Clark Seems to Be Odd Man Out With Red Sox

FORT MYERS, Fla. — He stood near first base during fielding drills and if you believed everything you’ve heard or read, Jack Clark should have had buzzards circling his head.

Clark’s baseball death has been exaggerated more in the past year than Mark Twain’s literary demise. Yet, there he was Thursday morning, in his first spring training workout. Living, breathing and actually smiling in his Red Sox uniform.

How long he will be in that uniform is open to conjecture. He is the odd man out in the Red Sox’s plans. They acquired Ivan Calderon from the Montreal Expos in December to be the DH and barring an injury, the first base job appears to be between Mo Vaughn and Carlos Quintana.

“I’m here because I’m supposed to be here,” Clark said. “That’s my job. But it does feel a little awkward.”

The Red Sox are treating Clark just as they are treating left-hander Matt Young -- as if he is a problem they wish would go away. “I just hope he comes in and has a great camp to enhance his trade value,” general manager Lou Gorman said.

Clark, 37, is trying to return from the abyss of a sour, wasted year -- on and off the field.

Clark suffered through a season of injuries. Both shoulders. Right hip and rib cage. When the season ended, Clark’s numbers were .210, five homers (none at Fenway Park) and 33 RBI in 81 games.

Going into 1992, Clark had averaged .269, 22 homers and 76 RBI through 15 full seasons in the majors.

But even that precarious decline paled in comparison to what happened in Clark’s life off the field. His mother became ill in June and needed heart surgery.

Then Aug. 7, the story broke in southern California that Clark -- who had signed a three-year, $8.7 million contract in December 1990 -- filed for personal bankruptcy with outstanding debts of $6.7 million. The Chapter 11 filing, however, exempts the $1.6 million collusion payment Clark received and his 1993 salary of $1.9 million.

And there was no one to blame but Jack Anthony Clark. It wasn’t drugs or gambling. He hadn’t been duped by a financial adviser. He wasn’t the victim of bad advice or unlucky events. He just had lavish hobbies and spent more than he made.

Clark listed debts of $11,459,305 and assets of $4,781,780 in his filing. He had 18 cars -- five that each cost more than $100,000 -- and homes in Danville, Calif., worth $2.4 million and $375,000. He had a drag racing team that lost about $1 million.

He owed American Express $55,955. He owed $37,000 on his Nordstrom charge card, $19,820 on his Visa and about $400,000 in potential state and federal taxes.

Clark was asked about the state of the bankruptcy case. “I’m really not supposed to talk about it,” he said. “All I can tell you is I’m doing everything I can to help this thing along.”

But there was nothing to stop him from talking about the impact of the bankruptcy on his performance, relationships with his teammates and the pressure it put on his family.

The houses are gone and he rents a condominium in Newport Beach. His four kids -- ranging from 3 to 12 -- had to be told something.

“I had a whole lot of negative things to deal with,” he said. “Now, my whole lifestyle has changed, for me and my family. And instead of just baseball players, there was a lot of human-ness going on with the team. A lot of people stuck by me. They’re not only great players, but great friends.”

And from all appearances, Clark is keeping his on-field problems in perspective.

“That’s kind of always been my makeup,” he said. “I’ve never taken baseball and put it on a pedestal, made it like it’s life and death or the end of the world. But I would like to get back to where the game is fun.”

The Red Sox’s bid to get center fielder Darrin Jackson from the San Diego Padres may not be dead. “Darrin Jackson wants to play for the Boston Red Sox,” Jackson’s agent, Alan Meersand, said Thursday. Meersand gave the Red Sox another proposal this week and wants to hear back from Gorman. But before Gorman can talk with Meersand again about Jackson, the Padres must petition the American League and commissioner’s office for another 24-hour grace period. Gorman said that is a formality.

Andre Dawson, who probably will bat cleanup, arrived for his first workout. Still no sign of Calderon. . . . The pitchers got their chance to bat. Scott Bankhead (who played for the Reds last year) and Jose Melendez (Padres) were two of the best hitters.