FORT MYERS, Fla. — Apparently, Manny Ramirez won’t be showing up at the car show in Atlantic City, N.J., tomorrow after all.

Ramirez, who has been given permission by the Red Sox to report to camp on March 1, a week after everyone else, was scheduled to appear at the Atlantic City Classic Cars Auction, according to the show’s promoter.

He is trying to sell a 1967 four-door, Lincoln Continental Sedan convertible. It’s item number 1747A, if you’re in the neighborhood.

Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein, though, says he doesn’t expect Ramirez to be in that neighborhood.

“I talked to his agent [Greg Genske] and he said [Manny’s] not going to be there,” said Epstein yesterday. “Manny’s dealing with a family issues [his mother reportedly underwent surgery]. We’re not going to document his whereabouts on an hour-to-hour basis, but I was told he’s not going to be there. He’s tending to his mother. We believe him.”

While the organization is preaching “accountability” for Ramirez this season, his teammates, while growing tiresome of the slugging left fielder being able to call his own shots, recognize his value to the team.

“He can be phenomenal for us,” said third baseman Mike Lowell. “He can be a unifying guy for this team. I think he’s smarter than people think, and he opens up more to us than [the media] see. He’s a tremendous asset. Our chances of winning the World Series are much better with him.”

The first pitch

Curt Schilling became the first pitcher in camp to throw batting practice when he faced three hitters brought over from the minor league camp to face him.

Schilling prefers an extra batting-practice session rather than throwing regular bullpen sessions, which the other pitchers threw yesterday.

Jeff Corseletti, Jeff Natale and Andrew Pinckney took their swings against the veteran right-hander in his 40-pitch workout. Non-roster invitee Dusty Brown did the catching.

Around the bases

Yesterday’s first official workout was preceded by a team meeting . . . Left-hander Jon Lester, bouncing back from treatment for anaplastic large cell lymphoma, has been impressing pitching coach John Farrell, as has right-hander Devern Hansack, who pitched a five-inning rain-shortened no-hitter against Baltimore for a win on the last day of the 2006 season . . . Josh Beckett’s plan is to change the eye level of the hitter this year, working more fastballs down low to make the high heaters more effective. He has been doing that well so far in camp, said Farrell . . . The teams have an early workout today, ending at 11 a.m. so they can participate in a charity golf tournament . . . Yesterday’s crowd of 2,525 was more than the total of the previous two days.

skrasner@projo.com