As promised in our last podcast, we’re back with our season preview for NPB’s Central League.

In this edition of NPB Spotlight, Dave Watkins and I (well, mostly Dave, really) try to make some sense of all the player movement that occurred during the off-season. Dave recovers a bit from the hangover he was suffering while recording our last show and is in rare form for much of this edition. His preferred metaphor when waxing poetic about the Yomiuri Giants will be of particular interest to those who regularly follow TPR’s Spotlight on Nippon Pro Yakyu.

The plan for the 2009 campaign is for us to post an NPB podcast with updates every month or so. Please check back in at the end of April for our take on the ins and outs of Japanese Professional Baseball through the first month of the season.

For additional information and discussion related to the 2009 baseball season, check out Tsubamegun.

Many thanks to everyone who continues to listen!

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With the WBC out of the way and Japan successfully defending its title, it would now seem that the time has come to turn our full attention to the 2009 NPB baseball season. We’re very excited to be able to get this out to you before the season begins this year!

In this edition of NPB Spotlight Dave Watkins and I run through the majority of the off-season player cuts and acquisitions that took place in the Pacific League. We also make a few predictions about which teams are on the way up, which ones are headed south, and also the ones that may just be treading water this season.

And please check back here again soon for the Central League season preview which will be posted in a few day’s time.

For additional information related to the 2009 baseball season, check out Tsubamegun.

As always, thank you very much for listening!

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Opposition Democratic Party of Japan leader Ichiro Ozawa recently put himself into hot water by claiming that the presence of the U.S. Navy 7th Fleet would be sufficient in terms of US military presence in Japan. Ozawa seems to have forgotten about the significant role that the Marines and Air Force, as well as US Army intelligence stationed at Camp Zama play in Japan. (Editorial aside: Given Ozawa’s recent meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, one has to wonder if Ozawa is somewhat out of touch with reality as he makes such comments. Then again, given his seeming reluctance to meet with Secretary Clinton, one has to assume that Ozawa is completely out of touch with reality.)

At this point, Ozawa’s comments seem irrelevant, as the DPJ leader’s top aide has been arrested by the Tokyo Public Prosecutors Office on charges of violating the Political Finance Regulation Act. Apparently, construction firm Nishimatsu Kensetsu has contributed about 21 million yen to Ozawa’s political finances from 2003 to 2007. Two exeutives of Nishimatsu Kensetsu were also arrested. (Read on …)