My co-writer Cyclones Fan is probably going to disagree, and that’s cool, but this precinct of The Mets Police thinks a Backman petition is silly.
Jerry is the new manager. Let;s support the guy. As much as I enjoy giving this team a hard time, I do want them to win….J-Man is the manager. Let’s let him take a stab at winning the pennant before we run him out of town.
Besides, Lee Mazzilli should be next manager. Wally can be bench coach.
Here’s the press release:
New York, NY (PRWEB) June 20, 2008 — A petition urging the New York Mets to hire Wally Backman as a minor league manager has begun to circulate on the Internet. The disgruntled New York fan base has begun passing the petition around, hoping to convince team ownership to bring the former second baseman back into the organization.
The “Hire Wally Backman” petition cites Backman’s managerial track record and his ability to develop major league players as the main reason to bring Backman back into the Mets organization. Backman was named Sporting News Minor League Manager of the Year in 2004 and has managed current major leaguer players, including Dan Uggla, Aaron Rowand, Conor Jackson and Carlos Quentin.
Backman was a Major League infielder from 1981-1993 and was the second baseman on the 1986 World Series Champion New York Mets. He began managing in 1997 with the independent Catskill Cougars.
“I grew up watching Wally and those great Mets teams and have always been a big fan of his hustle and grit,” says petition creator Michael Curtin. “He has a similar style as a manager — emphasizing communication and inspiring hustle while demanding fundamental baseball. Any team should want guys like that in their minor league system. It just makes perfect sense to bring Backman into the Mets organization.”
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The Hire Wally Backman Petition can be found online at: http://www.petitiononline.com/backman/petition.html
