Japanese Ballplayers

Re “In Little Tokyo, They All Know the Meaning of Nomo,” Sept 28:

I enjoyed Ian James’ fine article on Dodger pitcher Hideo Nomo’s effect on the local Japanese and Japanese American community. However, I’d like to give a slightly different perspective from a person who played amateur baseball for 11 years in the Nisei Athletic Union (NAU), a league made up of Japanese American players in the Los Angeles area.

As a third-generation Japanese American (and third-generation Angeleno), I enjoy the success of Hideo Nomo not just for the fact that he is from Japan, but because he is pitching for my favorite team, the Dodgers. However, I don’t think he is anywhere near as much of an inspiration to Japanese Americans who’ve played the game as former Baltimore Oriole Lenn Sakata was. [Sakata played for the Baltimore Orioles from 1980-85.]

Sakata was the player that we looked up to as proof that a Japanese American could play major league baseball.

And because he was not cast as a sports oddity by the media because of his race like Nomo, but as a player just doing his job, he reinforced our ideal of being identified not by ethnic background but by ability.

As for the article stating, “The feeling is different for those who have come to adopt the United States as home,” please note that most Japanese Americans are U.S. citizens by birthright.

HUGH T. RYONO

Fullerton