BASEBALL DAILY REPORT : DODGERS : Braves Get Taste of Nomomania

John Schuerholz, executive vice president of the Atlanta Braves, left his office early Wednesday afternoon to join the festivities on the field.

It resembled a playoff atmosphere, with 125 reporters, mini-cams, photographers, microphones and every other piece of electronic equipment gathered around the Dodger dugout. There was even a reporter from the local newspaper covering the Japanese journalists covering Nomo.

“This is something else,” Schuerholz said. “I usually don’t come onto the field like this, but I wanted to witness it for myself.”

Yet, instead of a one-time experience at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, this easily could have been happening every fifth day for the Braves.

Hideo Nomo could have been an Atlanta Brave.

Nomo was scheduled to fly to Atlanta to visit Schuerholz and the Braves in February but instead called to cancel. He was signing for $2 million with the Dodgers.

“We had some serious interest,” Schuerholz said, “but it didn’t work out. We weren’t given a chance. I don’t know whether we would have given him a $2-million-plus package, but we had scouts over in Japan who told us we should sign him. We were well-aware of his ability.”

Could there have been Nomomania in Atlanta, considering there are only 5,000 Japanese living in Georgia?

“I realize there’s a unique circumstance with the large Asian population in Southern California,” Schuerholz said, “but if he was pitching this way for us, believe me, he would be just as big.”

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Dodger right fielder Raul Mondesi eagerly accepted an invitation Wednesday to participate in the home-run hitting contest during the All-Star festivities and then made a prediction.

“I’ll hit the most homers, and our league will win it,” Mondesi boldly predicted.

Uh, Raul, have you checked the participants?

The American League hitters will be Mark McGwire, Mo Vaughn, Frank Thomas and Manny Ramirez. The quartet, with an average size of 6 feet 3 and 232 pounds, have combined for 82 home runs.

The National League team will consist of Mondesi, Reggie Sanders, Sammy Sosa and Ron Gant. They average 6-0, 190 and have hit 61 homers.

“No problem,” Mondesi said. “We’ve got better pitchers in the National League. That’s why we haven’t hit as many homers.”

Said Dodger batting coach Reggie Smith: “I don’t know if Mondy will win it, but I guarantee nobody will hit the ball farther.”

Did Mike Piazza, who bowed out of this year’s contest, offer Mondesi any advice?

“Hey, anything I’d say to him would only be destructive,” Piazza said. “I’m 0 for 20 in those things.”

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Atlanta pitcher Greg Maddux on the growing public sentiment for Nomo to start the All-Star game instead of him:

“Hey, if I was a fan, I’d rather see Nomo start too. I’m boring.”

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Colorado Rocky Manager Don Baylor, upset that right fielder Larry Walker wasn’t selected to the All-Star game, was asked whether he thought Walker should have been selected ahead of Mondesi.

“No,” Baylor said, “because to me Mondesi is the most exciting player in our league. He’s not going to be compared to a lot of guys. There’s not a lot of guys around to compare him to.

“I was talking to Vin Scully and said: ‘Give me your opinion on him.’ He told me, ‘I never thought I’d ever say that somebody could throw better than Carl Furillo or Roberto Clemente, but this guy can.’

“There’s no better tool guy in the game than Raul Mondesi.”