SAYONARA?; PIAZZA'S LUCRATIVE JAPANESE FAN BASE COULD SHRINK IF HE PARTS WITH NOMO.Byline: Kevin Acee Daily News Staff Writer Mike Piazza's bank account could take a hit if he chooses not to return to the Dodgers after the 1998 season. And it has nothing to do with what the team, or any team, is willing to pay the best-hitting catcher of all time. It has to do with Hideo Nomo Hideo Nomo (born Aug. 31, 1968 , Osaka, Japan) Japanese baseball pitcher whose success with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995 created new opportunities for Asian players in Major League Baseball. . Being the catcher for one of the most famous men in Japan has afforded Piazza his own celebrity in that country. It is a celebrity that has grown over the past three years as Piazza has embraced it. But is it a celebrity that can stand on its own? ``Attention will probably shift away from him,'' said Fred Notehelfer, director of the Center for Japanese Studies at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX , echoing the sentiment of many who follow the Dodgers and Nomo here and in Japan. Piazza brings in an estimated $3 million a year from his endorsements in Japan, though some accounts have placed his Japanese earnings as high as $6 million. A Forbes magazine report in December, which ranked Piazza the 29th-highest-paid American athlete, said Japanese endorsements accounted for more than half Piazza's off-field take in 1997. The Dodgers paid their All-Star catcher $7 million last year, while he brought in around $6 million between his product peddling here and in Japan. It is believed Piazza is seeking to become baseball's highest paid player. Boston's Pedro Martinez holds the top spot with a six-year deal averaging $12.5 million per season. The bulk of Piazza's endorsement money in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. comes from Pert Plus shampoo shampoo a cleaning agent, usually liquid, for hair; usually consists of a detergent and perfume. Some, usually referred to as medicated shampoos, contain therapeutic substances such as parasiticides, antimicrobials, ketatolytic agents, and antiseborrheic compounds such as selenium and Nike. He has as many as 30 smaller endorsement deals that pay him around $100,000 apiece. A video game entitled en·ti·tle tr.v. en·ti·tled, en·ti·tling, en·ti·tles 1. To give a name or title to. 2. To furnish with a right or claim to something: ``Mike Piazza's Strike Zone'' is due out soon. The catcher is seen in television ads, magazines and newspapers in Japan pushing Gunze brand underwear or heavy construction equipment for Komatsu. Piazza also endorses Mizuno bats and serves as an adviser for the company. Many observers of Nomo and the Japanese people The Japanese people (日本人 Nihonjin, Nipponjin have said recently that those endorsements will lose their value should Piazza leave Nomo. ``Yes, eventually he will lose them,'' said Shin shin (shin) the prominent anterior edge of the tibia or the leg. saber shin marked anterior convexity of the tibia, seen in congenital syphilis and in yaws. Murano, who covers Nomo for the Sports Nippon newspaper. Murano and others stressed the importance Japanese people place on the relationship between pitcher and catcher. ``When Nomo pitches well, the people think part of it is because of Piazza,'' Murano said. And what if Piazza leaves Nomo? ``They're loyal to Nomo,'' UCLA's Notehelfer said of the Japanese people. ``They're loyal to things Japanese. They're not loyal to much else.'' Said Piazza, whose next contract could quite possibly make him baseball's highest-paid player: ``If that happens and (the endorsement money) ceases to exist over there I'll be fine.'' It may not happen. There is no disputing Piazza has built a following of his own. Komatsu, the tractor company, last season sponsored a newspaper column that chronicled Piazza. And Piazza makes yearly offseason treks to Japan, including a 10-day trip this past December in which he was all the rage General Public's All the Rage was released in 1984 by I.R.S. Records. Track listing
In December, Piazza was invited to play in a golf tournament in Japan with Tiger Woods  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled. . On one hole, Piazza's drive traveled farther than that of Woods. The next day's papers were all over the story. ``Mike was a bigger attraction than Tiger,'' said Dan Lozano of the Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. Sports Council, which represents Piazza. Lozano, who accompanied Piazza in December, is of the belief ``Mike's endorsements (in Japan won't) change whether he is a Dodger or not.'' Lozano, of course, has a reason to say such things. But he is not alone in endorsing Piazza's endorsement power in Japan. ``There used to be the thinking of Piazza as Nomo's catcher,'' said Emiko Kagawa, a reporter for the Tokyo Broadcasting System
In October, when Lozano said his client needed a long-term contract extension by Feb. 15 or the Dodgers risked losing him to free agency, it was big news in Japan. Among the possibilities broached was that of Piazza signing with a Japanese team next year. Ridiculous? ``I'm not ruling anything out,'' Piazza said last week. ``Obviously, I'm very comfortable over there.'' CASHING IN Mike Piazza Michael Joseph Piazza (born September 4, 1968 in Norristown, Pennsylvania) is an American Major League Baseball player who currently plays for the Oakland Athletics. He began his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers and played for the Florida Marlins, New York Mets, San Diego Padres receives as much as $6 million from endorsement deals in Japan. Here's a breakdown of overseas endorsements Piazza could lose if he leaves the Dodgers in free agency: - Gunze underwear - Komatsu construction equipment - Mizuno bats. CAPTION(S): Photo, Box PHOTO (Color) Some observers of the country's culture believe Mike Piazza would lose endorsements in Japan if he stops catching Hideo Nomo. Daily News File Photo BOX: CASHING IN (see text) |
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