Backman had tax liens, DUI conviction

[KingLouieLouie]

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/diamondbacks/articles/1102backman-ON.html

Backman had tax liens, DUI conviction

Craig Harris

The Arizona Republic
Nov. 2, 2004 05:36 PM

Diamondbacks Manager Wally Backman's off-the-field background includes numerous tax liens by states and the federal government, a misdemeanor stemming from an altercation at his home and a DUI arrest.

Diamondbacks owners, who said they did not do a financial or criminal background check on Backman, met with him Tuesday after questions arose about his personal problems.

Ken Kendrick, the team's general partner, said Backman would keep his job, although Backman has yet to sign a contract.

Backman filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy last year in the face of mounting debt and taxes owed to the federal government and the states of Minnesota and Oregon, according to court records.

Known for his fiery on-field persona, Backman also was arrested in 2001 and charged with five misdemeanors over an altercation with a family friend at his Prineville, Ore., home, he said.

The year before, he was arrested for driving under the influence in Washington state, where he was managing a minor league team.

He was convicted of harassment and DUI in the two incidents.

Backman told The Republic Tuesday that he was extremely sorry for the mistakes he made, and he doesn't believe the problems will affect his relationship with players and fans.

"There is no question mistakes have been made, and I'm sorry," Backman said. "That is the whole truth to the matter . . . .There are some things you want to forget about in your life."

The team has offered him a two-year deal with two, one-year club options. The first year of the deal will pay him $500,000.

Kendrick said Tuesday the Diamondbacks had asked former employers about Backman but did not do a financial or criminal background check. He and other members of the team's front office met with Backman Tuesday afternoon at Bank One Ballpark.

Kendrick said he came out of the meeting satisfied with answers from Backman, and the team was sticking with him.

Ironically, the team's new ownership group had ousted former Chief Executive Officer Jerry Colangelo, the team's founder, in August after disputes over finances and how Colangelo was spending money.

Records from Oregon's bankruptcy court say Backman owed money to more than 20 creditors, including the IRS. Backman also owed money to a tire store, veterinarian, credit card companies and bill collectors.

Backman said he paid off his tax debts and to creditors in Prineville. He blamed his financial problems on his ex-wife, whom he said managed his finances.

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[sly fly]

No criminal or financial background check?? Does that seem a little odd?

Tax liens, assault, and DUI histories? Not exactly Pope John Paul is he?

Imagine the look on Kendrick's and Moorad's faces when they found out that news.

Who thinks Melvin or Grace would have been the pick if they knew this news?

And, why did all this come out right AFTER they hired him? Why couldn't this news have come out 2-3 days ago?

Not a good omen...

 

[Dbackmomma]

Background checks ...

Wonder why those weren't done when he was hired to manage at the minor league level?

Hopefully he has put that all behind him and it won't be a distraction or concern as manager of the MLB club.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

Was anybody expecting a clean record from a member of the '86 Mets?

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Was anybody expecting a clean record from a member of the '86 Mets?

 

[AZ Shocker]

Hopefully he has put that all behind him and it won't be a distraction or concern as manager of the MLB club.

Oh I think a nice $500,000 a year salary for 2 years will help him NOT be distracted. Doubt he'll have any more tax or credit problems. lol

Wouldn't that help anyone?

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Oh I think a nice $500,000 a year salary for 2 years will help him NOT be distracted. Doubt he'll have any more tax or credit problems. lol

Wouldn't that help anyone?

You'd be surprised. Many lottery winners file for bankruptcy only a few years after they win a huge jackpot.

If you do not know how to manage your money...more money does not solve that problem.

 

[Gee!]

The Dbacks knew of these convictions. He hasnt done anything in 3 years. Speaking from a person who has done practically everything Backman has done, I say let's move foward and judge him from day one on his new job.

 

[AZZenny]

While this all makes me very unhappy, both with Backman and with the sloppy search process, it sounds basically like booze fueled an ongoing ex-wife/girlfriend (now wife) mess, and there's not a lot that's nastier than divorce/relationship +/or money issues - even without alcohol. An... explosive cocktail.

So I want to hear two things - that these were the ONLY incidents, and that the man doesn't drink at all anymore - a DUI and a drunken domestic dispute in a 40-year-old guy indicates an alcohol problem, and that can be remedied - stay sober. I suspect (hope) they'll be adding a really tight morals clause to that contract.

 

[Djaughe]

Well hopefully backman will get his closet straightened out. I'm rootin for the guy....unless someone pulls out some betting slips....

 

[asudevil83]

the d-backs are just about ready to strike out on me here.....and this is with me giving them a few extra ones for good measure. the entire management needs to be fired NOW. they are aweful...worse than anything that i've ever seen.....not knowing how to handle money AT ALL.

1.) they trade schilling. what do they get for schilling....PURE CRAP. name one player (not fossum) that we got for him. its hard isnt it. they only thing we got for him was salary relief....and i'm going to laugh at that too. factoring in the loss of attendance and stadium revenue from this DISMAL season, i think we actually LOST more money on that one.

2.) trading for Sexon. dont get me wrong, i like the guy and he has talent, and you cant blame him for his injury....but the guys we traded to get him, well it wasnt worth it. Spivey, Overbay, Moeller, Capuano....they were not worth this guy.

3.) just to reiderate what we did here.....we pretty much traded Schilling, Spivey, Overbay, Moeller, and Capuano for Sexon, Fossum, and a couple of people not even ESPN mentions. Thank You Diamondbacks Management.

4, 5, 6) i'm going to put these all together because they pretty much affect eachother. 4.) hiring backman. we didnt even think to do some sort of backround check on this guy at all (or even ask him). good god, talk about you class act here. DUI, Assult, bankruptcy, and even ESPN radio this afternoon reported that this guy threatened to kill his wife and her friend. YEA!!!!! for backman. this hiring brings about the potential 5 and 6 on my list. 5.) not resigning sexon. why the hell arent we going to resign the guy? because backman is a "young guy manager." also...sexon wants to play for a winner....which we arent, nor will we be for years to come. 6.) because we are hiring this "young guy manager", johnson will want out EVEN MORE than he already does. first of all he wants to retire on a winning team (which we arent), WE are looking to get rid of salary (which he is full of), and he will most likely conflict with the manager. and if we trade him it'll be for salary relief and "prospects" or crap.

so what we have here is a BUNCH of AWEFUL decisions that have put the diamondbacks in hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, a manager with a record, two hall of fame pitchers (one of which is gone and the other soon to follow), the 5th worst record EVER, a fan base that is slowly but surely shrinking, years of debt and losing records.......oh yeah, and a championship. was it worth it......not in my book

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

the d-backs are just about ready to strike out on me here.....and this is with me giving them a few extra ones for good measure. the entire management needs to be fired NOW. they are aweful...worse than anything that i've ever seen.....not knowing how to handle money AT ALL.

1.) they trade schilling. what do they get for schilling....PURE CRAP. name one player (not fossum) that we got for him. its hard isnt it. they only thing we got for him was salary relief....and i'm going to laugh at that too. factoring in the loss of attendance and stadium revenue from this DISMAL season, i think we actually LOST more money on that one.

2.) trading for Sexon. dont get me wrong, i like the guy and he has talent, and you cant blame him for his injury....but the guys we traded to get him, well it wasnt worth it. Spivey, Overbay, Moeller, Capuano....they were not worth this guy.

3.) just to reiderate what we did here.....we pretty much traded Schilling, Spivey, Overbay, Moeller, and Capuano for Sexon, Fossum, and a couple of people not even ESPN mentions. Thank You Diamondbacks Management.

4, 5, 6) i'm going to put these all together because they pretty much affect eachother. 4.) hiring backman. we didnt even think to do some sort of backround check on this guy at all (or even ask him). good god, talk about you class act here. DUI, Assult, bankruptcy, and even ESPN radio this afternoon reported that this guy threatened to kill his wife and her friend. YEA!!!!! for backman. this hiring brings about the potential 5 and 6 on my list. 5.) not resigning sexon. why the hell arent we going to resign the guy? because backman is a "young guy manager." also...sexon wants to play for a winner....which we arent, nor will we be for years to come. 6.) because we are hiring this "young guy manager", johnson will want out EVEN MORE than he already does. first of all he wants to retire on a winning team (which we arent), WE are looking to get rid of salary (which he is full of), and he will most likely conflict with the manager. and if we trade him it'll be for salary relief and "prospects" or crap.

so what we have here is a BUNCH of AWEFUL decisions that have put the diamondbacks in hundreds of millions of dollars in debt, a manager with a record, two hall of fame pitchers (one of which is gone and the other soon to follow), the 5th worst record EVER, a fan base that is slowly but surely shrinking, years of debt and losing records.......oh yeah, and a championship. was it worth it......not in my book

1. Yeah, they got hosed on the deal royally. But thats what happens when you let everybody know you are desperate to dump (which they were, they were forced to dump salary, and everybody knew it)

2. Eh, most people considered the 2003 season unacceptable, with the offense being the main culprit. We basically gave up spare parts for Sexson, so it didnt seem that bad at the time as everybody thought we needed to upgrade the offense.

3. Once again, they needed to shrink the payroll. Just an economic reality I suppose. And the other guys we got in the deals were Brandon Lyon, Jorge De La Rosa, Noochie Varner, Shane Nance, and Goss (cant remember his first name). I think I got all those right.

4. You are right, not looking into his background was a mistake. A huge one.

Oh, and I see this is your first post, welcome aboard! I hope to see more from you, always nice to get new posters.

 

[Lefty]

Joe G. Jr. has to be fired. This was the last straw. The guy is completely incompetent. He only got his job because of his dad. Is there any way they can get rid of Backman?

 

[AZZenny]

Backman worked for the organization for a year - MAYBE they didn't think they needed to check further than whatever they didn't do when they first hired him. Wonder if they did anything to check Acta?

Joe needs to go, for a lot of reasons. We've known that for a year or two.

Although they still could rescind the offer or push him to step down, I was told by someone connected that Backman will stay on as manager, unless a check done NOW turns up anything else in the next day or so. The woman in the harrassment case has come forward and said she was equally responsible for the situation and that some of what is reported is not the way it happened, but 'she doesn't remember' a lot of it (i.e., there were multiple drunks involved? Hope he has a better class of friends now.) I'm still OK with him as manager, but not at all enthused, as I had been.

We aren't going to resign Sexson because he wants $33 Million guaranteed for 3 years. He may say its not about the money, but if he goes with Seattle or the Mets as widely rumored, then it sure as heck isn't about winning. Let him go. If he puts up good numbers in the next 12-18 months, he's the exception to the rule in this type of surgery.

No one says Backman is a "young guys' manager" - what he is, is demanding that everyone on the field work their butts off on fundamentals and play at 100% - sure, guys like Hairston, Alomar, and Cintron would be very unhappy, but so what? I doubt the choice of Backman will make RJ's decision - but perhaps the gross incompetence in that process, and exciting names like Aurilia and Clayton being tossed around, WILL make the decision. Rumor is that a trade is being worked.

 

[Lefty]

No one says Backman is a "young guys' manager" - what he is, is demanding that everyone on the field work their butts off on fundamentals and play at 100% - sure, guys like Hairston, Alomar, and Cintron would be very unhappy, but so what? I doubt the choice of Backman will make RJ's decision - but perhaps the gross incompetence in that process, and exciting names like Aurilia and Clayton being tossed around, WILL make the decision. Rumor is that a trade is being worked.

Why did you target Hairston, Alomar and Cintron? First, Alomar is not even on the team and second, Hairston was interviewed about a month ago on one of the local stations here and said this past year was a great learning experience and will work very hard in the offseason to be a better player.

 

[Lefty]

I think Backman should be tested every week and if he fails, fire him.

 

[AZZenny]

I'm less and less satisfied with Backman's 'It's bogus' 'It was nothing' 'hit a rough patch' etc etc. He's an alcoholic, and I haven't heard him say a word about that aspect; rather he sounds like he's still protecting the bottle.


I picked those three as examples of the kinds of guys who might be unhappy because there were times when Alomar did not seem to play hard both here and after he was traded, and everyone commented on it; there were times when Cintron was spacey, lackadaisackal and pouty, and there were many times Hairston didn't pay attention to little things like ...oh, bunt signs. Hairston will not be the second baseman of the future, and I was told by someone in the org that he seemed unable or unwilling to make adjustments (i.e., learn).

 

[Lefty]

Maybe Hairston finally woke up and realized that he will have to work for it.

Does anyone have Moorad's e-mail so I can complain?

 

[asudevil83]

"This is not a rebuilding program," Backman told Phoenix reporters during his introductory news conference Monday. "I'm here to win. That's what I've always been about and that's what the Diamondbacks are about. And we will get back to the Diamondback ways of the past as soon as we possibly can. We will make some changes and this team will compete. That's one thing that every team that I've ever managed does."

classic...got rid of our Gold Glove Winnining center fielder by trading them to a divisional opponent and once again got NOTHING FOR HIM. we are getting rid of our OTHER HALL OF FAME PITCHER. we are not going to resign the power slugger we traded for last year. we have a new manager with no Major League managing experience. we are trimming and trimming and trimming payroll. we will be starting a field of second year players, most of which should have been in the minors last year. without Johnson we have absolutely NO PITCHING except for Webb.

yes...it sounds like we are ready to win now. i give this guy MAX two seasons. we'll lose just as many games next season and MIGHT see an improvement for the season after that. oh yeah....and Jo Jr. is gone sooner than this guy. actually Jo needs to go NOW, and i wouldnt be suprised that once Sexon signs elsewhere and we trade Johnson for nothing, he'll be shown the door.

unless we spend some money, we arent going anywhere for at least 3 seasons. we need pitching and power hitting........and funny as it sounds.......thats what we are getting rid of to save money (Finley, Sexon, Johnson).

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

"This is not a rebuilding program," Backman told Phoenix reporters during his introductory news conference Monday. "I'm here to win. That's what I've always been about and that's what the Diamondbacks are about. And we will get back to the Diamondback ways of the past as soon as we possibly can. We will make some changes and this team will compete. That's one thing that every team that I've ever managed does."

classic...got rid of our Gold Glove Winnining center fielder by trading them to a divisional opponent and once again got NOTHING FOR HIM. we are getting rid of our OTHER HALL OF FAME PITCHER. we are not going to resign the power slugger we traded for last year. we have a new manager with no Major League managing experience. we are trimming and trimming and trimming payroll. we will be starting a field of second year players, most of which should have been in the minors last year. without Johnson we have absolutely NO PITCHING except for Webb.

yes...it sounds like we are ready to win now. i give this guy MAX two seasons. we'll lose just as many games next season and MIGHT see an improvement for the season after that. oh yeah....and Jo Jr. is gone sooner than this guy. actually Jo needs to go NOW, and i wouldnt be suprised that once Sexon signs elsewhere and we trade Johnson for nothing, he'll be shown the door.

unless we spend some money, we arent going anywhere for at least 3 seasons. we need pitching and power hitting........and funny as it sounds.......thats what we are getting rid of to save money (Finley, Sexson, Johnson).

Trading Finley made sense. We got ourselves a solid solid catching prospect plus a pretty darn good pitching prospect for a soon to be free agent on a helpless team. Plus, we could resign Finley, but I doubt thats gonna happen. And I doubt we will be giving Johnson away for nothing, mainly because we arent desperate to dump. He has a no trade clause, the Diamondbacks have already fitted him into the budget, few teams match up well to trade for him anyways, the Diamondbacks don't want to trade him, etc. Theres a lot of locks on that door. And yes, we do need power, pitching, and a few loose bits. Unfortunately we are about to lose Sexson because of his injury, the free agent market isnt that great for power hitters, but I think we will go out and get 2 solid free agent starters, which will be a big help. Luckily, thanks to a few expiring contracts, we do have some money to spend this off season.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

classic...got rid of our Gold Glove Winnining center fielder by trading them to a divisional opponent and once again got NOTHING FOR HIM. we are getting rid of our OTHER HALL OF FAME PITCHER. we are not going to resign the power slugger we traded for last year. we have a new manager with no Major League managing experience. we are trimming and trimming and trimming payroll. we will be starting a field of second year players, most of which should have been in the minors last year. without Johnson we have absolutely NO PITCHING except for Webb.

The way I see it we got our catcher of the future and a guy who could easily become a solid #2 if he figures out his control problems for a 40 year old soon to be free agent OF who wasn't going to re-sign here. So we got got two prospects who are close to the bigs as opposed to the second round draft pick we would have got for him had he played through the year and left. What - did you think the Dodgers were going to give us Eric Gagne for Finley? And when we trade Johnson some team is going to get raped. I'll guarantee you right now Johnson is on his last legs (Nolan Ryan started breaking down at 42) and 2005 is his last year with the DBacks anyways so we may as well get something for him while he has value instead of remaining here and being the difference between fifty and seventy wins.

yes...it sounds like we are ready to win now. i give this guy MAX two seasons. we'll lose just as many games next season and MIGHT see an improvement for the season after that. oh yeah....and Jo Jr. is gone sooner than this guy. actually Jo needs to go NOW, and i wouldnt be suprised that once Sexon signs elsewhere and we trade Johnson for nothing, he'll be shown the door.

Of course we're not going to win now, they're in a rebuilding process. It's not like the ownership is going to come out and say: "Fans, we're going to suck for three or four years but keep buying tickets." I will agree with you that Joe Jr. sucks although I htink Colangelo had just as much to do with this team's ineptness as Joe. Whoever decided to trade Schilling for mediocre MLB-ready guys as opposed to future All Stars who are still a year or two away needs to be fired. This team was going nowhere but someone in the organization couldn't see that and blew the Schilling trade, now we have to make up for it with the RJ deal.

unless we spend some money, we arent going anywhere for at least 3 seasons. we need pitching and power hitting........and funny as it sounds.......thats what we are getting rid of to save money (Finley, Sexon, Johnson).

That's good call, spend more money. That way we can get to a billion dollars debt, declare bankruptcy, and have MLB fold the team. 2001, if I were to create a metaphor, was the result of ownership getting a brand new platinum AMEX. They went nuts on it for awhile and got some good stuff, but now payment is due. Sorry, but if you're hoping for a FA shopping spree this winter you're going to be disappointed.

 

[asudevil83]

That's good call, spend more money. That way we can get to a billion dollars debt, declare bankruptcy, and have MLB fold the team. 2001, if I were to create a metaphor, was the result of ownership getting a brand new platinum AMEX. They went nuts on it for awhile and got some good stuff, but now payment is due. Sorry, but if you're hoping for a FA shopping spree this winter you're going to be disappointed.

i'll go out and say that i agree with some of your points. i knew nothing about these prospects that we got for Finley and figured they did another salary dump like they did with Schilling.

BUT...as far as saying the RJ is on his last legs...i dont know about that. people said that 3 years ago, but he's still pitching amazingly. IF he wanted to, he could pitch another 2 or 3 years i think.

as far as spending money...i'm not looking for us to break the bank this year, thats the last thing i want. i know for a fact that some of these kids we played last year should not have been there, they should have been in AAA. i would like to see some veterans come to this team and teach these kids how to play ball, and fill the holes that we have. we need pitching and hitting...and especially pitching.

you would not believe how much confidence is lost in a young pitcher when, in his first or second season in the league, his record is 7-16, 4-15, or 0-9.

i just want to reiderate that the management F'ed this organization up royally. we went from an expansion team to a champion team in 3 years, and from a champion team to an expansion team (this time with hundreds of millions of dollars in debt now) in 3 years. and i'd never think i'd say this, but i'm glad Jerry is out of there. now its time for Joe.