Playing for Peanuts is a 10-episode documentary television series about minor league baseball. The ten episode series follows the South Georgia Peanuts of the independent South Coast League during the 2007 season.
Playing for Peanuts is a 10-episode documentary television series about minor league baseball. The ten episode series follows the South Georgia Peanuts of the independent South Coast League during the 2007 season.
The series centered on former New York Mets star Wally Backman's managerial comeback, following a four-day stint as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2004. Backman had been fired by Arizona after past legal troubles surfaced.
Playing for Peanuts premiered on nine regional sports networks on May 11, 2008. The show was received favorably by baseball fans and the sports media, but it was removed from TV by the producer, John J. Fitzgerald after a dispute with SportsNet New York due to the network's refusal to promote the show. [1] Fitzgerald maintained that the network refused to promote the show because it might be seen as an endorsement of Backman to replace New York Mets manager Willie Randolph. SportsNet New York is owned by Sterling Equities, who at the time was the Mets parent company. Fitzgerald has since posted select episodes on his YouTube account, and is selling the complete series on DVD via Amazon.
In November 2009, Backman was hired by the New York Mets to manage their Class A affiliate Brooklyn Cyclones. According to Baseball Digest , Backman had asked Fitzgerald for the cell phone number of Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. [2] After calling Wilpon, Backman reportedly impressed the team during a series of interviews, leading to his hiring. [3]
The New York Mets are an American professional baseball team based in the New York City borough of Queens. The Mets compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) East division. They are one of two major league clubs based in New York City, the other being the American League's (AL) New York Yankees. One of baseball's first expansion teams, the Mets were founded in 1962 to replace New York's departed NL teams, the Brooklyn Dodgers and the New York Giants. The team's colors evoke the blue of the Dodgers and the orange of the Giants.
William Nathaniel "Buck" Showalter III is an American professional baseball manager for the New York Mets of Major League Baseball (MLB). Previously, he served as manager of the New York Yankees (1992–1995), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998–2000), Texas Rangers (2003–2006), and Baltimore Orioles (2010–2018). He also is a former professional Minor League Baseball player and television analyst for ESPN and for the YES Network for Yankees telecasts.
Alfredo José Pedrique García is a Venezuelan professional baseball player, coach, and manager. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a shortstop for the New York Mets (1987), Pittsburgh Pirates (1987–88), and Detroit Tigers (1989). Pedrique served as the Houston Astros bench coach and as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks. He also served first base coach of the Oakland Athletics a season before being shuffled to third base coaching for two further seasons. He is currently the third base coach for the Miami Marlins.
The Syracuse Mets are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League and the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets. They are located in Syracuse, New York, and play their home games at NBT Bank Stadium, which opened in 1997 and has a seating capacity of 10,815. The Mets are named for their major league affiliate and owner, the New York Mets.
Walter Wayne Backman is an American former Major League Baseball second baseman. He is best known for his time with the New York Mets from 1980–1988 and was a member of their 1986 World Series-winning team. He was also the former manager for the Las Vegas 51s, the Mets' AAA minor league team, from 2013 to 2016. He served as the bench coach for the Pericos de Puebla of the Mexican Baseball League in 2017. He is currently the manager of the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
Erick Harding "Rick" Peterson is a former pitcher and pitching coach in Major League Baseball. He was most recently the director of pitching development for the Baltimore Orioles. He was a pitcher in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, but is most notable as the pitching coach for the Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, and the Milwaukee Brewers. Peterson is known for his unique use of biomechanical research and psychological principles to help pitchers improve their pitching motions. His nicknames include "The Jacket" and "The Professor." He is also known for placing his hand on the shoulder of the pitcher during mound visits.
Robert Paul Melvin is an American former professional baseball player and coach, who is the manager of the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has been named Manager of the Year three times.
Jeffrey Scott Wilpon is an American businessman who is the executive vice-president of Sterling Equities, and the owner of the Overwatch League Esports team the New York Excelsior. He is the former COO of the New York Mets baseball team and son of the former principal owner of the New York Mets Fred Wilpon.
Fred Wilpon is an American real estate developer and former baseball executive. He was principal owner of the New York Mets from 1987 to 2020.
SportsNet New York (SNY) is an American regional sports network owned by Sterling Entertainment Enterprises, LLC, itself a joint venture between the Fred Wilpon Sterling Equities, Charter Communications through its acquisition of Time Warner Cable in May 2016 and Comcast, through its NBC Sports Group subsidiary. The channel primarily broadcasts games and related programming involving the New York Mets, but also carries supplementary coverage of the Mets and the New York Jets as well as college sports events.
Stephen Francis Phillips is an American baseball analyst and former baseball executive. He served as the general manager of the New York Mets from 1997 through 2003. He worked as a baseball analyst for ESPN from 2005 until his dismissal in October 2009. He currently serves as an MLB analyst on TSN and TSN 1050 radio as well as the host of The Leadoff Spot on SiriusXM's MLB Network Radio.
The South Coast League of Professional Baseball (SCL), based in Conyers, Georgia, was a professional, independent baseball organization located in the Southeastern United States. It operated in cities not served by Major or Minor League Baseball teams and was not affiliated with either. It folded after its first season in 2007.
Timothy Shawn Teufel is an American former professional baseball second baseman and current coach. He played Major League Baseball from 1983 to 1993, most notably as a member of the New York Mets with whom he won a world championship in 1986. He also played for the Minnesota Twins and the San Diego Padres. He is currently a New York Mets minor league instructor and club ambassador. Teufel became known for his batting stance, the "Teufel shuffle", in which he wiggled his buttocks back and forth before the pitcher's delivery.
Robert Peter Geren is an American former professional baseball catcher and manager, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Yankees (1988–1991) and San Diego Padres (1993). Geren managed the Oakland Athletics from 2007 through 2011. He served in various coaching capacities for the A's and New York Mets, and is currently the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bench coach.
Donald Robert "Duffy" Dyer is an American former professional baseball player who is the manager of the Kenosha Kingfish of the Northwoods League collegiate summer baseball league. He played in Major League Baseball as a catcher for the New York Mets (1968–1974), Pittsburgh Pirates (1975–1978), Montreal Expos (1979), and Detroit Tigers (1980–1981).
John Francis "Frank" Cashen was a Major League Baseball general manager. He was an executive when the Baltimore Orioles won the 1966 World Series, and 1970 World Series while winning three consecutive AL pennants from 1969 to 1971. Later he became General Manager of the New York Mets from 1980 to 1991, and the club won the 1986 World Series during his tenure.
Kevin Burkhardt is an American sportscaster. He is currently the lead play-by-play voice for the NFL on Fox and lead studio host for Fox Major League Baseball.
Mauro "Blond Herring" or "Goose" Gozzo is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher and current manager of the Gastonia Honey Hunters. He played all or parts of six seasons in the majors, from 1989 until 1994.
The South Georgia Peanuts were a short-lived minor league baseball team, based in Albany, Georgia in 2007. The team's home games were held at Paul Eames Sports Complex.
 | This article about a television show originating in the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |