By Mark Derewicz
March 20, 2002

Hideo Nomo Larry Goren

A Japanese ownership group led by major league pitchers Hideo Nomo, Hideki Irabu and Mac Suzuki announced plans Tuesday to buy the independent Northern League's Elmira Pioneers.

The group will buy 51 percent of the Pioneers from the Ervin family. The Ervins will retain a 49 percent share in the team they have owned since 1996. Steve Ervin will remain the executive vice president of the team and said the rest of the front office will also remain the same.

Nomo, Irabu and Suzuki formed a company called Silex to buy the Pioneers. The team will stay in Elmira, where a professional team has played almost continuously since 1885.

"This is a real shot in the arm," Ervin said. "I don't know the actual demographics, but if we're not the smallest town in the league, then we're the second. They have the resources to buy other teams but became comfortable with us."

And not a moment too soon. Steve Ervin and his father John have reported substantial losses over the past five years and desperately needed another backer in order to keep baseball in Elmira.

There's no guarantee the new owners will keep the team in Elmira past the 2002 season, though they've said they have no plans to move. The main impetus to purchase the team had more to do with player development than the almighty dollar.

Phil Kramer, a Los Angeles lawyer and the fourth member of the new ownership group, said the three major leaguers were interested in giving more foreign players a chance to play professional baseball. He said Elmira might become more of a farm team, despite its independent status.

Instead of a major league team plucking the talent whenever it pleases, the Pioneers will hold players' contract rights, as do all independent teams. So the team can hang on to a player until it is ready to sell his contract to a major league organization.

The Northern League sells player contracts to major league organizations for a standard price of $3,000. Most leagues have a set amount, unlike the fly-by-night leagues of days gone by. Righthander Kerry Ligtenberg, for instance, was sent to the Braves from the now-defunct Prairie League for a bag of balls, bats and other equipment.

Nomo, 33, is beginning his eighth season in the major leagues. He was the National League rookie of the year in 1995 for the Dodgers and has also played for the Mets, Brewers, Tigers and Red Sox. He has an 82-71, 4.05 career record in 1349 innings. The Dodgers re-signed Nomo this offseason.

Irabu, 32, has a 31-27, 5.09 career record in three seasons with the Yankees and two with the Expos. He signed with the Rangers this offseason.

Suzuki has a 16-29, 5.57 record in parts of four major league seasons.

Elmira is a member of the Northern League's eight-team Eastern Division. Northern League East owners tentatively approved the sale of the team at a January board of directors meeting. Final approval from commissioner Miles Wolff is expected soon.