Too bad about Dave "Dingo" Nilsson leaving the Chunichi Dragons. He's gone back to his native Australia for treatment of a painful lower back condition, and it appears his Japan career, at least at the varsity level, may have come to an end. What was supposed to have been an exciting season in Japan for a bona fide .300 hitter in the majors has gone completely haywire.

Nilsson went from a high-profile member of the defending Central League champions lineup, to the farm team, to back home Down Under. Hope he'll be back in good health and able to rejoin the Dragons, but reports say he's not expected to return here until July, and he's going to the Sydney Olympics in September, so how much of a season could he have, realistically?

The fact is Nilsson had difficulty adjusting to Japanese baseball during the spring exhibition season and the first three weeks of the regular campaign. He seemed confused, especially when called upon to catch in the middle of exhibition games after playing left field for the first four or five innings. He was lost, is what he was.

"I had no clue what was going on," he said in March after manager Senichi Hoshino instructed him to put on the mask and get behind the plate during a tuneup contest. "I had no preparation, didn't know how to communicate with the (Japanese) pitcher, what pitches he threw or what signals to call for." Though a catcher by trade, Dingo had not worn the mask, chest protector and shin guards since the previous September.

Nilsson was dropped to the Drags' Western League farm team on April 19 after hitting a lowly .170 with but one homer and eight RBIs over 15 games. At first, he had trouble hitting even the minor league pitching but soon caught on and raised his WL average to where it stands now at .329, with four HRs and 20 RBIs. Then, apparently, the back pain kicked in.

However, he wasn't going to be recalled any time soon anyway, because the Central League Dragons have been winning since his departure, having gone from the cellar when he was demoted, to a tie for first on May 28. Also, there's no place for him with respect to Japan's foreign player limitations.

The club went through a 10-game victory streak in mid-May, and two of its hottest hitters have been infielder Leo Gomez and Korean outfielder Lee Jeong Bum, who replaced Nilsson. Japanese clubs are allowed only two non-Japanese position players at a time on their first-team roster.

So, as the Dragons continue their struggle for consecutive championships and Japan Series appearances, Dave Nilsson has become the forgotten man, and it's a shame.

Unlike some other big-name big leaguers who have come to Japan, took the money and split, leaving behind sometimes pitiful stats, Dingo is a class guy who really wanted to do well here, especially during this special year with his country hosting the Olympics.

I think his dream was to win a medal in Sydney in September, then come back here and win the Japan Series. It may still happen, but the outlook isn't brilliant for Dingo at this time.

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Diamond Dust: Rumor has it the Nippon Ham Fighters may trade currently injured outfielder Micah Franklin to the Yakult Swallows. With Sherman Obando and Nigel Wilson doing well as the Fighters allowed pair of foreign varsity players, Franklin has been on the F's Eastern League farm roster or the disabled list most of the year.

He's currently in the U.S. recovering from surgery to repair a broken hand, but a trade to the crosstown Tokyo Swallows could take place at any time, and he could probably play somewhere around All-Star time in mid or late July . . .

The Fighters, by the way, will hold their annual American Ballpark Weekend promotion at the Tokyo Dome on July 1-2, and I'll have details in my next column on June 18. ABW is not to be confused with Yankees Day, scheduled this year for Sunday, Sept. 3 . . .

In town the past two weeks has been Jim Marshall, international scout for the National League Arizona Diamondbacks. Marshall, a former Chunichi Dragons player (1963-65) and head coach (1981-83) and major league manager with the Cubs and Oakland in the 1970s, makes the trip to Japan periodically.

This time, a Sports Hochi newspaper reporter apparently manufactured a story in the June 1 edition, writing that Marshall was here and, since he had watched the Fighters-Orix BlueWave game at the Tokyo Dome last week, it could be the D'backs might try to acquire perennial Pacific League batting champion Ichiro Suzuki from Orix at season's end.

Says Marshall, "I like Ichiro, but (the Diamondbacks) have an abundance of left-handed hitters and outfielders. We've got Steve Finley in center, and Travis Lee, a player in whom we've made a big investment, in right field." Those are the two positions Ichiro plays, and Arizona is also set in left field with Luis Gonzalez.

"Furthermore," Marshall points out, "there would be a lot of teams bidding on him." Since Ichiro will not be a free agent until after the 2001 season, if the BlueWave agree to let him go to the majors after this year, they would have to "post" him, making him available to any MLB club caring to offer Orix a sum of money for his contract.

Marshall did leave the door slightly ajar, however, saying, "You never know what might happen, though. Somebody could get hurt, or we might make a trade and be looking for a lefty hitting outfielder for next year."

We'll see what happens.