-year-old righty is going to sign a multi-year deal to stay with Fukuoka.
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Old Mets officials never die, they just go to the World Series as part of the media. Valentine is here for ESPN, Jim Duquette
for Sirius/XM and Steve Phillips
for AOL Fanhouse. No word if Art Howe
was lighting up the room for any TV or radio station.