Asa Naku Inu

Great job man. Thanks for all the work that must have required. (Showing respect...)

Wow, I also would like to use my fat stores in that way. She truly must be a medical wonder! Unless I'm way off base, and I'm no medical expert, it is easier to build muscle mass from calories stored within one's body than it is for someone with very low body fat percentage to add additional muscle mass. Is this wrong? My coach always told us it was easier to become a huge monster after being a huge fatty than it was to gain the weight from scratch. When I was using weight training to try and bulk up with my wrestling buddies, it was almost impossible for me to gain weight. However, my heavyweight friends had no problem increasing the amount they were able to lift, and a few of them actually gained weight, while converting their body from flab to beef, since muscle weighs more than fat I guess.

I, of course, can't personally say whether or not Flo Jo was doping. I was simply saying that her death was due to other causes. In her defense, however, when she came back to the sport after taking a few years off, was when she was so much stronger and faster. According to books written about her life, this new strength was due to training at a level that she had never before experienced. This is said to be a result of her sister in law(track & field star Jackie Joyner Kersee) motivating her to achieve new heights. Also the change in her build from 1984 to 1987 could be a result of the fact that she had put on quite a lot of weight (about 60 pounds) while away from the sport, and therefore had some fat stores to use in order to build muscle mass. Also, it is important to remember that everyone present when she set her world record in the 100m seems to agree that it was wind aided, regardless of what the instruments read, and that would explain why she was never able to come close to that speed again. This change in motivation does not seem like such a far fetched cause for increased performance. Remember that even when she was not suspected of doping she was a world class athlete. I have also personally seen a high school wrestler have a life changing experience alter the way he viewed and approached his training, and he went from junior varsity to state champion in one season. So, why can't a gifted pro-athlete experience a similar jump in performance from good to great? Now, having said all this, I did not know her personally. So, I am willing to admit that the people who say she doped could be right. I just know that her and her sister in law did a lot of good for children in my country. This of course colors my opinion of her and makes it hard for me to believe that a person who would work that hard off the field would be willing to cheat in order to do well on the field. Just my 2 cents. edit P.S. I did not mean to come across as some kind of jerk on the issue. I just noticed Doitsuyama's mention of the tone of my previous post. If it came across as rude or as a personal attack on Ganzohnesushi, that was not my intent. I am mostly just a huge fan of Jackie Joyner Kersee (her work with children suffering from asthma in particular) and therefore like Flo Jo by association. Thanks, Asa Naku Inu

I realize that this is a bit off topic, but.... Ganzohnesushi, While I don't know anything about Lance Armstrong (and don't really care), I think that your statement about Flo Jo needs to be addressed. Florence Griffith-Joyner suffered from a congenital brain defect that was present at the time of her birth. This defect caused her to suffer from seizures. She died from suffocating against her own pillow while experiencing one of these seizures. If you are wondering, I believe the brain defect is called cerebral cavernous malformation, but I could be wrong about the exact medical term. Please feel free to look it up. As a person who is a huge fan of the things that her and her family have done both on and off of the track, I could not let this attack on her good name go uncorrected. Stories of her death being related to drug use are the sporting equivalent to the Mama Cass choking on a sandwich rumor. I am now done with my rant. Thanks, Asa Naku Inu

Thanks for the info Kaiguma. By the way, how do you put a line through the text like that?

While I am thinking about it, I have a story that indicates how amazingly well Japanese people treat foreigners. In January of 2006, my father and mother were coming to Japan to meet my wife and I. Due to a major mistake by Northwest airlines, my parents were stranded in Tokyo instead of arriving in Nagoya. They spoke no Japanese and didn't have any Japanese currency. Some random kind citizen overheard them trying to get help from the Northwest counter, and came to their rescue. This kind hearted Japanese lady not only took the effort to find out what was wrong, she purchased them train tickets to Nagoya and made sure that they made it safely onto the correct train. She even made sure to ask the workers on the train to make sure the lost gaijin got off at the correct station. This is the way Japanese people treat foreigners. You would never see that here in the U.S. Important note: If you ever have family coming to visit and plan on meeting them at the airport, make sure they have your mobile number. If not, you may be sitting around Nagoya airport wondering what happened to your parents, while all they can do is leave messages on your home phone. So, part of the stress of that evening was my fault, but I still think if you buy a ticket to Nagoya you should be taken to Nagoya.

I have always been treated very nicely in Japan, and I stick out like a beacon. I'm an American standing over 6 feet tall and of Irish, German, and Welsh decent. While some here indicate it may be different for someone of African decent, my friends have never complained to me. Perhaps it was that my friends were so happy to be in Japan that their smiles were just contagious. I don't know, but all the locals seemed very happy to meet them. On a side note; I have been to many different countries in the last decade or so, and I have found that the only place I was welcomed as warmly as Japan was Ireland. Ireland and Japan just seem to be populated with the most friendly people you will ever meet.

Are there no shin sekitori on the banzuke this basho, only ones returning to juryo rank? Does anyone know when was the last time this happened?

Oh, I guess that I had not ever realized that the 2 highest ranked were almost always the last match. It must be my western ideals making me always want to keep the suspense until the last possible moment. Jesinofuji makes a great point. If Asa wins on day 14, it could spread the excitement out for the second day. That's a good thing. However, I'm still disappointed, because I just watched the matches and saw TochiO3 lose to Roho. There goes my dream of a three way playoff. Thanks for explaining things for me.

The yokozuna will face Hakuho on day 14, not on senshuraku. Does anyone else find this to be a rather anticlimactic surprise? I was really looking forward to seeing that match on Sunday. Not to mention the possibility of a three way playoff with TochiO3, but this could still happen (fingers crossed).

Thanks for the info, and thanks for the good source for additional info.

My wife recently told me that she thinks Musashimaru never ended up make-koshi until well after his yokozuna promotion. Is this true? I didn't really start following this sport religiously until a few years ago. So my knowledge on the rikishi of the past is very limited. I was hoping one of you guys with seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of the sport could help me out. Thanks in advance! Asa Naku Inu