World Series Notes : Grounded Coleman Sits and Waits

The tale of the tarp continues for Vince Coleman.

More X-rays are scheduled today for the Cardinal rookie, who hasn’t played since he caught his left leg under the tarpaulin’s 1,200-pound aluminum casing a week ago Sunday in St. Louis.

The premier base-stealer in the National League--he stole a rookie record 110 bases in 1985--hasn’t played since the accident, which left him with bruises from ankle to mid-thigh. Without him, the Cardinals were 4-0 in postseason play going into Sunday night’s game with the Kansas City Royals.

Asked when he’d be able to play, Coleman said: “I can’t make a prediction like that. I’m no Houdini, I can’t heal my own bones. I have to have the Lord do that. If I could, I’d do it today.”

Coleman said his leg was at about “75 or 80%.” “When I run, I feel a sharp pain in my left knee,” he said. “When I put pressure on it, it hurts. I’m not able to run at full speed.”

Asked if he could play at less than 100%, Coleman said: “I think Whitey (Herzog, the Cardinal manager) is more concerned about my health. And with the other guys doing a great job, why rush it?

“If we weren’t in the World Series, I wouldn’t have to worry about playing. I’d have the whole winter to let it heal.”

The Royals scheduled a workout today at Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The Cardinals, who have not worked out since the day before the playoffs opened, will take the day off.

“If we can’t play now it’s too late,” Cardinal Manager Whitey Herzog said.

Having successfully employed depth to replace Bruce Sutter in the St. Louis bullpen, Whitey Herzog said: “I managed the same way here (Kansas City) for five years. I didn’t have (Dan) Quisenberry then, but I won 102 games one year with Mungo, Hungo, Duck and the Bird.”

Mungo was Steve Mingori, Hungo was Al Hrabosky, Duck was Marty Pattin and the Bird was Doug Bird.

Angel General Manager Mike Port, now scouting the Arizona Instructional League, will join Manager Gene Mauch and assistants Preston Gomez and Cookie Rojas in St. Louis, at which time they will make decisions on their key free agents--Donnie Moore, Rod Crew, Juan Beniquez and Bobby Grich. “We hope that by the end of the World Series we’ll be prepared to make a statement on which players we hope to keep and which we don’t,” Port said.

Afternoon friends became enemies Sunday in Kansas City.

Kansas City third baseman George Brett and St. Louis manager Whitey Herzog watched the Chiefs-Rams football game at nearby Arrowhead Stadium before adjourning to Royals Stadium for Game 2 of the World Series.

“The first 7 1/2 minutes were good,” Herzog said of the Chiefs’ 16-0 loss to the Rams.

One of Herzog’s pet peeves is the increasing number of deferred salaries being paid to players.

“We’re going to have an old-timer’s game pretty soon where everybody’s being paid,” Herzog said.

His proposed solution to what he sees as a problem is to have all the money put up front in a bank when such contracts are signed.