Looking Back: Michael Coleman Recalls His Career
"The rivalry is like no other," Coleman recently said from his Nashville home. "I can't even explain it. It's what you see when you are watching TV and the playoffs. Every game was something to remember. They learned to hate each other. Fenway Park was awesome, but I've never been in a better place than Yankee Stadium. Their fans are absolutely awesome."
Coleman, 35, was a graduate of Nashville's Strafford High School in 1994. He played both football and baseball and excelled in both. On the gridiron, Coleman played tailback and cornerback while handling the kicking duties. Coleman gained more attention from his football ability while being recruited by dozens of colleges. He chose professional baseball over a football scholarship at Alabama.
"That was a difficult decision for me," Coleman said. "I was 18 years old and that was a decision I made without a whole lot of data. I would not say it was a terrible decision, but it was a decision that I made based on money. It should have been about education and maybe I should have gone that route. Alabama was going to let be play baseball in the spring. I didn't know any better at the time."
The Boston Red Sox selected Coleman in the 18th round of the 1994 amateur baseball draft. He was sent to the Red Sox rookie camp in Ft. Myers, Fla. After six weeks, Coleman was sent to Single-A Utica, NY of the New York/Penn League. After his first season in professional ball the young right-handed outfielder was not satisfied.
"I was ready to play football," said Coleman. "That was the first time I had struggled at anything in sports. When I was playing baseball in high school, I was hitting .400 and .500. In that first year in rookie ball I hit .274 and felt pretty good about myself. Then they sent me to lower A-ball in Utica, and I hit .167. I thought this is not for me. I came home to reevaluate and went back to baseball though everything wasn't going like it was supposed to."
Coleman would spend the next few years in minor league Michigan (Single-A, Midwest League) in 1995, Sarasota (Single-A+) in 1996. He would work his way up in 1997 with Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Pawtucket. Coleman had 14 home runs in Trenton and seven with Pawtucket. In that minor league season, Coleman was told the one thing he had dreamed about.
"I had done pretty well in Trenton and [manager] DeMarlo Hale called me into his office and told me I as going up to the big team," Coleman said. "I remember that day like it was yesterday. We were in Boston. I had put on a Boston Red Sox uniform a couple of years in the big league's spring training, but not in the big league clubhouse with 24 other guys. In my first at bat I was scared.
"We were in Montreal and it was against Anthony Telford and I flied out to left field. In my second at bat I got a hit, an RBI and a stolen base. Playing that first time with Boston was living a dream. As a kid I played in my back yard in dirt fields and watched guys on TV with baseball players doing commercials on ESPN. I was hoping that would be me one day. Finally it came to pass. I just tried to take it all in and stay even keeled in case they call me for an opportunity to play."
In that brief period with the Red Sox, Coleman played in eight games, batted .167 (4-for-24), no home runs, a double and two RBIs. Coleman would be sent back to Pawtucket in 1998 and 1999. He did bat .268 and 30 home runs in 1999 which earned another call-up to Boston late in the season. Coleman only managed to appear in two games where he was 2-for-5.
"I didn't have a power problem," said Coleman who had 203 career minor league home runs. "I just couldn't find a spot on the field in the big league level. It seemed like every year when I thought it was my chance they would go out and sign a free agent. It was Carl Everett one year and he played four years. Then Johnny Damon came in. At that point I was hoping to be traded. I had to stay in Triple-A because of all those veterans."
In 2000, Coleman was sent back to Pawtucket.
"That was a time that I had a chip on my shoulder," Coleman said. "The year before I hit all those home runs. The way they handled it in the minor league system kept me, and a lot of guys down in Pawtucket. They called it 'reserve' or 'standby.' That didn't make any sense. When you have a good year, normally you get rewarded for that.
"At that point you are so frustrated you don't want that anymore. I was thinking could I get lucky enough to be traded? I still tried to keep an even keel in the locker room and hopefully to be called up into the big leagues, which is always your dream. When you go up there [major leagues] you want to play. People can say what they want. You can make all the money in the world, but you want to play."
In November 2000, Coleman received his wish as he was traded to Cincinnati, but in the following March he was traded to the Yankees.
"I got traded in spring training when I was with the Reds in Sarasota," Coleman said. "I hit two home runs one night. George Steinbrenner was at the game and I was traded the next day. I was out of options so I had to make that team in Cincinnati. I guess everything happens for a reason. I got to be around my idle Ken Griffey for a month. I hung out with Barry Larkin, Deion Sanders and all those guys everyday. It worked out. I made a lot of friends that I kept in touch with for awhile even after I left Cincinnati.
"I got to New York in spring training during the last week and tried to get acclimated. I hit the ball well right into the end of the season. My role in Cincinnati would have been a fourth outfielder and starting every now and then. In New York it was whenever someone needed or wanted a break. It was so happened that Bernie's [Williams] dad got really ill and eventually passed. I got an opportunity to play everyday. They've got the revenue to go out and buy what they want. The competition there is tough."
Coleman began that 2001 season with the Yankees' Triple-A club, Columbus. He was called up to New York during that same season. Coleman didn't get any hits until the club was in Kansas City where he had a big series.
"I went 7-for-14 with one home run, several RBIs and played centerfield everyday and a some in right," Coleman said. "When you are playing everyday you get into a groove. Coming off that bench is tough to do. Going from Boston to the Yankees was like -- Wow! You can't get any better than that. When you get to the big leagues one day, you are a big leaguer for life. Some players never make it who spend 15 years in the minor leagues."
Coleman still remembers the only major league dinger he hit in Kansas City.
"Joes Mesa threw me a 97 mph fastball on the first pitch," Coleman said. "I knew it was coming. It was just a matter of hitting it. You can't get behind him with that split-finger. On that first pitch that was all she wrote. I got it pretty good on the barrel and it was gone. That was in Kauffman Stadium. I went 3-for-4 in that game."
Wearing a Yankees uniform, Coleman appeared in 12 games, batted .211 (8-for-38), seven RBIs and one home run. Coleman was impressed with his New York manager Joe Torre and teammates like, Derek Jeter, Tino Martinez, Roger Clemens, Mike Mussina, Andy Pettitte, Bernie Williams and Paul O'Neill.
"I was in awe of these guys," Coleman said. "I was 25 years old and in that first week I was watching the little things that they did. Simple things like them putting on their uniforms or tying their shoes. Just being around those guys you want to pinch yourself. But after that, everybody is on the field at the same time. They are your teammates and you try to get your work in and win."
Coleman was asked about a favorite New York Yankee experience?
"This is what got me introduced to eating sushi," Coleman said. "David Justice pretty much took care of me in New York. I stayed under his wing trying to learn from one of the guys who had been doing it for a long time and in clutch situations. We went to a sushi restaurant, which was my first time. I didn't know anything about it. David put this hot sauce on a piece of sushi that was as big as my finger. I ate it and cried like a baby. They were all laughing at me. Just the fact that I made it to the big leagues is a story itself, especially being from Nashville."
Coleman could not select any one particular pitcher he thought to be the toughest. He said, "they were all tough." Coleman did say that in spring training he faced Mariano Rivera and it was, "four pitches and sit down." When he faced the hard-throwing Randy Johnson he tried to stand in the batters box without showing any intimidation. Coleman said that while you are at the plate you just try to hold your own against any pitcher on the mound.
In the fall, Coleman was granted free agency. He would later sign in the minor league organizations with Boston, Washington, back to the Yankees and Tampa Bay. Coleman stayed in the minors during this part of his career never to return to the big leagues. After becoming a free agent again in October 2006, Coleman was not signed by another club. Coleman said he knew his baseball career was on the decline so he just tried to have as much fun as he could.
Coleman's major league totals include 22 games, a .194 average (13-for-67), one home run and nine RBIs.
"I had an offer to go back and play in Tampa," said Coleman. "I didn't have it in me. My daughters were getting older and I was missing their involvement in school and other activities. I couldn't take it any longer. It was time to shut it down and do something else to make a living in another way.
"I opened M3 Baseball, an indoor baseball training facility in Nashville. It's been four years with that and doing well. It's a one-on-one indoor facility designed to assist young kids, adults and athletes to enhance their game. I want to teach them the things I learned in the big league level.
"Right now I have over 160 clients. The Nationals drafted my first kid last year. I also scout on the side a little bit in the summer for Washington. I've got over 20 kids in college playing ball at different levels. It's been quite a ride to see these kids excel and come through."
Coleman did hit 203 minor league home runs with 680 RBIs in 13 seasons. He batted .268 (1,158-for-4, 322) in 1,177 games and 145 stolen bases. The Nashvillian was asked about what he is most proud looking back on his baseball career.
"Just the fact of making it," said Coleman. "That's all of our goals and dreams. Look at the Nashville Sounds and you see some of these guys playing for years and years trying to get there. It's not as easy as everybody thinks. It definitely takes some hard work and something special. Or a certain coach or general manager might see something special in you for an opportunity to get on that stage.
"I thank God every day that I had the opportunity to play in the big leagues. Just the fact of getting drafted out of Nashville and coming pretty much out of the ghetto was an accomplishment. I'm happy as can be to tell stories to the younger kids and to my own kids. It's something that nobody can ever take from me. That will never change."
To learn more about Michael Coleman's M3 Training Facility, which is open year-round go to www.m3baseball.com.
If you have any comments or suggestions, click here to send an email to Bill Traughber.