Wrongly convicted man back on job after 23 years
Imprisoned 23 years for a crime he didn’t commit, Nevest Coleman couldn’t imagine a day like this.
He was back in his old job as a groundskeeper for the Chicago White Sox, working the home opener against the Detroit Tigers on Thursday.
“When you sit back when you’re locked up, you don’t think about” a day like this, Coleman said. “You just think about what’s going on trying to move forward in life, trying to figure out what I’m gonna do when I get out, how I’m gonna support myself. The White Sox gave me the opportunity.”
Coleman is getting another shot after he and another man were exonerated in a 1994 rape and murder. They were convicted in the slaying of a 20-year-old woman after her body was found in the basement of a home on Chicago’s South Side where Coleman lived. Both Coleman and the other man confessed but quickly recanted.
After DNA testing linked the crime to a serial rapist, the two men were released from prison in November. A Cook County judge issued “certificates of innocence” in March, clearing their names. Soon after that, Coleman returned to his old job with the White Sox.
“Nevest was a good friend of mine back then and I was glad to have him back,” said Jerry Powe, his supervisor. “I’m real happy for him. Nice day today.”
Coleman arrived at the ballpark at 6:30 a.m. Thursday. He had already washed windows, helped pull out the tarp and picked up trash by the afternoon and was prepared to pitch in “wherever they put me.”
The ballpark has a different look these days, thanks to major renovations while he was in prison. The top rows in the upper deck were removed. The outfield concourse was renovated, and the seats are now green instead of blue.
Coleman is simply glad to be back.
“When I finally came home, all the anger was gone,” he said. “My grandbabies, I finally saw them. You can’t be miserable around them.”
Aching Yankees: The New York Yankees placed left-hander CC Sabathia and third baseman Brandon Drury on the 10-day disabled list.
The moves Saturday came a day after New York lost to Baltimore 7-3, with Pedro Alvarez hitting a grand slam in the 14th inning in a game lasting 5 hours, 20 minutes. Sabathia left Friday’s game with a sore right hip after throwing 58 pitches over four innings. The move to the Dl for the 37-year-old pitcher from Vallejo came despite a clean MRI exam.
Drury has been dealing with severe migraines. He already has seen a doctor and is set for more tests Monday.
Jonathan Holder, who served up Alvarez’s slam, was optioned to Triple-A. The Yankees recalled right-handers Luis Cessa and Domingo German from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and signed utility man Jace Peterson to a majorleague contract.
The health issues do not end there. Infielder Tyler Wade was pulled from Friday’s game with flu-like symptoms. He had fever, shakes and dry heaving. He was administered IV treatment and was feeling ill before Saturday’s game. Martinez tossed: It didn’t take long for Dave Martinez to earn his first ejection as a majorleague manager.
The Washington Nationals’ rookie skipper made an early exit from his eighth game in the job, getting tossed by umpire Marty Foster at the end of the third inning against the New York Mets on Saturday.
Martinez came out to argue after Nationals third baseman Anthony Rendon was ejected by Foster. Rendon had flipped his bat after being called out on strikes for the inning’s final out while facing Mets lefty Steven Matz.
Foster allowed Martinez to yell for quite a bit before telling him his day was over. Martinez then threw his cap before kicking at the dirt near home plate.
Rendon was one of a handful of Nationals batters who complained about called strikes in the early innings. Briefly: The Orioles placed outfielder Colby Rasmus on the DL with a hip injury. Baltimore recalled rookie righthander Jimmy Yacabonis from Triple-A Norfolk . ... The Nationals put catcher Miguel Montero on the paternity list and designated left-handed reliever Enny Romero for assignment. Jhonatan Solano’s contract was selected from Triple-A Syracuse so he can serve as the backup catcher. Washington also recalled utility player Matt Reynolds from Syracuse.