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	<title>jballallen.com</title>
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	<description>writing &#38; research on Japanese baseball</description>
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		<title>Why is NPB so bad at adapting</title>
		<link>https://jballallen.com/why-is-npb-so-bad-at-adapting/</link>
					<comments>https://jballallen.com/why-is-npb-so-bad-at-adapting/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jim Allen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 10 Aug 2026 07:59:24 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Baseball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paid Content]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kaizen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NPB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sadaharu Oh]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://jballallen.com/?p=17678</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, I wrote about Nippon Professional Baseball&#8217;s professed &#8220;reason&#8221; for adopting a pitch clock: allowing the establishment to both publicly disrespect the players union and serve as an excuse for March&#8217;s World Baseball Classic quarterfinal exit – Japan&#8217;s worst finish to date. In that post, I mentioned that Japanese organizations are incredibly slow to adopt &#8230; <a href="https://jballallen.com/why-is-npb-so-bad-at-adapting/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Why is NPB so bad at adapting</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
		
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17678</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Japan goes fast slowly</title>
		<link>https://jballallen.com/japan-goes-fast-slowly/</link>
					<comments>https://jballallen.com/japan-goes-fast-slowly/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jim Allen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 09 Aug 2026 14:29:06 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Baseball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[ABS]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kyodo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NPB]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pitch clock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[PitchCom]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[union]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World Baseball Classic]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://jballallen.com/?p=17675</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Nippon Professional Baseball announced recently it will adopt new technology for next year. In addition to making the designated hitter rule available in official Central League games 52 years after the Pacific League began using it, both leagues will begin using a pitch timer and the PitchCom system to audibly transmit the catcher&#8217;s signals to &#8230; <a href="https://jballallen.com/japan-goes-fast-slowly/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Japan goes fast slowly</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
		
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17675</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>The kanri yakyu curse</title>
		<link>https://jballallen.com/the-kanri-yakyu-curse/</link>
					<comments>https://jballallen.com/the-kanri-yakyu-curse/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jim Allen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 19 Jun 2026 16:06:20 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Baseball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paid Content]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Akira Ogi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ichiro Suzuki]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kanri yakyu]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Katsuya Nomura]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[kodawari]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sadaharu Oh]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tatsuro HIrooka]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tetsuharu Kawakami]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://jballallen.com/?p=17639</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[In my last two posts dealing with the differences between baseball in Japan and the United States, I discussed the history behind Japan&#8217;s unwavering allegiance to one-run tactics, and its almost unique penchant for obsessive attention to detail as it applies to practice. These phenomena achieved their maximum expression in the 1980s and &#8217;90s, in &#8230; <a href="https://jballallen.com/the-kanri-yakyu-curse/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">The kanri yakyu curse</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
		
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17639</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>It&#8217;s all in the details</title>
		<link>https://jballallen.com/its-all-in-the-details/</link>
					<comments>https://jballallen.com/its-all-in-the-details/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jim Allen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 18 Jun 2026 14:41:35 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Baseball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paid Content]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Albert Pujols]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ichiro Suzuki]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shohei Ohtani]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tuffy Rhodes]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://jballallen.com/?p=17634</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Yesterday, I wrote about the history behind how the styles of baseball in Japan and the United States have diverged so much over the years. Today, I&#8217;d like to write about how Japanese culture has forced Japanese to approach the game so differently. When I first came to Japan, baseball fans said the Japanese game &#8230; <a href="https://jballallen.com/its-all-in-the-details/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">It&#8217;s all in the details</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
		
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			<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		
		
		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17634</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Japan&#8217;s trouble with power</title>
		<link>https://jballallen.com/japans-trouble-with-power/</link>
					<comments>https://jballallen.com/japans-trouble-with-power/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jim Allen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2026 13:08:34 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Baseball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[AABR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meiji]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tetsuya Nakamura]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://jballallen.com/?p=17622</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I was recently asked to give a presentation to a meeting of Tokyo&#8217;s Association of American Baseball Research. My topic was the reasons why Japanese and American baseball have diverged so much. Today&#8217;s post is part of that presentation. Since the day I first watched Japanese pro baseball back in 1984, I was struck by &#8230; <a href="https://jballallen.com/japans-trouble-with-power/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Japan&#8217;s trouble with power</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
		
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17622</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Swallows Legend Bob Horner</title>
		<link>https://jballallen.com/swallows-legend-bob-horner/</link>
					<comments>https://jballallen.com/swallows-legend-bob-horner/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jim Allen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2026 12:56:51 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Baseball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paid Content]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bob Horner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HIromitsu Ochiai]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leon Lee]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Robert Whiting]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yakult Swallows]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://jballallen.com/?p=17609</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[I was saddened to hear of the passing of former baseball player Bob Horner this week at the age of 68 due to yet unannounced causes. Horner arrived on the scene just as my curiosity about Japanese baseball was achieving critical mass. I got into the game here because my first posting as an English &#8230; <a href="https://jballallen.com/swallows-legend-bob-horner/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Swallows Legend Bob Horner</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
		
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17609</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Abe resignation creates Giants challenge</title>
		<link>https://jballallen.com/abe-resignation-creates-giants-challenge/</link>
					<comments>https://jballallen.com/abe-resignation-creates-giants-challenge/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jim Allen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 May 2026 12:21:43 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Baseball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[History]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paid Content]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hideki Hashigami]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sadayoshi Fujimoto]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shinnosuke Abe]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://jballallen.com/?p=17606</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Within hours of Shinnosuke Abe&#8217;s Monday arrest for domestic assault, the Yomiuri Giants manager submitted his resignation on Tuesday, presenting the organization with a monumental challenge. The challenge isn&#8217;t about how to move forward with a new manager to win more games than the team loses this season, but how to control the damage and &#8230; <a href="https://jballallen.com/abe-resignation-creates-giants-challenge/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Abe resignation creates Giants challenge</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
		
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17606</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>NPB to punish dangerous swings</title>
		<link>https://jballallen.com/npb-to-punish-dangerous-swings/</link>
					<comments>https://jballallen.com/npb-to-punish-dangerous-swings/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jim Allen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 12 May 2026 12:49:23 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Baseball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Commentary]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paid Content]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jose Osuna]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Matsutaro Shoriki]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Takuto Kawakami]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yuta Ishii]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://jballallen.com/?p=17597</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[Starting Tuesday, batters in Nippon Professional Baseball games who lose control of their bats while swinging will be punished by warnings and automatic ejections. Any swing in which the bat leaves both hands — including cases where it accidentally slips—will now be classified as a “dangerous swing.” If the bat strikes another person such as &#8230; <a href="https://jballallen.com/npb-to-punish-dangerous-swings/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">NPB to punish dangerous swings</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
		
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17597</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Messing with the balls</title>
		<link>https://jballallen.com/messing-with-the-balls/</link>
					<comments>https://jballallen.com/messing-with-the-balls/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jim Allen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 11 May 2026 13:30:19 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Baseball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paid Content]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Katsuhiko Nakamura]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meredith Wills]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rob Manfred]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://jballallen.com/?p=17595</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[For the first time since 2021, baseballs have been flying out in Japanese parks at somewhat normal rates, causing Katsuhiko Nakamura, Nippon Professional Baseball&#8217;s secretary general, to issue the standard response on April 6 that NPB has not been messing with its balls. &#8220;There has been absolutely no intentional change in specifications,&#8221; he said. Back &#8230; <a href="https://jballallen.com/messing-with-the-balls/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Messing with the balls</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
		
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17595</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Games of April 16, 2026</title>
		<link>https://jballallen.com/games-of-april-16-2026/</link>
					<comments>https://jballallen.com/games-of-april-16-2026/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Jim Allen]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 13:55:24 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Baseball]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bobby Dalbec]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cooper Hummel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gregory Polanco]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ichiro Suzuki]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kyuji Fujikawa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Masahiro Tanaka]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Neftali Soto]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://jballallen.com/?p=17567</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[The Eagles and Hawks matched up with first place in the Pacific League on the line, Masahiro Tanaka took the mound for the Giants for the first time at Koshien Stadium, and we got a taste for why it can be a pain in the butt to manage the Hanshin Tigers. Thursday&#8217;s games Buffaloes 7, &#8230; <a href="https://jballallen.com/games-of-april-16-2026/" class="more-link">Continue reading <span class="screen-reader-text">Games of April 16, 2026</span> <span class="meta-nav">&#8594;</span></a>]]></description>
		
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">17567</post-id>	</item>
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