New World Order

It was as an agent that Nomura again challenged Japanese tradition. In 1995 he found a loophole in the agreement between the major leagues in Japan and the U.S. that allowed Hideo Nomo, a top pitcher in Japan, to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers. That move all but destroyed the wall that had prevented Japanese players from jumping to the major leagues.

Today Japanese players are no longer novelties in the U.S., and stars like 2001 American League MVP and Rookie of the Year Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners (No. 54 on SI's list) and New York Yankees outfielder Hideki (Godzilla) Matsui are among the sport's most popular players. This season there were eight Japanese players on Opening Day rosters. Not surprisingly, Nomura feels that's not enough. "[ Japan] wants to hang on to its players, but baseball players are artists," he says. "If their soul, feelings and heart are not in that place, it's hard for them to perform. They need a system that allows them to move on to a higher level."—A.W.

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JOE DUMARS, 39
President Basketball Operations, Detroit Pistons
He put a clamp on Michael Jordan as a defensive stopper in the late '80s for the two-time champion Pistons. Now he's trying to win a title from the front office. Just three years after Dumars took over, Detroit had the best record in the East this season—in part because Joe bested MJ again, in a key six-player trade with the Wizards before the season.

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DAN GUERRERO, 51
Athletic Director, UCLA
How do you let everyone know there's a new sheriff in town? Hire a black football coach after less than eight months on the job. One of only four Latino ADs in Division I-A, Guerrero fired Bob Toledo and hired Karl Dorrell, the Broncos receivers coach, who became only the fourth African-American head coach in Division I-A football.

29
GENE WASHINGTON, 56
Director of Football Operations, NFL
Washington, a receiver with the 49ers and Lions from 1969 to '79, is judge and jury for NFL—players who get too physical on the field. He levies fines and suspensions to discourage excessive and gratuitous hits. Yet Washington's true influence stems from the respect he commands from both management and players alike.

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CHARLES WANG, 58, AND SANJAY KUMAR, 41
Co-owners, New York Islanders
The Islanders were floundering after having had three different owners in four years before the Shanghai-born and Queens-bred Wang and Kumar, a Sri Lankan who immigrated to the U.S. when he was 14 in 1976, purchased the team for $190 million in 2000. The duo procured big-name talent ( Alexei Yashin, Michael Peca) and raised the team's payroll to $41 million, helping the Isles make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons. Wang, a huge basketball fan and a founder of software giant Computer Associates, considered buying the Grizzlies and the Hornets, and many believe he has his eyes on the Nets should the YankeeNets group put the team up for sale. Landing the Nets could entice Nassau County lawmakers to build a revenue-generating new arena in Long Island.

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STEVE MILLS, 43
President of Sports Team Operations, Madison Square Garden
Mills manages some $700 million in assets—the combined value of the Rangers, the Knicks and the Liberty, the three teams that occupy the World's Most Famous Arena. He's also got juice a few blocks away at the NBA office, where he spent 16 years, rising to senior vice president. There he helped form and develop the original Dream Team.

33
ROD GRAVES, 44
Vice President of Football Operations, Arizona Cardinals
After working his way through the Bears and Cardinals organizations, Graves, a former scout, in January became the second of three African-American G.M.'s in the NFL. His charge: turn around a listing franchise with a modest budget. So far he has generated buzz by signing Emmitt Smith, the league's alltime leading rusher.

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JORGE HIDALGO, 39
Executive Vice President of Sports, Telemundo

Chances are you got your first taste of Spanish-language television during the 1994 World Cup with Univision announcer Andres Cantor's breathless call: "Goooooooooal!" Cantor may have broadened the exposure of Univision, but it was Hidalgo, the executive in charge of the network's World Cup coverage, who led Univision to the top of the Spanish-language sports market in the U.S.