An Interview With Wally Backman

Steve Serby had a great interview with Wally Backman. Some interesting dialogue:

Serby: Players you would pay to watch back in the ’80s?

Backman: I’d pay to watch us.

Serby: What was so great about playing in New York?

Backman: I’ve seen George Foster get five hits one game and strike out to end the game, and 55,000 people boo him. Believe it or not, I like that (bleep), ’cause it kept you on your toes all the time.

Serby: The first time you saw Doc Gooden pitch?

Backman: I hadn’t seen a breaking ball like that before.

Serby: The first time you saw Straw play?

Backman: You could actually hear the sound of him swinging the bat. . . . I have never played with a player that you could hear that (and) I played with Kirby Puckett, I played with Barry Bonds. That was truly something special.

Serby: Mookie’s groundball that got by Bill Buckner?

Backman: I didn’t think anyone was gonna beat him (to the bag) to begin with. I still can’t believe that a groundball like that would be missed, but it was.

Serby: Boyhood idol?

Backman: Willie Mays or Pete Rose.

Serby: What would you want to say about the Mets taking a gamble on you?

Backman: I don’t think it’s a gamble. I paid the price.

Serby: Anything you’d like to say to Mets fans?

Backman: I want to see another championship here. I think that they deserve it, it’s been a long time. They’re the best fans in the world.

To read the article in full, check out Serby's Q&A With Wally Backman