Wally is Back, Man … Sort Of

You may have noticed a new ad for “Playing for Peanuts” over on the right side of the blog. As some of you may remember, “Playing for Peanuts” was a reality/documentary show about minor league baseball that aired on SNY. The show followed the South Georgia Peanuts and their manager – former Mets 2B and current Brooklyn Cyclones skipper, Wally Backman.

“Peanuts” producer John Fitzgerald is offering Mets bloggers a $5 commission for every 3-DVD set sold on the web. Not a bad deal for us bloggers, but it also gives you the chance to help support some of your favorite Mets blogs, including this one, OntheBlack, and BrooklynMetFan.

Click here for ordering information.

Since Wally Backman is back in the Mets organization and he has been mentioned as a potential Mets manager in the future, John Fitzgerald will be sending me some of the bonus footage that he has released online, along with some commentary.

Playing for Peanuts – Web Extra Clip #1

John Fitzgerald: This is Wally’s first game as a manager since 2004 and it was clear from the start that he was more than the volatile/fiery manager than we expected. First off, he was always thinking two steps ahead of the other manager – in this clip, he calls for a drag bunt from his pitcher, Damien Dantibo, and then he discusses basestealing strategy with catcher Tug Gillingham. In retrospect, this clip also shows the diversity of the team Backman put together – Dantibo was a former MMA fighter who Wally compared to Randy Myers, in terms of his personality traits and eccentricities. Gillingham, on the other hand, was the son of a high school teacher/baseball coach – he was also a high school coach before signing with the Peanuts. It’s a small thing, but it is interesting to see how Wally is able to effectively communicate strategy to both players in the span of a few minutes.

Buy the 3-DVD Set (10 episodes + Bonus Content)