It wasn’t the promotion he wanted, but Wally Backman is closer to his goal of managing in the majors.
The former Met, who spent last year as the manager of the Brooklyn Cyclones and interviewed with Mets general manager Sandy Alderson twice to replace Jerry Manuel after the season, was officially named to the same role with the team’s Double-A Binghamton affiliate yesterday.
And despite being disappointed by being passed over for the top job in favor of Terry Collins, Backman was enthused about his new role.
“It’s exciting to be with the Mets,” Backman said. “It was almost like a homecoming coming back to the Mets last year. Being traded for the first time, takes a piece of you. I would say my heart never left New York.”
It’s been a long, slow road back for the 51-year-old Backman, who was the manager of the Diamondbacks for four days in November 2004 before news surfaced about past legal and financial problems — including a DUI arrest — that cost him the job.
After spending years managing in independent leagues, Backman guided the Cyclones to a first-place finish in the New York-Penn League last season and takes over at Binghamton for Tim Teufel — a teammate of Backman’s with the 1986 Mets — who last week became the manager of Triple-A Buffalo.
