I don’t miss departed the Mets’ rageaholic Bluetooth maestro/Minor League Director Tony Bernazard. This is a matter of public record. But someone has to run the Mets farm system. And while the Mets might be seeking a replacement among the even-tempered, actually-qualified non-jerkweed demo, New York Baseball Digest’s Mike Silva has another idea. Or, rather, the opposite idea: he, like everyone who cheered for the Mets as a kid, likes Wally Backman. The difference is that, in disregard of Backman’s second-act transition into the Tom Sizemore of baseball (and also the Jan-Michael Vincent of Independent League baseball), Silva also likes Wally Backman as Tony Bernazard’s replacement.
You can hear the passion in [Backman’s] voice when he discusses players that he has helped over the years. What also impressed me was when he made a point about how he tries to talk to his guys about staying out of trouble off the field. Obviously, playing for the Mets in the eighties, Backman would know something about how off the field can impact on the field. As a matter of fact, no player has been involved in an off the field incident under his watch. Backman reiterated that his goal is to manage someday, but right now he burns to win another championship with an organization in any capacity. He knows that he is capable of running a solid farm system for any professional baseball club.
I have talked over the last week about how the Mets need to clean up their organization. Being one of the worst fundamental teams in baseball is not something that I believe Jeff Wilpon finds acceptable. Here is my free advice: Pick up the phone, call Wally Backman, and get him back in the fold. Let him start learning your farm system. Have him work with your players and coaches so he can get a feel of what needs to be done. I say give him the opportunity to rebuild your farm system and have your players get back to working on baseball skills.