Wally World

Wally Backman played second base on the personality-rich New York Mets
club that stomped on New England’s heart in the 1986 World Series. The
career .275 hitter went into managing after his playing days ended. The
Arizona Diamondbacks introduced Backman as their new manager on
November 1, 2004, only to fire him four days later, after prior arrests
and a bankruptcy surfaced in the press. Backman tried his hand at
running a fishing business and eventually returned to baseball,
accepting a low-paying job as skipper of an independent league team.
For the second season, he manages the Joliet JackHammers, who face
the Kansas City T-Bones at 7:05 p.m. at CommunityAmerica Ballpark
(1800 Village West Parkway). Tickets are available at the box office or
by calling 913-328-2255. See tbonesbaseball.com.

Tue., May 26, 7 p.m., 2009