FanHouse WallyBackman

Bob Melvin will not be manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, according to a report in the Arizona Republic. Melvin has already been fired, a source who spoke on the condition of anonymity told the Associated Press.

A.J. Hinch, a catcher who played seven years in the majors, will replace Melvin, according to a report by SI.com.

Arizona is 12-17 after Thursday's 10-inning loss at San Diego and in fourth place in the NL West. The Diamondbacks' core of young talent has not progressed as some had expected after the team reached the 2007 NLCS under Melvin. He was NL Manager of the Year for that season.

Desperation is a stinky cologne. So even though Wally Backman is well-intentioned and would probably be a very good manager, it is still tough to see him essentially beg for a job. Backman, of course, did have a job in 2004 when he was hired to be the Arizona Diamondbacks manger, for about four days. Then his past haunted him before he could re-make his future. And now he would like back in.

'All I need is an interview," Wally Backman said. 'If they want the best person to take care of their players, I know I'm the right guy. I'll earn my spot.'

On first glance, it seems like he's "Pulling a Carter", whereby as a former Met, you question the job Willie Randolph is doing. But apparently, he's that's not what he is trying to do. In fact, he is actually pro-Willie, just like Gary C [after he got called out].

'No way," he said. "I'm not campaigning for [Willie's job]. I want back in an organization ... But I am not looking for Willie's job. I'm actually a [bleeping] fan of his. He's under a pressure situation there that any little thing could cost him.'

That makes it sound much better, no? And it also makes me wonder (especially when I hear he is a self-professed "'computer rat' who is up on all the numbers) why someone has not given him another shot yet. Tim Hardaway's situation is entirely different. Backman is throughly removed (four years) from his original mistake.

But based on Minaya's statement that the Mets have "all our spots filled" it does not seem likely Backman will get a shot under current management. Of course, if things keep their current pace, it might not be long before someone else comes in that would be willing to give him a chance.

Minor League Spotlight is MLB FanHouse's look into baseball's minor leagues. But you probably figured that out already.

Let's admit one thing off the bat here: becoming a famous -- and I use that term loosely in this sense -- mascot is not an easy thing. After all, you are a mascot. You wear a ridiculous costume that makes you sweaty while you try and entertain the kids. It's a thankless job.

But one mascot has risen above them all and achieved that hard to come by famousness. He is the (Famous) San Diego Chicken. And, after more than 30 years, he's still packing the kids into the seats. In fact, he was the No. 1 promotional draw in minor league ballparks this summer.

From Sports Biz with Darren Rovell:

Long after "The Baseball Bunch" (my favorite show as a kid after "This Week In Baseball") and the San Diego Padres ditching him, the Famous Chicken was the number one promotion in the minor leagues in 2007. Its appearance at minor league games, on average, increased attendance by 26 percent.

That's pretty good when you consider, as the firm reveals, that the Chicken's appearance only cost teams 22 cents per fan. It's also pretty good when you consider that the Chicken is more than 30 years old.

A hearty congrats, Mr. Famous Chicken. And here I thought Wally Backman was the biggest draw this season.

Minor League Spotlight is the MLB FanHouse's look into baseball's minor leagues. But you probably figured that out already.

Last week, I told you that Wally Backman, he of being hired by the Diamondbacks only to be released a few days later fame, got a job coaching in the independent South Coast League. It was encouraging to see that for all the financial, personal and legal problems he combated, the Georgia Peanuts still gave him a chance to flex his managerial muscle again. Well, here's what he did last night:

Backman, the fiery skipper of the South Coast League-leading South Georgia Peanuts, was ejected from the game in the eighth inning after coming to the defense of player Doc Brooks, who has just been tossed by home plate umpire Tom Height for questioning balls and strikes calls.

Backman dropped several F-bombs on Height, then kicked dirt on home plate, prompting Height to eject Backman.

The former New York Mets star responded to the move by tossing equipment onto the playing field. Not only did he hurl 22 bats onto the grass, he also emptied a bucket of baseballs down the third base line.

The situation was made worse by the fact that Backman's foul language was clearly audible since there were only a handful of fans left in the stadium. Some of those fans were, in fact, children.

Minor League Spotlight is the MLB FanHouse's look into baseball's minor leagues. But you probably figured that out already.

The story of Wally Backman may have slipped out of everyone's collective consciousness, so let me give you a brief refresher. The Arizona Diamondbacks hired him to manage their club in November of 2004. Shortly thereafter, reports surfaced that he been arrested a few times (DUI, a domestic dispute) and he had some financial problems in his background to boot. A few days later, the Diamondbacks canned him.

Well, Backman is back managing again ... in the independent South Coast League.

The former minor league manager of the year is now running the South Georgia Peanuts, a charter member of the fledgling South Coast League. Instead of flying around the country in first class, he's enduring long bus rides between nondescript cities in Georgia, South Carolina and Florida. The $58 million payroll he briefly had at his disposal in Arizona is now a $75,000 salary cap, divvied up among 23 players, many of them with hard-luck stories similar to his own.

"Honestly, I didn't want to start here,'' Backman said with his trademark bluntness. But, he added, "If I'm here, I'm willing to do whatever. It doesn't matter. I just want to prove to an organization what I'm all about. Right now, I'm just waiting for the opportunity.''

America is the land of second chances, so I wish Backman luck in his presumable quest to make it back to the majors. He's proven he can coach. It's certainly going to be a long journey, though.

Ah 1986 ... the days of Iran Contra, ALF, and the New York Mets, who swore, drank, and pillaged their way into your hearts. Oh yeah, and they won the world championship as well (which is how their swearing, drinking, and pillaging became public knowledge).

They were music stars as well, as August of that year saw the debut of "Lets Go Mets Go", their response to the Chicago Bears who starred in "The Super Bowl Shuffle" earlier that season. Check out not only the players clowning around, but the celebrity cameos near the end, including Tony Bennett, Dr. Joyce Brothers, and a very young (and very hairy) Howard Stern. Joe Piscopo made a memorable cameo as well. Piscopo recently admitted he was a life-long Yankee fan, which basically means that I can never look at this video quite the same again. But it's still a fun watch.