While Court Waits, Mets Must Deal With Coleman

On a rare night in which the club was spared a confession, a public apology or the necessity of a disciplinary statement, the New York Mets were left to wrestle with the vexing matter of Vince Coleman. Far from going away, the problem keeps coming back. The outfielder is scheduled to return from California by Friday, at which time they better have decided on a course of action for the remainder of the season.

The American justice system failed them Wednesday when it granted Coleman a continuance on his arraignment for a felony count of possessing an explosive device. He will not have to return to a Los Angeles courtroom until Oct. 8, the first week of the most welcome off-season in franchise history. Club officials had hoped to be guided by the legal process in deciding on a proper form of discipline but now are compelled to act first or turn their backs.

Having named Bret Saberhagen on Tuesday as the player who sprayed bleach on reporters, the Mets are eager to put the last and most serious of the distractions that have marred their season to rest. Yet, nothing happened in Los Angeles on Wednesday that would merit a fine, suspension or release. They could have moved in the days after Coleman tossed a device in the vicinity of fans outside Dodger Stadium but chose caution.

Now they have to act belatedly or suffer the public relations disaster of toting him around the National League, starting Friday night in Philadelphia. He has not started a game since July 25, the day after the incident, and was limited to cameo appearances in St. Louis on the last road trip. Can he play? Should he play? Will he play?

“I can’t answer that,” Manager Dallas Green said before Wednesday night’s 4-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Shea Stadium. “It’s up to the organization, I assume.”

One of the organization’s two owners, Nelson Doubleday, is said to be vacationing and the other, Fred Wilpon, is in Wisconsin at a special meeting convened to discuss the matter of increased revenue sharing on which may hinge the immediate future of the sport. The general manager, Joe McIlvaine, is scouting the minor leagues. It was left to Jay Horwitz, the Mets’ director of public relations, to address the situation.

What he said was, “Everything is status quo.” As per the agreement announced last week, Coleman has taken an unpaid “leave of absence” to settle his legal difficulties and has been instructed to report back to the team within two days of his court appearance. Nobody cared to speculate on what happens then.

“I think we have to cross the first bridge first,” Green said, “and find out what’s going on with Vinny.”

But will the man be sent into exile or back to left field? It’s a decision no one connected with the team wants to touch. “We’ll make it then, not now,” the manager said.

The Mets have been embarrassed by many off-field developments this season. Bobby Bonilla cursed a reporter and threatened to show him the Bronx, whatever that meant. Coleman struck Dwight Gooden’s shoulder with the follow-through of a golf club in the clubhouse, forcing him to miss his scheduled start. Saberhagen tossed some firecrackers at a group of reporters while they interviewed Anthony Young after another defeat, but he didn’t admit it to a soul until the same night he spritzed the clubhouse with bleach. He finally confessed to that caper on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, the team has performed so badly on the field it has cost a manager (Jeff Torborg) and a general manager (Al Harazin) their jobs. The Mets trailed the first-year Florida Marlins by nine games at the start of play Wednesday night despite a payroll of almost $40 million.

All of this pales in comparison to the Coleman incident, however, because the injuries suffered by several fans constitute a shameful moment for baseball. The reaction of Mets officials hasn’t brought any more credit to the game. It wasn’t until five days after the device went off that the player commented publicly. He did so in the company of his wife and children and, while he termed his behavior inappropriate, he failed to say he was sorry.

There was no statement by the commissioner because baseball hasn’t had a commissioner since Fay Vincent resigned under pressure on Labor Day. National League President Bill White has been equally silent. And the Mets have waited, and waited, and waited.

The waiting period is over. Do they want to keep Coleman on the roster in the hope that prosecution will free them from the final year of his four-year contract? Do they dare play him in leftfield and risk not only the ire of some dangerous fans but the enmity of all? Do they put him in stocks and invite people to toss tomatoes?

Or do they cut their losses, write off several million and open a roster spot for one of the youngsters they have to build around? The Mets can’t duck the decision any longer. It only will paint the organization as weaker than it already appears.

Remember, the Mets functioned without a full-time GM for weeks and, although McIlvaine finally agreed to return, he continues working out of his West Coast home. Much like baseball itself, the franchise too often has heard the question, “Who’s in charge here?”

Who indeed? The club had next to nothing to say about Coleman after his court appearance yesterday. Green said he wasn’t even sure what the continuance meant.

What it means is that the Mets will have to do their own dirty work, whatever the consequences. Or silently endorse antisocial, perhaps even criminal, behavior on the part of their players.