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It's a whole new ball game
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September 13, 1996: 6:52 p.m. ET
Japan's first baseball agent breaks down wall between U.S. and Japan
From Correspondent Bill Dorman
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TOKYO (CNNfn) - The world of professional baseball in the United States is slowly opening to Japanese baseball players. The success of Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Hideo Nomo (1.3 MB QuickTime Movie) has not only made him famous all over the globe, but it has also opened the door for a few other Japanese players now in the minor leagues.
Mac Suzuki is pitching for the Seattle Mariners' farm team, and Katsuhiro Maeda, a 24-year-old with dyed hair and a blazing fast ball, is being developed by the New York Yankees.
One thing all three players have in common is their agent, Don Nomura, a Japanese-American who is shaking the foundations of professional baseball in Japan. He's also having an effect here in the United States.
Ask Nomura how business is, and he says it's good and bad.
"Good is people are realizing that there are a lot of Japanese players wanting to go to the States. The bad thing is that there's a thick wall between the United States and Japan," Nomura said.
He believes that "we just have to force (the wall) down. That's what we've done with Nomo and Maeda. It's really hard to bring the two parties together, because the rules are totally different."(85K WAV) (85K AIF)
Nomura asserts that the biggest difference between baseball management in the United States and in Japan is communication. When people in the United States say something, they mean it. Conversely, "when they say something here (in Japan), it doesn't really have any meaning. They just tell you something."
"(In the U.S.), they're very careful when they negotiate. And they really respect baseball players - how they perform, their value."
Nomura credits Nomo for changing an American stereotype of Japanese. "It used to be that 'Japanese were small, they were weak, they couldn't do what Americans have done.' Nomo kind of changed that myth. Now, I think we're seeing more scouts interested in coming over here and scouting Japanese players."(108K WAV) (108K AIF)
Nomura fully expects that even more Japanese will be playing baseball in the U.S. in the near future.
"I think we'll see two types for now: amateurs - like high school and college kids; and professional players leaving during their contractual obligation years."
And you can be sure that Nomura will be right there to pitch in and lend a hand.
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