Date:  Friday, December 7, 2001
From:  DJS
Subject:  No-mo Nomo?

What about Hideo Nomo's performance in 2001 was unworthy of legitimate Red
Sox interest? Besides chewing up innings, leading the club in wins and
remaining out of team dissension, he kept the team competitive even in most
of the games he lost, seeing more than his share of well-pitched
no-decisions. The early no-hitter was one reason the club woke up to its
potential after a grim spring training, but more importantly, when the stars
went down, Nomo took his turns quietly but with a dignity the club sorely
lacked.

Without Nomo, the Boston staff for 2002 is a horde of questions marks, based
on hopes of regained prowess and health. Pedro will likely see spring
training and the first few months tied to a pitch count; Wakefield will
again be an innings hog capable of both the unhittable and uncatchable; Lowe
as a starter is far from comforting, while the usual reclamation projects
and reconstructed body parts are a tribute to Frank Job and Dale Carnegie
but how in the world do the Sox not need Nomo?

Admittedly unobjective here, baseball owes more to Hideo than it readily
notes - his "rookie" season, the All-Star game and helping to lead the sport
out of the malaise of the strike, the no-hitter at Coors Stadium, and now
the parade of Japanese players whose entry is based in part on his success.

I do not doubt that money is an issue here, but the thought of his pitching
for the Yankees based on the cold indifference that has become Sox contract
brinkmanship seems penny-wise and pound foolish.