Dbacks presser at 11 am Local time

[JerkFace]

the new diamondbacks owners are a bunch of jokes, first drew, then sexton, now this.....

 

[AZZenny]

JoeBlow looked rather queasy and subdued. I was SOOOO hoping the "second announcement" would be a second firing... I eagerly await that press conference.

We've gone from fiery butt-kicker to... Bob Melvin and Jay Bell - is that like passive and nicey-nice to the nth degree? SIGH.

 

[minercon]

Baseball's Backman reminds me of basketball's Scott Skiles. We don't need that type of manager. There are points of degrees when it comes to discipline. Pat Riley is tough but not neurotic. It sounds like Backman is just downright tempermental and mean(very simple words that describes his personality).

I guess the new owners are not really people that should own a team. They have lots of money, are good business men in their own field, but the sports world is a different world with plenty of sleeze to go around....although there is plenty of good too. It is always the sleeze one needs to watch out for and it pops up unexpectantly. Many of you pulled for Grace. Gee Whiz...the guy acts like a 16 year old locker room jock. We need maturity with class as a manager. I know my basketball a lot better than baseball, so I don't know who should be manager...although I know Melvin is the new guy now. WE just don't need a Backman personality to run this team.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I think the ownership group is relatively the same, they only gave Colangelo (who sold his portion of the DBacks years ago) the boot as CEO. Good riddance if you ask me. Don't think there are fans, owners, and sportswriters of thirty other teams happy as a pig in s--t right now with what the DBacks organization has become. Their spending and overall shadiness prior to 2001 pissed off a lot of people.

Since this organization is now officially in ruins, can we all finally agree to let Sexson walk and trade RJ and Gonzo if anyone wants his ridiculous contract? Sign Drew and trot out $30 million payrolls with low-risk, high reward vets on short contracts over the next three years until the young guys are ready. Bonds is still going to be around, the Dodgers will be spending under a new ownership afraid of the AL SoCal counterparts, and the Pads are going to be spending their new stadium money so it's not like we could compete anyways. Then, when we have more financial flexibility and a competitive team we can get creative and fill in the holes.

 

[IndyDevil]

Idiots!!!

A day after the three-year anniversary of our WS win, we become a national joke! It's bad enough not doing any sort of background check on Backman, but to end this whole fiasco by hiring Melvin instead?? AAAAAAAAAUGH!!!!

Why would Sexson possibly want to remain in AZ now?? Or RJ for that matter?!

 

[KingLouieLouie]

JoeBlow looked rather queasy and subdued. I was SOOOO hoping the "second announcement" would be a second firing... I eagerly await that press conference.

We've gone from fiery butt-kicker to... Bob Melvin and Jay Bell - is that like passive and nicey-nice to the nth degree? SIGH.

Yeah, I most definitely agree, but it was the best they Dbacks could do to try to regain any iota of credibility (however minute it is)....

Although, Melvin is essentially a Bob Brenly clone and I'm afraid that would signify them undoing most of the slight progress they had made in terms of the youth movement they were headed in....

Melvin seems like he's more of a veteran oriented manager and similar to Brenly would have constant conflicts with younger players. Backman was obviously ideal since he dealt with many of the "up-and-coming" stars in the organization (C. Jackson, C. Quentin, D`Antona...etc) that he would already know how to approach each of them..... Now I'm extremely leery of the likes of Finley returning back to the organization......

Yes, the Dbacks succumbed to media pressures to immediately correct that error, but it seems that demeanor and attributes that Backman possesses reminds me of my favorite manager of all-time, Billy Martin....We all know of Martin's off-field issues (also involving constant substance abuse) and also his encounters with his players, but he was always able to put all of that aside and managed to get a lot out of his players......I just dont have faith that Melvin would be able to do that.....Backman would have gone with that "small-ball" approach which is something I've yearned for ...for quite awhile, but I see Melvin doing the "Earl Weaver" strategy, which with the current personnel, the Dbacks cant execute that......

Another issue.....I believe that Joe G Jr. was the only one involved with the entire hiring process, since Moorad if I can recall hasnt been voted into his position yet and I bet Kendrick was just deferring to Jr. in this regard..... I bet once Moorad does assume total power and gets more familiar with the Dbacks organization, my prediction from a cpl mos ago will thankfully materialize, that Jr. will be terminated.......

Now with the franchise's total credibility at stake, who will want to sign here now?

 

[kps0001]

Since this organization is now officially in ruins, can we all finally agree to let Sexson walk and trade RJ and Gonzo if anyone wants his ridiculous contract? Sign Drew and trot out $30 million payrolls with low-risk, high reward vets on short contracts over the next three years until the young guys are ready. Bonds is still going to be around, the Dodgers will be spending under a new ownership afraid of the AL SoCal counterparts, and the Pads are going to be spending their new stadium money so it's not like we could compete anyways. Then, when we have more financial flexibility and a competitive team we can get creative and fill in the holes.

That is pretty much what the Padres and Dodgers did through our reign and battles at the top with the Giants. NOw look at both of em. I agree completely. Estimated $300 mil in debt will take a while to dig out of. I just hope there aren't any more 100 loss season on the horizon. I maybe could live with 99.

 

[Djaughe]

Whats done is done....Hopefully backman will find another assignment and possibly manage on the major league level.

I feel equal blame goes to backman for not disclosing problems in his past and for the team in not investigating his background. But not to give an opportunity to have backman prove himself is disapointing. The d-backs could have easily set a zero tolerance policy attitude and moved on...instead we're gonna hire a bob brenley disciple...if thats the case why was B.B. canned?!

 

[Kel Varnsen]

LOL. The Cardinals are no longer the laughingstock franchise of Arizona!

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

LOL. The Cardinals are no longer the laughingstock franchise of Arizona!

Yeah, right. Wake me when they win a playoff game...how many times have they done that in the last 50 years? Twice?

 

[arthurracoon]

Yeah, right. Wake me when they win a playoff game...how many times have they done that in the last 50 years? Twice?

Hey, at least they are moving in the right direction!

 

[coyoteshockeyfan]

Hey, at least they are moving in the right direction!

Nowhere to go but up I suppose. That or stay at the same level as they have been at for the last century.

 

[Ryanwb]

The saddest part of this whole fiasco is that while I would be willing to give Backman the benefit of the doubt about being through with his issues...... his reputation has been rung through the cleaners so bad he will never get a major league manager job ever.

That in my mind is really sad because he has some talent. What a major league (no pun intended) mess up by the D'backs........

 

[AZZenny]

I put the responsibility for this on the front office - by the time they'd done the initial interviews and recommended finalists, ownership would logically assume guys had been vetted; that's how it works in corporations.

Several other teams, including the Mets, have said they knew this stuff, so why didn't anyone talk to our GM? A guy from the paper said THEY knew at least some of it over a week ago. (btw - remember when Dusty Baker went to the Cubs, all the stuff about his tax liens suddenly popped up? How could anyone still imagine you don't need to do complete checks on newsworthy hires?)

Kendricks (a man I am already REALLY tired of seeing) may publically take the blame, but ownership HAS to know this is another failure by Joe and his people.

Regardless, when the new part about possible probation violation and jail time came up Wednesday, DBacks had to jettison Wally. I hope he gets himself straightened out and coaches or manages again, because I think he's got talent.