New York Mets: Carlos Beltran, meet Wally Backman

New York Mets former manager Carlos Beltran is not the only person in recent memory to be fired before his first game.

One had to sense that something would happen with Carlos Beltran in the wake of the Astros sign stealing saga. The new manager of the New York Mets was repetitively named as one of the main conspirators, although he denied any knowledge of such a scheme when interviewed by Major League Baseball as part of its investigation.

Although Beltran was not expected to receive any punishment from the league, given that he was a player at the time, his future with the Mets was still brought into question. On Thursday, the expected happened – Beltran departed the organization before managing his first game with New York.

Yet, Beltran is not the only person with a connection to the Mets to be relieved of his duties before managing his first major league game. Back in 2004, former Mets player Wally Backman met a similar fate, fired four days after being named the Arizona Diamondbacks manager.

Backman’s saga was a bit different than Beltran’s. In a story about Backman being hired by Arizona, it was revealed that he was facing major legal and financial issues. He had been arrested for DUI in 1999, and in 2000, was arrested in connection to a fight at his house in Oregon. Additionally, Backman had declared bankruptcy to keep from paying numerous creditors, including the IRS.

Much like the Mets did with Beltran, the Diamondbacks initially stood by Backman. However, that support was short-lived, as he was relieved of his duties four days later. An internal investigation revealed that Backman had not been truthful in his interview, and had not been fully vetted before being hired.

Eventually, Backman was able to continue his managerial career. He spent a decade managing in the minors, with a portion of that time in the Mets system. Although he was never able to get another major league job, Backman did interview for the Mets opening when Jerry Manuel was fired.

In time, Beltran could find himself back in the good graces of the game. This scandal will be forgotten, and his part will fade away. Although his journey may have to begin in the independent leagues as it did with Backman, or in the minors, Beltran will be back. It will just take some time.

Carlos Beltran is not alone in being made to step aside before his first game as manager. Former New York Mets manager Wally Backman can commiserate.