PAWTUCKET -- Michael Coleman
wanted to make sure everyone understood that he had arrived in Pawtucket on time. He reached into his locker, pulled out a sheet of paper with his travel itinerary and showed it to reporters.
"That's my itinerary," Coleman said last night as he prepared for Pawtucket's game against Syracuse at McCoy Stadium. "As you can see, it's for Tuesday the 16th. Wherever they got that I was supposed to be here (Monday), obviously there was some missed communication somewhere. I didn't miss a flight. I'm here on the day I'm supposed to be here. But I'm sure as media, you all loved that."
Coleman, who often had been involved in controversy in his earlier stays with Pawtucket, clearly was not happy. But rather than erupting, or refusing to talk, as the "old" Michael Coleman might have done, this time he handled the subject of his arrival quietly and calmly.
Pawtucket officials had been told he would report from extended spring training in Florida -- he had been working with Class A Sarasota -- Monday. Someone had been sent to Green Airport to pick him up. When Coleman did not appear, he was called on his cell phone.
Coleman, who had driven to his home in Tennessee for a day with his family, said his plans had been cleared through both his agent and Mike Port
, Boston's general manager. His flight was booked for Tuesday, not Monday. He was simply following the plan he had been given.
"Somewhere along the line it got mixed up," he said. "Obviously, if my flight had been for (Monday) I would have been here. The last thing I need to do is miss a flight."
Pawtucket manager Buddy Bailey
, who was among those who expected Coleman to arrive Monday, had no problems.
"All I know is that he is here today," Bailey said. "In fact, he came straight from the airport. He didn't even go to the hotel to unpack."
Coleman got in some extra batting practice and whacked a number of pitches out of McCoy. Still, because he had traveled all day, Bailey decided not to start him last night.
"We've got a quick turnover with a day game (today at noon)," Bailey said. "He was only going to play one of the two, so why not give him a little more time to get acclimated?"
Coleman will be in the starting lineup today and will hit at or near the top of the order to give him as many at-bats as possible. After spending last season with the Yankees, he was signed to a guaranteed contract by the Red Sox early this year. He appeared on his way to making the Boston roster before suffering a strained hamstring. He played briefly in Sarasota after beginning his 20-day rehab assignment April 12th.
Coleman said he is itching to play ball and wants to forget about the "prime time" nickname that had followed him earlier in his career.
"It took me to sit down with my wife and family to think of what I've been through. I had nobody to blame but myself," he said. "It took a lot of time to get my name back because I had all that prime time stuff. All I want to be called is Michael."
Abbott on board
Pawtucket did have one newcomer in its lineup last night, Jeff Abbott
.
Abbott, a 6-foot-2, 200-pounder who has spent time in the majors with the White Sox and Florida, was signed to a minor-league contract over the winter. He was 3-for-11 in spring training for Boston before suffering a sprained left knee in mid-March. He had been on extended rehab in Fort Myers.
Abbott, who is one of the rare players who bats right but throws left, started in right field and hit seventh last night. He was a Triple-A All-Star in both 1996 and '97 playing for Nashville. Room was made for him on the roster by assigning Mike Kusiewicz
to Lowell. Kusiewicz had been the winning pitcher Monday night. He is likely to return in five days and make his next start. By taking him off the roster, it gives the team a few extra days to play without losing anyone else.
As it is, the team now is overloaded with outfielders. Coleman and Abbott join Glen Barker, Edgard Clemente, Damond Buford
and Dernell Stenson
.
"It's going to be tough duty," Bailey said. "We'll try to get them all playing time the best we can."
