NPB Tracker

200. That’s how many editions of the Japan Baseball Weekly Podcast John Gibson and Jim Allen have released. If you haven’t checked it out, you’re in for a treat, JBW is perhaps the best kept secret in the baseball media. Having appeared in some form on about 10 of the 200 podcasts, I know exactly how much work goes into the planning and production of the show, which only increases my admiration of Jim and John for keeping it going for five years. Congratulations guys on 200 shows, and here’s to the next 200!

I missed my cue for my favorite JBW memories, but I have two, neither of which is a specific show. The first is that from June 2013 through April 2015, I had a job that required me to commute about an hour and a half each way, mostly by train. It was a long, and frequently exhausting, commute, and the JBW podcast helped pass the time. The second is just simply talking baseball with John and Jim the times I’ve made appearances. It’s always a lot of fun, and it’s great motivation to drag myself up and force myself to enjoy some baseball.

If I had to pick a memorable show, I think I’d have to go with this year’s Pacific League predictions series, which I appeared on with Claudio Rodrigues of Beisbol Japones, whom I had never met before. It was a great, rousing conversation, and there’s a funny story behind it, which I’ll let John decide if he wants to share.

And with that, I have episode #200 embedded for your listening pleasure right here. Listen for John making fun of me within the first two minutes of highlights 🙂