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Backman resigns

• South Georgia Peanuts Manager Wally Backman turns in his jersey with less than a month left in the season.

Paul Dehner Jr.

ALBANY — The latest chapter in the tumultuous story of former New York Mets star Wally Backman again ended in controversy Tuesday when he stepped down as manager of the independent South Georgia Peanuts.

After numerous conflicts with South Coast League officials, which included being suspended for a combined 14 games in a little more than two months, both sides decided to part ways with just three weeks remaining in the league’s inaugural season. Led by Backman, the Peanuts already had won the SCL’s first-half title, but in light of Backman’s resignation, assistant coach Larry Olenberger will take over as interim manager for the remainder of the season.

“There are a lot of bumps in the road in the first year of any league and they are getting through those, they are going to go forward,” said Backman, who spoke alongside SCL CEO Jamie Toole at a joint news conference. “It is tough on the players. It is tough on myself. It is tough on the coaching staff. But we have a mutual agreement that I should step down.”

Managing the Peanuts was Backman’s first job at any level of professional baseball since he was hired as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks on November 1, 2004, then fired four days later in a whirlwind of controversy when the organization became aware of previous charges for DUI and assault.

Long-noted for his fiery managerial style, Backman was hired by the Peanuts after spending two years away from the game. He said Tuesday he was leaving with hopes that the latest turn of events doesn’t dampen the possibility of his eventual goal: one day managing a Major League franchise.

“I hope not,” he said. “That is a bridge I will have to cross down the road.”

The move came on the heels of the latest in a long line of off-the-field incidents surrounding Backman and the Peanuts.

Backman took umbrage Monday with the league when it suspended two of his players — outfielder Doc Brooks and second baseman Joey Hooft — for 10 games after a drug test came back with a diluted sample from what the SCL alleged was a masking agent.

He responded with a 228-word release and news conference, which called out league medical director Rob Desantis for “not doing his job properly.”

Both sides voiced their frustrations as Toole responded, “Unfortunately, we have a manager who cannot control his players.”

Toole and Backman, along with league chief operating officer Chris Allen, met in person after Monday night’s game, then again at a lunch today before making an official announcement.

From all appearances, the two parted ways cordially.

“I feel real good about last 24 hours,” Toole said. “It was just more philosophical differences. I respect the way we handled the situation. It has been a good conversation. I’ve got respect for Wally; I think what he does on the field is secondary to no one.”

“It’s saddening to have this end the way it did,” said Peanuts GM Keith Michlig. “I’ve said from the get-go Wally is an unbelievable baseball mind and put together a team he knows is going to win. It’s tough to lose figurehead from a player-development standpoint.”

The Peanuts never lost ownership of first place in the six-team league and won the first half championship by posting a 33-11 record. Backman also had three players signed by Major League organizations — more than any of the SCL’s six clubs.

The on-field performance was never the issue, though.

Backman first was suspended three games for bumping an umpire during a June 12 game at the Aiken Foxhounds and suspended three more for an altercation in the press box with the broadcaster and general manager of the Anderson Joes on June 26. He then took an eight-game suspension on behalf of his coaching staff when the team was pulled off the field and forfeited a game — which was proceeded by a benches-clearing melee —- in the seventh inning July 20 at Macon. Backman had already been ejected from the game for a separate incident when the forfeit occurred.

“Things on the field, I can’t say I will ever apologize for them,” Backman said. “That’s always been my nature. I have some regrets. I don’t know that I need to go into those.”

Backman said Tuesday his plans are to return to his home in Oregon as the Peanuts move forward with Olenberger into the inaugural SCL championship series beginning Sept. 1.

“I feel good about the decisions we’ve made mutually to move forward,” Toole said. “It is a positive. We were able to sit down today and have a lengthy conversation and we are genuinely excited for each other moving forward. It probably could have been a lot worse.”

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