Morty

Australian historical archaeology, particularly convicts and Indigenous peoples. But I've worked all over the world doing all kinds of archaeology on all kinds of sites. Just last week I was excavating an Aboriginal site (rock-shelter) in the northwest of Australia.

I too am an archaeologist (though I suspect with a very different research focus...). Good to meet another one on here

Agreed that a HNH is definitely still a henka

The first two bouts today were conducted in a fairly staid fashion and then things just fell off the truck. Matta after matta, some really cranky sumo from a few characters (Yutakayama not happy with Akua after an egregiously aggressive matta, Shimanoumi not happy with Kagayaki, Chiyoshoma and Myogiryu not happy with each other) and a couple of guys busted open hard way resulting in about a 0.6 Muta for each of them. On top of that some awesome sumo in a number of bouts. And Takakeisho winning a long one with a throw!?!?! A great day to be a spectator.

In the slow motion replay you can see he slaps down at Onosho's arms and just grazes one. But if you blinked you would miss it.

He hurt his shoulder in the first couple of days when someone tried a kotenage on him. He was flexing his arm at the end of the bout and grimacing

Kotonowaka starting to look like the real deal. Successful so far at his highest ever rank. Even in his one loss to Takayasu he looked good.

That was a really good first day's sumo. Some really good technical bouts there. Kotonowaka looked great, as did Kotoshoho. Shodai looked like he's be quite happy to not be Ozeki any longer and not have that pressure on him anymore thank you very much. Great to have sumo back!

Thoroughly enjoyable basho. Really pleased for Mitakeumi. I must admit I had settled into a kind of equilibrium with him where I thought he was stuck at Sekiwake and would never work out how to take the next step. I did the same thing with Kisenosato and winning a yusho/making it to Yok - I think in that case I made a lot of posts on this forum about how he really needed a good sports psychologist, and then, like Mitakeumi, he went and achieved it on his own when I had convinced myself he couldn't. For Mitakeumi 33 wins over three basho with a 9/11/13Y progression, with the yusho clinching win over the reigning Yokozuna, is about as solid an Ozeki run as you can get. With regard to the other two Ozeki, while both kadoban, I think it is a mistake to lump them in the same boat as "failed ozeki who will never make it to Yok". They are clearly different. Shodai has clearly struggled (looks mental rather than physical/talent based to me), while Takakeisho has shown that he is the real deal when he's fit. I suspect Shodai will not last at Ozeki much longer, while Takakeisho will go on to be quite successful at the rank

Watching the slow motion, frame by frame replay of Hoshoryu's face connecting with the tawara was both glorious and cringe inducing. Serious guts to say "well I could put my hand down and cushion the blow but I think I'll just faceplant instead...". I guess it got him the win though (and a mild 0.2 Muta crimson mask). Also, Mitakeumi hurt his back in that bout. He couldn't bow properly at the end and was grimacing afterwards. Hope he can still go tomorrow.

Watching Hak prowl around like a caged tiger while on Oyakata guard duty the other day, I would suggest he's ready to put his hand up for option 2.

He's making it easier for them with a near flawless performance so far. He had a close call one day and lost to Hokotofuji - the rest has been near perfect in terms of the sumo he has displayed. Nothing but oshidashi and yorikiri wins. He has beaten both Komosubi and the one remaining Ozeki, he has one Sekiwake and the Yokozuna to go. The other two are Onosho and maybe Chiyoshoma? The way he is going he wins two, maybe three of those (maybe all four) and if that happens they won't deny him I think.

Shodai looked like a completely broken man after that loss today. He has lost his mojo and doesn't know how to get it back. I feel really sorry for him, he seems like a nice guy. This version of Mitakeumi should smoke him.

That's the second day time in three days he has pushed his opponent off the dohyo after he had clearly already won. He is usually so nice to his opponents. I wonder if he has a tooth ache or something?

Yeah that was a seriously egregious wrong decision. He was looking right at it and it was clear as day to the casual watcher yet he still got it wrong.

He looks like a man completely bereft of confidence, and without any plan for what he is going to do once he's on the dohyo.

I couldn't understand why that wasn't at least a monoii or an outright win to Myogiryu - looked like a textbook utchari and Tochinoshin landed first. Unless Myogiryu stepped out while executing the throw, and that didn't look conclusive, I can't understand how he didn't win that?

Given that every third bout starts with a clash of heads, if they had a legit concussion protocol that required people to sit out, there would be no sumo after day five. I too was surprised Ura turned up today, but he looked good when he did.

I don't typically watch the lower divisions so this is my first look at Oho. My initial impression, after three bouts, is that he's a big strong boy!

To be honest I don't know anything about him other than that he's Taiho's grandson, so I'm guessing but he'll be in the joi by the end of the year and will be beating the lower rankers with regularity

He'll hang around the joi, and get some good results but won't go higher than komusubi. And three KKs, three MKs

He'll get three yusho but at some stage the knees are going to come back to bite him and then it will be kyujo / mediocre performance until he intais in 2023

This is the year he cracks Ozeki!

I think he'll retire before January

Same as last year - he will yo-yo around the top to middle maegashira but his best years are behind him and he isn't getting to Ozeki