FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) – Manny Ramirez, who received permission from the Red Sox to report late to spring training for family reasons, was scheduled to attend a car auction in Atlantic City on Saturday, according to the promoter of the auction.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the team was aware of Ramirez’s scheduled appearance at the Atlantic City Classic Cars Auction. Boston’s first full-squad workout is Thursday. Under the collective bargaining agreement, the deadline for players to report to spring training is next Tuesday.

Earlier Wednesday, Boston general manager Theo Epstein said Ramirez has an excused absence and will report on March 1 for the second straight year.

On Monday, pitcher Julian Tavarez, Ramirez’s close friend, said the slugger’s mother recently had surgery and Ramirez was with her in Florida.

But later Wednesday, Ramirez’s plans to appear at the car show surfaced in a report posted on The Boston Globe’s Web site.

It said Ramirez’s mother’s condition might prevent him from attending – and it wasn’t known when the appearance was initially scheduled.

But Louise Cunningham, who works for G. Potter King, the Berlin, N.J., car dealer promoting the auction, told The Associated Press that Ramirez was still expected at the event.

“All we know, he’s coming at noon on Saturday, nothing else,” she said.

Ramirez is a collector of classic cars. His 1967 four-door Lincoln Continental Sedan convertible is listed in Saturday’s auction as number 1747A. In parentheses on the auction list is a note: Owned by Manny Ramirez.

Earlier Wednesday, after Boston’s other position players underwent physicals and did conditioning runs, Epstein said he had spoken Tuesday night with Ramirez’s agent, Greg Genske.

“Manny should be here, ready to go on the 1st” of March, Epstein said. “He’s got a family situation. I think the important thing from our perspective at this point is when he does show up on March 1 that he’s ready to go, accountable to his teammates, accountable to the organization.”

Epstein made no mention of the car show. Neither Epstein nor Genske returned e-mails seeking comment.

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Associated Press Writer Jesse Harlan Alderman in Boston contributed to this report.

AP-ES-02-21-07 2005EST