Swallows fans respect Nomura and are very gracious for his help in leading Yakult to three pennants in the last five years. But the man does not elicit much devotion. Perhaps it's his surly sarcastic demeanor or his reputation for giving up when the odds are against him.

Though normally devoted to their team even in the worst of seasons, the oendan--organized cheering sections, armed with drums, trumpets and flags--were so enraged by Nomura in August 1996 that they simply stayed home. Why?

The day before, the Yakult skipper said to reporters that the Swallows, then roughly eight games out of first place, didn't have a chance of winning the pennant, and that it was the Giants' turn to go to the Japan Series. Perhaps it was a realistic view of the situation, but that's not what the oendan wanted to hear.

Nor did it help matters when Nomura publicly ridiculed two former Swallows players before the 1995 season. Both Jack Howell and Katsumi Hirosawa left Yakult and joined the Giants. Nomura said he was glad to be rid of them--Howell, according to Nomura, was an unreliable hypochondriac, and Hirosawa couldn't run. Those who appreciate Nomura's blunt assessments were surely pleased, but many Swallows fans were not.

Depending on one's sense of humor, Nomura is either rude or the funniest man in the game. Once, when it seemed all Giants hitters were in a slump, he sarcastically said that he was afraid of facing the Giants since they were all cleanup hitters.

Regardless of his personality, Nomura has emerged the best manager in Japan. A practitioner of Instant Data Yakyu, Nomura's devotion to statistics dictates much of what he does on the field and who the team acquires or releases. By outguessing his opponents and taking advantage of their weaknesses, Nomura has been able to guide a perennial cellar-dweller into Japan's most consistent champion.

And what he's done for the team he has also done for several players. Well known for recycling other teams' trash, Nomura has taken Masato Yoshii, Kazuya Tabata, Takehiko Kobayakawa , and Tetsuhiro Nonaka and given them all a new chance. All have had their greatest success after joining the Swallows.

Nomura's biggest challenge now is what to do with Hisanobu Watanabe. A terrific pitcher who compiled a 124-103 career record with the Seibu Lions, the 32-year-old right-handed hurler hasn't pitched effectively in years. It will an interesting test of Nomura's talent to see if he can turn Watanabe around . . . and return the Swallows to the Japan Series.