Brooklynites have spoken, and they want the Cyclones skipper, Wally Backman, to pack his bags and head to Citi Field.
In an online poll we conducted last week, 68 percent of voters said Backman should be promoted to run the Amazins, while only 27 percent said he should stay in Coney Island and lead the Cyclones to a championship — something the team was unable to accomplish this year.
So where does Backman think he’ll be next year?
“I don’t know what my future entails — it’s a waiting game,” said Backman, fresh off a fishing trip in the Pacific in which he caught 30 tuna. “I signed a one-year deal with the Mets [to run the Cyclones]. It was an opportunity for the Mets and everybody else to evaluate me.”
But if Brooklynites’ opinions mirror Mets executives’, then Backman will have some role in the organization — only four percent of participants said he should be fired altogether.
Despite the team’s numerous accomplishments, Backman admitted that he was disappointed that the season ended in such abrupt fashion with a two-game sweep by the Tri-City Valley Cats.
“There’s no question I would have loved to have won a championship,” said Backman. “We didn’t play as well [in the postseason] as we did in the regular season.”
That’s certainly the truth. Backman’s team was absolutely dominant in the regular season, only losing eight games at home while budding stars like Darrell Ceciliani and Cory Vaughn set franchise records in numerous offensive categories.
There is no doubt Backman produced results, so it’s no surprise most Brooklynites want him back in the New York.
He wants to be back, too.
“I’d love to come back to New York,” Backman said. “We brought the Brooklyn fans lots of excitement — it’s just unfortunate we had to be on the losing end.”
