Wally Backman is back in New York baseball, and the Staten Island FerryHawks are betting his trademark fire can help rescue their season.
The FerryHawks, members of the Atlantic League, have named the former New York Mets infielder and 1986 World Series champion as their new manager, turning to one of the most recognizable figures from the franchise’s championship era in hopes of changing the tone and trajectory of a struggling club.
Backman, 66, takes over a Staten Island team that stumbled to an 8-40 start under its previous staff. The move gives the FerryHawks more than a headline-grabbing hire. It gives them a manager with a long professional résumé, a reputation for demanding accountability.
For Staten Island, the message is clear, this is a franchise looking for urgency, experience and a jolt of credibility in the middle of a difficult season. Backman made that mindset clear in an interview with the New York Post.
“My time in baseball is not over,” Backman told the New York Post. “I’ve been a lifer. I love the game. And I take a lot of pride in winning. Losing sucks. This is a team that has struggled, and I accept the challenge. I believe I can turn this team into a winner.”
Backman remains one of the more popular and recognizable figures tied to New York baseball. A first-round pick by the Mets in 1977, he spent most of his 14-year major league career in Queens and became a fan favorite for his gritty style, hard-nosed baserunning and blue-collar edge. A switch-hitting second baseman, Backman was a key part of the Mets teams of the 1980s and hit .333 in the 1986 World Series as New York captured its second championship.
After leaving the Mets, Backman played for the Minnesota Twins, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies and Seattle Mariners before retiring in 1993.
His post-playing career has been equally defined by intensity and his commitment to the game. Backman spent years managing in professional baseball, including stops in the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox farm systems. He later managed the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas 51s, from 2013-16. Over time, he developed a reputation as an old-school baseball figure, a dugout presence known for demanding energy, discipline and a relentless style of play.
In 2004, Backman was hired as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks but was dismissed four days later after the organization determined it had not fully vetted his background. A subsequent review following a New York Times report identified prior legal and financial issues, including a 1999 DUI arrest in Washington state, a 2000 domestic dispute in Oregon and a 2003 Chapter 7 bankruptcy filing involving debts to more than 20 creditors. The Diamondbacks later acknowledged they had not conducted a complete background check before his hiring.
