D'BACK'S AXING BACKMAN TYPIFIES DOUBLE STANDARD

Many have commented this past couple of weeks regarding the status of Wally Backman’s hiring and then almost immediate firing by the Arizona Diamondbacks. What is disturbing is that there seems to be a double standard of requirements in order to play or even own a Major League Baseball club, versus being a field manager hoping to make his mark. Further, having been an outstanding employee of the organization that later lets you go, is also beguiling.

Wally Backman was ordained the 2004 Minor League Manager of the Year, having been the Diamondback’s Class A field manager. Prior to that he spent seven years with the Chicago White Sox’ minor league clubs, and received stellar reviews as he was becoming groomed for the Majors. (It had been public knowledge then that Backman was having legal troubles.) But having been an integral part of the 1986 World Champion Mets, Backman dedicated his life to baseball and continued to forge ahead.

Major League Baseball as an entity seems to have no written standard for its players or managers regarding their past unethical or illegal behaviors for which they have paid their dues and have supposedly reformed their illicit behaviors. In fact MLB leaves these judgments up to the teams’ owners and managements. Perhaps that should change. There should not be a different standard for management, upper management and their players. If there was perhaps a consistent standard, we would all benefit as consumers of the sport as well as a society.

If the issues of public drunkenness, DWI’s, assault, domestic violence and irresponsible money management meant being banned from playing Major League Baseball, face it: There wouldn’t be enough players to field 28 teams, let alone front offices which may have secured deals with authorities to cover up their own such transgressions.

The point is, had Billy Martin put his hat in the ring for the Diamondback’s job, he would have been refused the job. Or would he have been? Have the Diamondbacks just suddenly become moralists, or did they just become sour on Backman for some other reason or due to public sentiment? After all, as Backman voluntarily explained himself on ESPN-TV this week, he had a DWI in 1999, was hit with a restraining order in 1995 and supposedly then broke that restraining order during a testy divorce proceeding, and then was booked for assault.

We have not been privy to much more detail than that, but it seems that Atlanta manager, Bobby Cox, would have had a tough time being forgiven, had the Atlanta Braves had the same policy in place as the Diamondbacks. Additionally Backman filed for personal bankruptcy within the past few years. (I must have missed the news flash about bankruptcy being illegal.) After all in the corporate world, CEO’s get rewarded when they decide on bankruptcy in order to “save” their companies.

But we need not go down the list of all of the troubles MLB players get into, that is those which become public, and then are forgiven. The name Darryl Strawberry neatly sums it all up. And lest we forget, as far as owners go, George Steinbrenner has a tax evasion felony on his record too, not to mention the whole Dave Winfield fiasco in which he immersed himself.

So which will it be? If you’re a rich ballplayer, (usually denoting a valuable player) or a rich owner or a winning manager do you get a pass? You bet! But if you are still an unproven commodity in the Major Leagues, take a number.

But more importantly, was it that the Diamondbacks failed to do a background check on Backman, or that they had the information and when they floated it found that public scrutiny did not hold up? We cannot have a different set of rules for different individuals, especially after they have made amends, have done penance and have now veered their lives on a new course. We give employees, family and friends second and third chances every day of the year. And a good many of them are politicians and government officials, CEO’s, college coaches, celebrities, recording artists and athletes.

If the Wally Backman firing is the new norm, then make it the organization’s mandate or a MLB mandate. But let us not pick and choose on an individual basis who is subject to one set of rules and those who are subject to another set. Major League Baseball owes us more than that. Bud Selig, are you listening?