Four days after hiring Backman and three days after the New York Times revealed Backman's legal and financial problems, the Diamondbacks ousted their manager, replacing him with Bob Melvin. Backman issued an apology Tuesday for not being more forthcoming during his interview, prompting the organization to initially stand by him.

As public pressure mounted, the Diamondbacks pulled their support, with CEO Jeffrey Moorad telling reporters today that it was in the organization's "best interests to move on" without Backman.

Managing partner Ken Kendrick pointed the finger at himself for the mess.

"It's obviously a mistake on our part to have made a decision without having done the proper background work," Kendrick said. "I take full responsibility for that."

General managers asked about the subject today were reluctant to comment about whether Backman's situation would prompt change in the industry. They allowed only that hiring a manager, given the position's importance to the organization, should be an extremely thorough process.

Mets manager Willie Randolph, who has interviewed for several jobs in recent years, said on ESPN radio that he has never been asked about criminal or financial history.

Kind of like selling a hockey team without checking the buyer's credit history.

They might just find out that he was a dirty stinky yankee.

Backman learns Billy Martin days over in baseball

BY LES CARPENTER

The Seattle Times


SEATTLE - (KRT) - They drank, smoked, spit and brawled their way to becoming baseball's most bawdy champions of the last quarter century, trading virtue for the grace of Red Sox mischance. And why would anyone think 18 years later that the 1986 Mets wouldn't catch up to themselves?

Trouble whipped its way around the horn from cocaine binges to barroom dustups, filling police blotters and morning papers with tales of misdeeds that wouldn't have been tolerated on any other team. But these were the Mets, bulletproof in the face of any law because along with the handcuffs came 108 wins.

And in sports, titles always trump the booking log.