Dodger rookie sensation Hideo Nomo is being hailed around
the world. In addition to the interest the former Japanese
League standout has brought to the game, Nomo is generating
profits at the box office. In Atlanta, Thomas Stinson reports
that the Dodgers' risk of extending a $2M signing bonus to Nomo
has already been recouped "through ticket and novelty sales"
(ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 7/4). And the Long Beach PRESS TELEGRAM's
Doug Krikorian reports the Dodgers have "cut a lucrative deal"
with a Japanese network to show Nomo's games (Long Beach PRESS
TELEGRAM, 7/4).
REPORTERS GET NOMO-MANIA: Baseball's beat writers are
catching "Nomo-mania," as Nomo was featured in several weekend
columns. A sampling -- In Dallas, Kevin Blackistone calls for
Dodgers Manager Tommy Lasorda to fiddle with his rotation to
allow Nomo to start in next week's All Star Game. Blackistone:
"Nomo, after all, is easily the best thing that has happened to
baseball this season" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/4). Peter Gammons
calls Nomo "the most significant athlete of this year," and
writes, "It's about time major league baseball stretched into the
Pacific Rim" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/2). On ESPN, Gammons mentioned
Nomo in the same breath as Jackie Robinson ("Sports Sunday,"
ESPN, 7/2). In Los Angeles, Bob Nightengale calls Nomo "a hero
in Japan, a celebrity in Los Angeles, and baseball's greatest
public relations coup since Bo Jackson" (L.A. TIMES, 7/4). In
New York, Murray Chass calls Nomo "the Japanese import, who came
with no trade tariff" and a "remarkable rookie" (N.Y. TIMES,
7/2). In Denver, Tracy Ringolsby writes that Nomo "has created a
fascination for the laid-back Southern California sports fan,
famous for fleeing ballparks in the seventh inning to avoid
traffic" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 7/2).
HE'S EVERYWHERE: In the FINANCIAL TIMES, Jurek Martin
reports that "the American baseball culture ... has the most
riding on Nomo now," comparing Nomo's emergence after labor
problems to Fernando Valenzuela's popularity after the '81
baseball strike" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 7/2). Nomo is profiled in he
current issue of NEWSWEEK. Gordon, Walton & Itoi write that "for
baseball fans, weary of the talk of dollars and cents, strikes
and lockouts, Nomo does make it fun to focus again on the more
important issues -- wins and losses, balls and strikes"
(NEWSWEEK, 7/10 issue). Nomo was the USA TODAY sports cover
story in Monday's issue (USA TODAY, 7/3). In a "SportsCenter"
report on baseball attendance, Keith Olbermann noted Nomo is the
"biggest draw in baseball." He also reported that his "last
three starts in L.A., attendance has been over 45,000, an
increase of nearly 25%" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 7/4). NBC's Brian
Williams: "He has put people in the seats, brought excitement to
the mound, and class to the game" ("NBC Nightly News," NBC, 7/3).
