Better Know a Metstache: Wally Backman
by Hairy Backman | April 1st, 2009
A selfless man never looks directly into a camera.
But the one Metstache that is oft-overlooked and seldom recognized as a stache of greatness is the selfless stache. And no one wore it better than Wally Backman.
Born Walter Wayne Backman, Wally began his Major League career in 1980 with the New York Mets. His success as a player came from his hustle, hard-nosed work ethic and a desire to play alongside the players that were naturally more talented than he was. Wally’s motto was always “team first”, and it showed – in his words, his play, and his stache. In fact, his stache was so selfless, that in 1985, it lead the National League in sacrifice hits – 15 total. An impressive feat when considering the selfishness and materialism of a 1980s New York.
Wally was incredibly speedy – he stole a career-high 32 bases in 1984, and a team-leading 30 stolen bases in 1985. In fact, its rumored that part of the motivation behind Wally’s mustache was that it made his face more aero-dynamic, allowing him to beat more throws into second. Eventually, his persistence on the field paid off – and landed him a regular position as the team’s starting second basemen in 1985. In 1986, he batted .320, and although he was not an every day player that year, he had a huge impact on the team and helped lead them to a Championship.
After spending 9 seasons with the Mets, Wally played for the Twins, Pirates, and Phillies before wrapping up his playing career with the Mariners in ‘93. He continued to stay involved with baseball and in 2006, became the coach of the South Georgia Peanuts, a South Coast League team. Perhaps in an effort to redeem himself (after coaching a team with such a pathetic-sounding name), he went on to coach the extremely hardcore-sounding Joilet Jackhammers in 2007.
What happens next, we won’t get into. Wally has dealt with some problems lately – but since we don’t know all the details, we won’t judge. The Wally we know was part of the greatest Baseball team in history, and that’s how we’re going to remember him. Swift, consistent, and utterly selfless: a true Met and a fine purveyor of the great American mustache.
And now you better know a Metstache.
Tags: Joilet Jackhammers, Mariners, Mets, Phillies, Pirates, South Georgia Peanuts, Twins, Wally Backman
Better Know a Metstache, Polls | Hairy Backman | 
April 1, 2009
