The Buffalo Bisons announced their spring training schedule Friday, a 12-game run against the Triple-A affiliates of the Miami Marlins (New Orleans Zephyrs) and the St. Louis Cardinals (Memphis Redbirds). They will be played March 17-April 1, with the six home games at the Mets' complex in Port St. Lucie, Fla. and the other six at the combined St. Louis/Miami complex in Jupiter. Both are on Florida's East Coast. All games start at 1 p.m.
The Mets open spring training when pitchers and catchers report on Feb. 20. The full squad arrives Feb. 25. Players only on minor-league contracts hit town in early March. The Bisons open their season April 5 at Pawtucket and the 25th anniversary of Coca-Cola Field begins with the home opener April 11 against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at 2:05.
The full spring training schedule:
March 17 Memphis March 18 at New Orleans March 20 New Orleans March 21 at Memphis March 22 at New Orleans March 24 Memphis March 25 New Orleans March 26 at Memphis March 28 New Orleans March 30 at Memphis March 31 at New Orleans April 1 Memphis
No more carping allowed from anybody that no one can compete with the Yankees and Red Sox. Look at the stupid money this offseason: Angels (Albert Pujols), Rangers (Yu Darvish) and now Tigers (Prince Fielder).
I'm still trying to put my arms around Fielder's nine-year, $214-million deal. The Tigers certainly were in panic mode when Victor Martinez went down and owner Mike Illitch isn't getting any younger at 82. He's won a lot with the Red Wings and I was told by several people at the World Series how downcast he was when the Tigers lost the ALCS in Texas last year. Sounds like he's just going for it now and longterm consequences be damned.
It makes the Tigers the runaway favorite in the AL Central and probably the favorite in the entire American League for the World Series. What a lineup with Fielder and Miguel Cabrera and, of course, they already have the MVP in Justin Verlander.
Mitch Albom says the prevailing word is "Big" in his column on Fielder in today's Detroit Free Press. A good read. Be sure to read an Inside Baseball column I'll have in Sunday's paper. By then, I should have my thoughts collected. That's a lotta coin.
The Baseball Writers Association of America announces the results of its Hall of Fame voting today and former Cincinnati Reds shortstop Barry Larkin appears to be the favorite to earn induction this year among a slew of other candidates. The results will be announced on BBWAA.com, MLB.com and the MLB Network (coverage begins at 2 p.m.)
I do not have an official ballot (you must be a 10-year member of the BBWAA and I hit that mark in 2016), and this would be a tough year if I did. Every year from this point forward will be, of course, because of the steroid era. You can vote for as many as 10 players and 75 percent of the vote is needed for election. It's possible Larkin is the only candidate who makes it this year if votes get really split, and it's also possible a few others make it.
Here's a quick look at some of my thoughts:
Lock -- Larkin. He got 62.1 percent last year and is the best bet after a 19-year career with the Reds that saw him make 12 all-star teams. He could run, he could hit and hit with power and he had a great glove. There's not much discussion needed.
Stock -- Jack Morris, Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines. I would be voting for all three but I'm not sure any of them get in. Morris, with just two years left on the ballot, is one of the toughest calls out there. He's got 254 wins but a 3.90 ERA. He's maybe the greatest postseason pitcher ever (and not just Game 7 in 1991) and won the World Series for three times (Tigers, Twins, Blue Jays) but he's still a longshot. Bagwell is the only first baseman in history with 400 homers and 200 steals and was a Gold Glover but is still dogged by unfounded PED accusations. The tide seems to be turning on him and I think he gets in within the next couple of years. Raines was the best leadoff hitter in National League history. Period. Is he hurt by playing so much of his career in Montreal? He shouldn't be.
Barrel (at least this year): Alan Trammell, Fred McGriff, Bernie Williams, Lee Smith. And those are listed in the order of who I think is most likely to get in. My prediction is none of them get the call in 2012 but all may get it sooner rather than later.
Not happening: Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro and Juan Gonzalez (PEDs), Edgar Martinez (DH only), Larry Walker (too many numbers at Coors Field), Don Mattingly (injuries, etc),
The massive statue of Stan Musial sits on the third-base side of Busch Stadium. The big one of Albert Pujols would have gone on the first-base side someday sooner rather than later. I'm with Sully in thinking that Pujols should have appreciated what it meant to be a great icon in a great baseball town like St. Louis. We were both wrong. Pujols has 254 million reasons to show us why but I'm still disappointed.
That said, the Angels put Pujols and Texas ace C.J. Wilson on the field and now become the favorite in the AL West over the two-time defending AL champion Rangers. That will now be quite a race, better than Yankees-Red Sox but without all the ESPN fawning.
In his terrific column that ran on Page A-1 of today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch (click image at right for a bigger view), longtime sports columnist Bernie Miklasz reminded everyone in Cardinal red and white that this was all business with no sentiment attached.
P-D Hall of Fame writer Rick Hummel has this interesting comparison to where Pujols now stands in relation to Musial.
The Toronto Blue Jays are returning to their roots of the 1970s, 80s and 90s with new uniforms and logos that were unveiled today during a ceremony in the Rogers Center. The new look is returning the blue and focusing again on the red maple leaf, just like the original logo did in 1977. Check out the team's video introduction.
Just like he was as a .320 hitter for the 1986 World Series champion New York Mets, Wally Backman is a scrapper as a manager who expects to win every year. That's a good thing for the Buffalo Bisons, who are expecting the New York Mets to put a winner in town next season or they might be looking elsewhere for a new parent in 2013.
Backman knocked it out of the park with an energetic introductory press conference Thursday as the Mets and Bisons made it official that he is getting promoted from Double-A Binghamton to head the Herd in 2012.
"I'm not the business guy into all that type of stuff but every year I manage a team I expect to win" Backman said. "We've talked about it. I know it's the last year the contract is up. I think the new regime [headed by Mets GM Sandy Alderson] is trying to put a product on the field that at the upper levels that is going to compete all the time."
"It's pretty evident when you spend time with Wally that he's a very, very passionate person," said Bisons General Manager Mike Buczkowski. "High energy, loves baseball, loves talking baseball. Ultra competitive person."
The Mets certainly want to help Backman win. It's likely their going to stock the Herd with free agents, particularly in the bullpen and middle infield. They announced the re-signing Thursday of DH/1B Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo's MVP in 2011 and Backman revealed the Mets have signed catcher/left fielder Vinny Rottino, who .304 with 10 home runs and 17 stolen bases last year with New Orleans of the Marlins chain
Backman, 52, is entering his 10th managerial season and his third in the Mets organization. Overall, he has a record of 534-488 (.523) with two league championships in his career but his road to Buffalo has been a circuitous one. He was a rising star as a manager and was hired by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2004 -- only to be fired four days later when reports surfaced of a DUI, personal bankruptcy and an old assault charge from a friend of his wife.
Out of baseball for two years, he resurfaced with an independent league team in Albany, Ga. in 2007, then moved for two years in Joliet, Ill. The Mets rehired him in 2010 and he won a division title at Class A Brooklyn of the New York-Penn League. Backman's Binghamton team was 65-76 last year, riddled by callups to Buffalo, but finished the season 30-21.
"I am passionate about the game," Backman said. "I expect my players to take the games personal, the wins and the losses, and I expect them to be prepared to win every day."
The Bisons are going to have some stud starting pitching in 2012. Former No. 1 draft pick Matt Harvey pitched in Binghamton last year and so did Jeurys Familia, signed as an undrafted 18-year-old in 2007. They both could be here. Jenrry Mejia, felled by Tommy John surgery, could be back by the middle of the season. Zack Wheeler, acquired in the Carlos Beltran trade, might get here at some point. Same for lefty Darin Gorski, who lit up the Florida State League.
"I want Familia, I want Harvey," Backmann said. "One of the two I'll have to fight for. I think one of the two I'll probably get. I believe they're both ready to come here."
Here's a pair of audio tracks from my post-news conference chat with Backman.
Before heading to the airport tonight to get to Raleigh for tomorrow's Sabres game, I'm taking a detour to the Bisons' clubhouse for a 2 p.m. press conference. It's a big announcement that will make official what we reported the first week of October: Former New York Mets second baseman Wally Backman (right) will be introduced as the Bisons' manager for 2012.
Backman, who led Double-A Binghamton last year, reportedly turned down a chance to serve as a coach under Davey Johnson in Washington so that he could manage in Triple-A. Johnson apparently advised him to do so.
Backman shared the second base platoon with Tim Teufel for Johnson's '86 World Series champion Mets and now takes over the Herd from Teufel, who will be Terry Collins' third-base coach in New York next season.
Backman has had a long road back to get this point. He was the manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks for four days in 2004 until he was fired when reports surfaced of a DUI, an old battery charge and financial difficulties. He took two years off, started in independent ball in 2007 in Albany, Ga. and has worked his way back up with the Mets from Class A Brooklyn to Binghamton and Buffalo.
Lots of folks in New York will be watching Backman closely this season. Large segments of the fan base want him to be Collins' heir apparent. By all reports, Backman is a funny, irascible character who should liven things up around Coca-Cola Field.
Don't believe me? Go on YouTube and look up "Playing for Peanuts". It's a documentary that was filmed in '07 when Backman managed the South Georgia Peanuts and some of his rants are hysterical. Too much profanity to link here though. Google and YouTube it. Trust me.
---Mike Harrington (www.twitter.com/bnharrington)
AP Photo: Backman greets fans in 2008 on the final day at Shea Stadium.
Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Torey Lovullo had his interview with the Boston Red Sox Friday in Fenway Park, officially getting into the ring to replace Terry Francona as manager. Lovullo, who served as first-base coach in Toronto last season and managed the Bisons from 2006-2008, has told me several times in the last few years he thinks he's ready for a big-league gig.
Here's the MLB.com story on Lovullo's day, which spells out the candidates: Lovullo, Sandy Alomar Jr., Pete Mackanin, Dale Sveum and Gene Lamont.
Check out this Boston Globe video to hear some of his comments during his post-interview news conference in the ballpark's press box.
Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Torey Lovullo apparently has his hat in a big ring as the former Bisons player and manager will interview Friday for the vacant manager's slot with the Boston Red Sox. Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe tweeted the news about Lovullo late Tuesday afternoon.
Lovullo spent last year as the first-base coach under John Farrell in Toronto and the word is that Farrell, the former pitching coach under Terry Francona, has pushed Boston brass to give Lovullo serious consideration to replace Terry Francona. From this view, Lovullo has a chance to mesh well with young GM like Ben Cherington and the Red Sox know him from his stint as the manager in Pawtucket in 2010.
As a manager, Lovullo had a terrific run in Class A and Double-A with the Indians from 2002-2005, winning two league championships and producing four playoff teams. He posted back-to-back 73-68 seasons with the Bisons in 2006 and 2007 and then had a 66-77 record in 2008 when the Indians had one foot out the door on the way to Columbus. His next two years (57-85 in Columbus and 66-78 in Pawtucket) weren't much better but those teams had few prospects.
Still, Lovullo is highly regarded and has interviewed in the past for the top job with the Indians and Dodgers. He's a great communicator with players, the front office and media and he played for seven big-league teams in addition to having terrific years in the minors (notably with the Bisons in 1995, 1997 and 1998, and Scranton in 1999).
Lovullo was the most valuable player of the 1997 American Association playoffs and batted .326 on Buffalo's 1998 team that won the Governors' Cup and produced the franchise's only back-to-back championships.
As we reported Oct. 5, it's just about a lock now that former Mets second baseman Wally Backman will be the manager of the Bisons in 2012. That looked to be the case when the Mets promoted 2011 Herd manager Tim Teufel to third-base coach, and the easy assumption was that Backman was coming up from Double-A Binghamton. Mets GM Sandy Alderson even said that to be a likely scenario on a conference call that day.
But Backman started talking to the Washington Nationals and old Mets manager Davey Johnson about a coaching position in the big leagues and the easy move suddenly seemed like it might be in jeopardy.
As it turns out, Bob Klapisch of the Bergen Record reports that Johnson himself has recommended Backman take the job in Buffalo. I agree. Backman needs to show he can manage older players if he wants to get the Mets' job someday, or any other one.
There's no word yet on when the Mets will make the hiring official. Teams often do all of their minor-league coaching assignments together and that could take until after the Winter Meetings next month in Dallas.
