Double Standard Alert: Tony LaRussa

Tonight, Tony LaRussa brings his third place Redbirds into Shea Stadium for a three-game series with the Mets. Meanwhile, Wally Backman's Joliet Jackhammers are riding a four game winning streak in the independent Northern League. Oh, by the way, Backman is still blacklisted from Major League Baseball. I'm not saying LaRussa should have been fired for his DUI. I'm just pointing out that Backman can't get a job interview for a minor league job - and it is a double standard.

Keep these mugshots in mind when you watch tonight's game. And this video:






-John

Double Standard Alert: Brett Myers

From left to right: An ordinary pitcher and a proven winner

Tonight, Brett Myers started against the Mets at Shea Stadium while Wally Backman continued to be blacklisted from Major League Baseball. Unlike Wally Backman, Myers was given a second chance after his legal troubles. We're just pointing that out...

-David

Vote Wally - Who, What, Why

Q: What is Vote Wally?

A: It's a movement to get Wally Backman back into affiliated baseball.

Q: Why?

A: Wally Backman was blackballed because he doesn't fit MLB's corporate image.

Q: Does Wally Backman deserve a job in affiliated baseball?

A: We think so, based on his accomplishments (numerous championships and league manager of the year awards... and the 2004 Sporting News Minor League Manager of the Year Award). But the fact is, WALLY BACKMAN HASN'T BEEN INTERVIEWED FOR AN AFFILIATED JOB SINCE 2004.

Q: Didn't Wally Backman have a DUI in 2004?

A: No. Backman's DUI was in 1999, he plead guilty in 2001.

Q: Why should he get a chance to manage or coach if he has a DUI?

A: Because he deserves a second chance. Ever hear of Tony LaRussa? How's that for a double standard?




Q: Who is Vote Wally?

A: We are baseball fans. Some of us know Backman personally, some of us have played for him. Some of us have simply seen him manage our local minor league team. Our group also includes filmmaker John Fitzgerald - creator of the documentary TV show Playing for Peanuts, a show that documented Backman's 2007 season with the South Georgia Peanuts.

Check back soon. In the meantime, spread the word.

-David
VoteWally.net

Welcome to Vote Wally!

Hey,

My name is John Fitzgerald. I am the producer of "Playing for Peanuts" - a new TV show about minor league baseball.

Long story short, I followed Wally Backman's minor league team last year. We had cameras and microphones following Wally and his team all summer. It was alot of fun, very costly and the experience has just about ruined my life.

Back to the point... I bought the VoteWally.net website in early 2008 as a way to create a small viral marketing campaign to promote the show - Wally is a leader and there is an election coming up... It seemed like a perfect fit.

Unfortunately, I had neither the time or money to run a secondary website (I already have my hands full with the Playing for Peanuts website and blog).

As the 2008 baseball season began, a few things happened that have led you to this very blog at this very moment (cue the dramatic music):

1.) Playing for Peanuts debuted nationally, to a weekly audience of 150K

2.) The Mets got off to a slow start, prompting Mets fans to call for Wally Backman to be hired as the new Mets manager.

3.) A Mets fan named Chris (I never met the guy but we've exchanged emails) started the Hire Wally Backman Blog.

4.) A friend of mine - Mike Curtin - started a Hire Wally Backman petition. Mike is a longtime Mets fan and a fan of Playing for Peanuts. He took some initiative and the petition has been featured nationally. It currently has over 350 signatures.

5.) Mets fans - and fans of other MLB teams - continually ask me why Wally Backman isn't managing in the Major Leagues.

6.) A few friends have expressed the desire to take this website and use it to alert people to Wally Backman's story and his attempt to get back into affiliated baseball. I fully support that and I happily endorse the use of this website for those intentions. All I ask is that revenues from T-shirt and merch sales go to the production of Playing for Peanuts, as the production is still struggling to get out of the red.

To me, Wally Backman represents everything that baseball should be - hard nosed, dirty and fundamentally sound. Backman's baseball knowledge exceeds that of most MLB executives, but he scares them because MLB is all about playing it safe. I could get into specifics, but the point is that Wally Backman made some mistakes in his life and he apologized and a decade has passed and he still can't get an interview to manage or coach in the minor leagues. It's a disgrace.

If you don't like the corporate direction of Major League Baseball, if Joe Buck makes you ill and if you think Bud Selig is the biggest snake oil salesman this side of David Stern, then Vote Wally.

So that's it... If you have any questions, feel free to post 'em and someone (maybe me, maybe not) will be happy to answer them. And if you're interested in posting a "guest blog" about why you want Wally Backman to manage your favorite MLB team or a minor league affiliate, please let us know.

-John Fitzgerald
Playing for Peanuts

Introduction

Welcome to VoteWally.net - your source for the latest Vote Wally news. We are a grassroots organization trying to raise awareness of Wally Backman's leadership skills in an effort to get him back into affiliated minor league baseball.

Or into the White House. That would be pretty funny.

The choice is yours - but whatever you do, be sure to Vote Wally and tell your friends!

-David
VoteWally.net